Case Study

on Bhopal
Gas Tragedy
Made By-
Preview-
Amongst the worst Industrial
Disasters of its time.
Occurrence: 3rd December 1984.
Place of occurrence: Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, India.
Company: Union Carbide Corporation.
Chemical: Methyl Isocyanate (40 tons)
People Affected- >500,000
People Died- ~40,000
 About 550,000 people were exposed to the gas. A government affidavit in
2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 INJURIES including 38,478
TEMPORARY PARTIAL INJURIES and approximately 3,900 SEVERELY AND
PERMANENTLY DISABLING INJURIES
Bhopal
Scenario Union
Carbide
Corporation
Plant
About Union Carbide
Corporation(UCC)
Started in 1969 in bhopal
Phosgene, Monomethlyamine, Methyl Isocyanate
(MIC) and the pesticide carbaryl, also known as Sevin.
Taken over by DOW Chemicals in 2001.
DOW refused Union Carbides Liabilities in Bhopal,
India.
All safety system fails due to poor maintenance.
Gas Vent Scrubber Gas Vent Scrubber Stack
 MIC STORAGE TANK
Picture shows the tank as it is today.
TANK SAFETY FEATURES
A Nitrogen line was connected to the tank to transfer the product by
inert pressurization of the headspace.

The tank was fitted with a pressure relief valve and rupture disc. The
vent line from the valve exhausted into a scrubbing tower filled with
caustic soda (NaOH). This would neutralize the MIC to form Sodium
isocyanate. Any residual gas from the scrubber was sent to a 30 m tall
flare stack where it would be burned off.

There was an external coiled jacket on the vessel through which

coolant (freon / chloroform) was re-circulated. This was to keep the
vessel contents at 0 C and thus prevent any adverse exothermic
reactions occurring.

Tanks were not to be filled above the 50 % mark so that in the event
of dangerous chemical reactions occurring, solvents could be pumped in
to quench the reactions.
ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION
Pipe Cleaning Procedure
As part of routine procedures, the pipes leading from the MIC
distillation column to the storage tanks were regularly flushed
with pressurized water. MIC and any associated products can be
quite corrosive and could form corrosion deposits in the pipe.
These deposits would contaminate the MIC in the tanks and could
initiate unwanted reactions. During cleaning, valves in the product
lines were to be closed and a blank or slip-blind placed in the
product line leading to the storage tank to prevent contamination.

However the valves, although closed, were not sealing properly
because of corrosion and the maintenance crew forgot about the
blank. It appears that about 1000 kg of water plus metal debris
entered tank 610.

Assuming all the previously described safety features were

Effects on Human Health.
Respiratory Disorders Irritation to the lungs, causing coughing
and/or shortness of breathing. Higher exposure caused build up
of fluids (pulmonary enema). Caused Asthma.

Cancer Hazard Caused mutation (genetic changes). It caused

cancer.

Reproductive Hazard Association between exposure to Methyl

isocyanate and miscarriages. It may damage the growing fetus.
May also affect fertility in men and women.

After Effect- Traces of many toxins were found in the Brest

Milk of mothers and were in turn transmitted to the recipient
babies.
Animal Slaughter

2,000 buffalo, goats, and other animalsdied.

Toxic Materials in Soil and
Water
Lead, Nickel, Copper, Chromium,
hexachlorocyclohexane and chlorobenzenes were
found in soil samples.

Mercury was found

to be between
20,000 to 6,000,000
times the standard
level in soil.
Chemicals Dumped by Union Carbide
in Bhopal
S.No Chemical Amount Use in factory Nature of original pollution

1 Methylene Chloride 100 MT Solvent Air

2 Methanol 50 MT Solvent Air
3 Ortho-idichlorobenzene 500 MT Solvent Air, Water, Soil
4 Carbon tetrachloride 500 MT Solvent Air
5 Chloroform 300 MT Solvent Air
6 Tri methylamine 50 MT Catalyst Air
7 Chloro benzyl chloride 10 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
8 Mono chloro toluene 10 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
9 Toluene 20 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
10 Aldicarb 2 MT Product Air, Water, Soil
11 Carbaryl 50 MT Product Air, Water, Soil
12 Benzene Hexachloride 5 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
13 Mercury 1 MT Water, Soil

14 Mono methyl amine 25 MT Ingredient Air

15 Chlorine 20 MT Ingredient Air
16 Phosgene 5 MT Ingredient Air
17 Hydro chloric acid 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
18 Chloro sulphonic acid 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
19 Alpha Naphthol * 50 MT Ingredient Air, Soil
20 Napthalin 50 MT Ingredient Air
21 Chemical waste Tar 50 MT Waste Water, Soil
22 Methyl Isocyanate 5 MT Ingredient Air, Water, Soil
Haphazard dumping of
Hazardous Material
Toxic materials found in Soil
and Water after the accident
Benzene, oxides 7, 890

Dichlorobenzenes 87,500

Polynuclear Aromatic 2,340

Hydrocarbons
Phthalates 9,940

Trichlorobenzenes 9,410

Trimethyl Trianzintrione 24,470

1-Napthalenol 59,090

Units in parts per billion (ppb)

Additionally, Dichlorobenzene and Trichlorobenzenes were found in
the soil and water samples.
Compensation and
Legal Aspects
Compensation of $470 million ($500 per dead).
Twenty years of passiveness.
Case was reviewed and put up in American Court.
DOW Refused Union Carbides Liabilities in Bhopal,
India.
In order to provide safe drinking water to the
population around the UCIL factory, Government of
Madhya Pradesh presented a scheme for
improvement of water supply.
Supreme court directed the UCC and M.P. govt. to
take immediate steps for disposal of toxic waste
lying around and inside the factory.
20,000 KILLED
550,000 SEVERELY AFFECTED

And you thought

only weapons