1. BHOPAL TRAGEDY The World Worst Industrial Disasters of it is time By:
Miduk Aritonang

2. PREVIEW OF OCCURENCE Time of occurrence : 3rd December 1984
Place of occurrence : Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Company : UCIL - UCC
Cause : Methyl Iso-Cyanate (MIC) gas leak  ± 40 ton

3. ABOUT BHOPAL PLANT
Owned and operated by UCIL (Union Carbide India Limited) - UCC (Union Carbide Corporation)
Started in 1969
As chemical complex (containing miles of complicated piping, hundreds of specialized reactors, pressure vessels, HE, etc)
Formulation plant for phosgene, mono-methyl-amine, methyl ico-cyanate (MIC), chemical carbaryl, then formulated it into insecticide brand products such as SEVIN and TEMIK.
At the beginning, UCC provide the design, engineering and construction, but UCC’s process design were changed and developed by UCIL it self.
Plant cannot be constructed from process design packages to minimize cost.

4. Pict 01: Bhopal Chemical Complex Plant

5. CAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY
A large volume of water was introduced into the methyl iso-cyanate (MIC) storage tank and triggered a exothermal reaction that resulted in the gas release

6. MSDS OF MIC Methyl Iso-cyanate (C2H3NO) Liquid form Volatile
Colourless
Strong, sharp odour
Flash Point : -7 ºC
Molecular weight : 57.05 
Boiling point (760 mm Hg) : 102ºF (39.1ºC)
Freezing point : -49ºF
Vapor pressure : 348 mm Hg at 68ºF (20 ºC)
Vapor density : 1.42 (air = 1.00)
Water solubility : Reactive 6.7% at 68ºF (20 ºC)
Flammability : Highly flammable
Flammable Range : 5.3% to 26% (concentration in air)

7. Pict 02: Safety features condition at Bhopal plant at time of disaster
SAFETY FEATURES AT TIME OF TRAGEDY
Pict 02: Safety features condition at Bhopal plant at time of disaster

8. Pict 03: Safety features at Bhopal plant at time of disaster (Bhopal Medical Appeal, 2002)

9. VICTIMS
Killed at least local residents instantly
Already killed around 20,000 caused health problems until today
Almost 100,000 – 500,000 peoples still suffer from chronic disease consequential to gas exposure until today
Killed about 1,000 animals
7,000 animals were injured
“By research in 2004, this pollution by MIC gas leak still causes peoples to fall ill”

10. Pict 04: Gas leak killed local resident instantly

11. Pict 05: Disability caused by MIC gas leak

12. Pict 06: Gas leak killed animals at that time

13. REMEDIATION
In 1994, UCIL was permitted to undertake clean-up work prior to the sale and spent some USD 2 million on that effort, which included beginning construction of a secure landfill to hold the wastes on the site. All activities at the site was closely monitored and controlled by CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation)
In 1998, the Madhya Pradesh State Government (MPSG) took over the facility including the completion of any additional remediation.
In 2001, Dow Chemical Company took control of UCIL, and continue to clean up this potential minefield of toxic chemicals

14. Pict 07: The Bhopal victim’s family complaints against UCC
SETTLEMENT AND COMPENSATION
In 1989, UCC and UCIL accepted the India government’s claim against all Bhopal tragedy litigation in the amount of USD 470 million.
UCC paid USD 425 million and UCIL paid USD 45 million to the GOI.
Pict 07: The Bhopal victim’s family complaints against UCC

15. LESSON LEARNED
Process safety procedure were neglected because of budget cuts
Ex: there were no block valves to prevent water entering the MIC storage tanks, no automatic sprinklers in the MIC and phosgene production zone, the cooling installation was shut down due to saving money
The maintenance crews was cut in half, including eliminating maintenance supervisor position due to saving money
Safety training for workers was decreased due to saving money
Very bad housekeeping
Ex: strewn with oily old drums, strewn with unused piping, pools of used oil and chemical waste likely to cause fire, etc
Sloppy maintenance reports and also safety reports
When the gas leak occurred, there were no information to medivac team, this caused the correct treatment and emergency measures to be held off.

16. Pict 08: Haphazard dumping of hazardous materials
POOR HOUSEKEEPING
Pict 08: Haphazard dumping of hazardous materials

17. REFERENCES www.bhopal.com
“The Bhopal Gas Tragedy”, by Sanjib Dutta, ICFAI Center for Management Research (ICMR)
“Bhopal Gas Tragedy”,
“Anthropogenic environmental disasters”,

18. THE END
Pict 09: Me at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (about 630 km from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh)