Bhopal

Founded in the early 18th century, Bhopal is the capital and second most populous city (with an estimated population in 2001 of 1.4 million) of the central Indian state Madhya Pradesh, located 750 kilometers (460 miles) south of New Delhi. Major industries in the [Page 30]region include textiles, jewelry, jute, cotton, sugar, power-related products (e.g., transformers), and chemicals. However, it was the founding of the Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL), pesticide plant by the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) in 1969 and the industrial catastrophe 15 years later that have become synonymous with Bhopal. In the late evening to early morning hours of December 2–3, 1984, a poisonous gas created from methyl isocyanate leaked from the UCIL plant, forming a toxic cloud that enveloped the city, killing and injuring thousands. The Bhopal event highlights the tragic consequences that can result from rapid industrialization in developing countries with substandard safety regulations and from locating hazardous industrial facilities within urban areas. The largest chemical disaster in the world was the product of technological, human, and managerial oversights that led to enduring human health, environmental, and legal ramifications.

The photo shows Union Carbide's abandoned methyl isocyanate tanks as they appeared in 2008. These tanks were at the epicenter of the chemical leak that killed as many as 7,000–10,000 people within days and sickened thousands.

Source: Wikipedia

The construction of the Bhopal industrial facility was part of larger green revolution efforts begun by the Indian government starting in the 1960s—an agenda designed to improve agricultural productivity. In addition to increasing the usage of genetically modified crops and irrigation techniques, the Indian green revolution included financing agrochemicals in an effort to increase crop yields and become self-sufficient in food production for one of the world's most populous nations. Bhopal was selected as the site for the UCIL pesticide plant for its centralized location within India, available labor force, transportation linkages via railways, and local resource accessibility (e.g., water, electricity). The UCIL facility produced agrochemicals for the local Indian agricultural market such as Sevin, a carbaryl insecticide that was manufactured using the highly volatile methyl isocyanate (MIC). The colorless liquid MIC is an extremely chemically reactive substance, interacting with widespread materials such as common metals (e.g., iron, copper, tin) and water. Although Sevin and other pesticide products can be produced using less dangerous materials, MIC is a more cost-effective chemical intermediate that reduces production time.