1. Bhopal: A Legal, Environmental and Human Disaster

2. “A Hand in Things to Come”
Union Carbide comes to India : 1972

3. UCIL factory to produce pesticide (Sevin) in the center of Bhopal.
Photo credit : Raghu Rai

4. Biases in Establishment of the Factory
Sited in a poor neighborhood
No community involvement
No disaster planning or evacuation plan

5. The UCIL Factory A lethal process using MIC Inferior technology
Cost cutting from safety features of factory

6. Disaster strikes at midnight Dec2-3rd, 1984 while Bhopal is asleep.

7. Dream turns into a nightmare. Photo credit: Raghu Rai
Caused blindness, edema, vomiting and excretion.
Hamidia was the only hospital.
Dream turns into a nightmare. Photo credit: Raghu Rai

8. Death estimates vary from 3000 to 10,000 that night
Death estimates vary from 3000 to 10,000 that night. Photo credit: Raghu Rai

9. Dysfunctional Safety Features

10. 40 tonnes of MIC held without refrigeration.

11. Medical Response: At Hamidia Hospital

12. Badly damaged eyes and lungs. Photo credit: Raghu Rai

13. Biased Treatment of Survivors
Composition of MIC for medical support – not revealed till today!
Chaotic treatment of impoverished survivors.
Blind hysterectomy suggested in gynecological problems.
All studies by ICMR stopped in 1992.
No support for Trans-generational abnormalities

14. Compensation Running between legal systems of India and US
Original suit: $3.3 billion; Settled for: $470 million
$500 per affected Bhopali family Versus $900 per affected US sea otter (Exxon Valdez oil spill).
Representation of all victims and survivors by Govt. of India

15. The soil & water of Bhopal have been contaminated.
WARNING!
Trespassers will NOT be prosecuted.
The soil & water of Bhopal have been contaminated.

16. Results of Study done by Shristi [Surviving Bhopal, 2002]
Heavy Metals
(in ppm)
VOC
Halo-organics
Pesticides
Samples
Chromium
Nickel
Mercury
Lead
Chlorobenzenes
Dichloromethane
Chloroform
HCH isomer
Soil
0.647
1.032
0.568
0.137
0.932
0.103
6.546
1.605
Ground water
0.012
1.099
0.057
0.026
0.006
1.636
0.849
0.011
Vegetables
0.475
0.596
0.837
0.191
0.132
0.028
7.506
0.021
Breast milk ND
0.097
0.129
0.149
2.854
0.359
1.594
2.392

17. Water contaminants in Bhopal against standards
Chromium
(ug/Liter)
Nickel
Mercury
Lead
Chloroform 50
(BIS)
848 (Bhopal)
30 (ICRCL)
982 (Bhopal) 1
127 (Bhopal)
15 (USEPA)
30 (Bhopal)
100 (USEPA)
848 (Bhopal)
BIS - Bureau of Indian Standards ICRCL – Interdepartmental Comm. for the redevelopment of contaminated land (UK). USEPA – United States Environment Protection Agency

18. Women’s daily lives revolve around water.

19. Rehabilitation: Sambhavna Clinic

20. We all live in …