Bhopal, also called the city of lakes, is the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. A city that is popular for its historical importance and glory. Bhopal is a confluence of the rich forms of art, tradition and culture.
What Happened? An American corporation, Union Carbide in 1960 constructed a pesticide factory in Bhopal to protect crops. In the early hours of Dec 3rd, 1984, a poisonous grey cloud (forty tons of toxic gases) from the Union Carbide plant spread throughout the city. Water carrying different chemicals entered Methyl isocyonate storage tank that caused the leakage of the gases. The killer gas spread through the city, leaving residents scurrying through the dark streets. The deadly cloud infiltrated hundreds of shanties and huts as it slowly drifted in the night awaking sleeping residents to coughing, choking, and stinging eyes. When victims arrived at the hospital coughing and blind, doctors did not know
…show more content…
A $1000 fine was imposed on each. Warren Anderson was held guilty under sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-2 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code. Yet, just four days after the tragedy, Anderson flew out of Bhopal on the official plane of a close friend. In June 2004, USA rejected Indian Supreme Court’s request for the extradition of Warren Anderson claiming that the request didn’t meet the requirements of certain provisions of the extradition treaty. None of the culprits got penalized for their irresponsible actions. Including Anderson, none of the faculty members got arrested due to India’s poor government. This failure of justice adversely affects not only the victims in particular but also the society and the nation as a whole,” said petition drafted by advocate Devadatt
Saukko , Linnea.“How to Poison the Earth.”The Brief Bedford Reader. Bedford/St.Martin’s Boston: 9th edition ,2006.246-247.
Fries, A. A., & West, C. J. (1921). Chemical warfare,. New York [etc.: McGraw-Hill book company, inc..
The author describes each chapter with a surreal narration. It begins with “A Fable for Tomorrow”, which starkly declares a bleak future of every U.S village if they erred to use pesticides. “The Obligation to Endure” describes the lack of public awareness and how it would become grievous. She justly reasons that if the public might suffer from long-term misfortunes due to insecticides usage, they have a right to know the facts. Felicitous “Elixirs of Death” describes the nature of insecticides in three apt words. Chemical structures of common biocides are explained in an uncomplicated fashion. A series of three successive chapters is dedicated to Earth and its components. These chapters include the closely inter-connected ecological cycles, existing in the water, mantle and soil horizons. Pesticide dispersal in soil followed by its access into the ground water table and the waterways is an inconceivable process. The book promulgates the escape of biocides from their place of application, and their integration into natural bodies. All her chapters thereafter revolve around the various short-term and long-term effects of biocides on the biosphere. Rachel Carson had stated countless dire cases wherein complete ecosystems faced annihilation. The influx of detrimental chemicals extended their reach over animals and plants, and were causing human mortalities as well. Humans are a part of
The facts given in the case of A Cloud in the Midnight Sky raise more questions than they answer. Reviewing this case with the mindset of an administrator, proves to be quite complex. Since I am the acting incident commander, It is my responsibility to declare this situation an external disaster. While the facts in this case study definitely point to catastrophic possibilities, I feel like there are still many pieces of the puzzle that need to be filled. Before I declare a disaster, I need to be in close communication with the local authorities. I will need to assess the entire situation and gather as much information about the incident as possible. Two of the most important pieces of information I would need is what chemical agents if any, have the patients been exposed to and
As the Industrial Revolution began, many factories were constructed and along with that, bad air to the environment. Pollution came about and filled up the entire sky with black smoke, as shown on document seven. While the factories produced not only materials but also pollution many people, especially factory workers, got sick and eventually died. Many factory workers got sick due to the enclosed areas that they worked in. Not only that many of the workers were surrounded by massive and dangerous
A couple things the Hooker Electrochemical Corporation should have thought about was the respect for persons model and confidentiality. Respect for person means that actions will protect/respect human’s moral agency (Harris, Pritchard, Rabins, James, Englehardt, 1995). At the time, only the School Board knew about the toxic chemicals. However, the corporation should have informed all the citizens so they could make their own logical decisions whether to stay or relocate to another area. It’s definitely crucial to not hold information especially when citizen’s health and safety are at risk. As a result, many people reported that chemicals were entering their houses, women would report miscarriages, children would have high percentages of birth
Slotten, Hugh R. "Humane Chemistry or Scientific Barbarism? American Responses to World War I Poison Gas, 1915-1930." The Journal of American History, Volume 77, Issue 2. September, 1990. p. 476-498.
South Africa’s choice to begin a Chemical and Biological Weapons Program (CBW) was unsound but this was not the first time the country experimented with such lethal weapons. History reveals that during World War II, South Africa participated in the manufacturing of mustard gas when the Smuts government assisted Great Britain (Gould & Folb, 2002). There were two manufacturing plants that produced the gas, but by 1945 production ended and the plants were closed. When these plants were closed the idea of research still lingered on the minds of those who held office.
Generally speaking, the legal system didn¡¦t play a very active role in this case. First of all, the India government could do more on digging the truth of the gas leak out and set a more strict standard to regulate such dangerous plants in case that another crisis. Second, I didn¡¦t see any one who worked in the Union Carbide¡¦s Bhopal plant should be responsible for that tragedy. Does it mean that all that the India court wanted was money or it just wanted to reduce trial and subsequent appeals because it might have taken more than twenty years?
Many of the sources documented in her piece are unreliable. These “cases” were accidents, resulting from careless acts of one or more persons involved. In other cases, the damage to local wildlife was the failure of those who used the pesticide without the consideration of the effects it might have. The way the piece is written evokes a certain response from the reader and her approach has resulted in a wider understanding of the simple fact that these are chemicals, poisons, we are using when spraying pesticides. More importantly, the population may understand the more careful approach and control in every step of the way these poisons must travel, from research to laboratory to government approval to being used in the field.
During the winter of 1952-1953, London came face to face with the “heaviest winter smog episode known to men.” (Environmental disasters) During the weeks leading to this even London had been experiencing colder than usual weather. Because of the cold weather, households were burning more coal to keep their families warm. This caused “additional coal combustion and many people travelled only by car, which caused the occurrence of a combination of black soot, sticky particles of tar and gaseous sulphur dioxide.” (Environmental disasters) During this event the numbers of deaths per day increased to a nine times the normal number in some cities. The smog approximately killed 12,000 people. Most of the victims were children and elderly people.
Every year, more than sixty-six million tons of poisonous gas is emptied into the air,
Furthermore, there were several ethical issues raised by the Bhopal Union Carbide Corporation. First and foremost important ethical issue to be address is the moral value of protecting the human life. I think the management team from both the United State and India did not protect the well-being of their employees and the community of the Bhopal people who lived near by the plant. The Union Carbide Corporation was more concern about making profits and the Government of India was more in tune with increasing their grain production rather than emplacing a high priority for ...
Two main theories have been published on the cause of the industrial accident that occurred at the Union Carbide pesticide plant: employee sabotage and corporate negligence. Following the events that took place in Bhopal, there were two investigations conducted. The initial investigation was jointly conducted by the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation. The Union Carbide Corporation also led an investigation headed by chairman, Warren Anderson, and consisted of medical and technical experts, including Jackson Browning. Union Carbide claims that their investigation was hindered by the Indian Government and they were not allowed to interview emp...