Period+3+-+Bhopal

  BHOPAL   WHAT IS BHOPAL?  Bhopal  is the capital city of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India    <span style="COLOR: rgb(237,33,148)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(164,0,255)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(196,82,250)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(62,204,130)">. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact"><span style="COLOR: rgb(237,33,148)"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 24pt; COLOR: rgb(220,17,238); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif">WHAT HAPPENED? <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><span style="COLOR: rgb(22,187,76)"><span style="COLOR: rgb(100,15,240)">On December 3, 1984, Bhopal was the scene of the worst environmental accident in modern times. Shortly after midnight, poison gas leaked from a factory, which was owned by Union Carbide Corporation. No alarm warned the citizens and none of the plant's safety systems were working. The sleeping citizens of the city woke in darkness to the sound of screams with the gases burning their eyes, noses, and mouths. They began retching and coughing up streaks with blood. Whole neighborhoods fled in panic, some were trampled, and others convulsed and fell dead. People lost control of their bowels and bladders as they ran. Within hours thousands of dead bodies lay in the streets. About 8,000 were killed. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 22pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 24pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact">

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 24pt; COLOR: rgb(209,17,238); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif">HOW DID IT START? <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Large amounts of water entered tank 610, containing 42 tones of methyl isocyanine. The resulting reaction created a major increase in the temperature inside the tank to over 400°F. The MIC holding tank then gave off a large volume of toxic gases, forcing the emergency release of pressure. The reaction was sped up by the presence of iron from corroding pipelines. A mixture of poisonous gases then flooded the city of Bhopal. Most say the causes of this disaster are: faculty maintenance, lack of management, outdated equipment, misguided judgment, and societal factors. <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The problem was then made worse due to the plant's location near a densely populated area, non-existing catastrophe plans, and shortcomings in health care and socio-economic rehabilitation.

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 24pt; COLOR: rgb(209,17,238); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif">AFTERMATH <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">· <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Government of India passed the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster Act that made the government right to represent all victims in or outside India. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">· <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">UCC offered US $350 million, the insurance sum. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">· <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Government of India claimed US $350 billion from UCC. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">· <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">In 1989 a settlement was done where UCC agreed to pay US $470 million and final settlement of its civil and criminal liability. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"> <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">· <span style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt; COLOR: rgb(102,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">When UCC wanted to sell its shares in UCIL, it was directed by the Supreme Court to finance a 500-bed hospital for the medical care of the survivors. Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) was installed in 1998. It was thankful to give free care for survivors for up to eight years. <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: rgb(121,0,255); FONT-FAMILY: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left">

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<span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.bhopal.org/whathappened.html <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_Disaster <span style="COLOR: rgb(39,18,248)"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.asmalldoseof.org/historyoftox/1970-2006/Time_Bhopal.jpg <span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">http://www.bhopal.com/ucs.htm <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">__Enviornment Disasters__ by Lee Davis http://www.netphotograph.com/pablo/midsize/bhopal01.jpg


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