Bhopal incident

Soon after the Bhopal incident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined the necessity of investigating the... 

The Bhopal incident (India, 1984) has dramatically outlined the high toxicity level of methyl isocyanate and moreover its very exothermic self-polymerization which requires extreme care during its production and storage (Ref. 270),... 

These figures, however, are overshadowed by the Bhopal incident, in which some 2500 deaths were caused by a release of about fifteen tons of methyl isocyanate. Based on this... 

Community desire and entitlement to be informed about threats to the environment, reflected in 1986 U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (enacted shortly after the Bhopal incident), the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory, and the Australian National Pollutant Inventory... 

Even under the best of circumstances in which all possible exposure modes are controlled, it would be foolhardy to make a conclusion of zero exposure. Numerous industrial chemical accidents have occurred. One particularly catastrophic incident occurred in Bhopal, India, in 1984 in which the extremely toxic gas methyl isocyanate leaked out of a closed and contained system resulting in the deaths of perhaps tens of thousands of people. The Bhopal incident dramatically demonstrates that zero exposure (and therefore zero risk) can never be concluded, but it is also possible to go too far in the direction of concluding that all toxic chemicals must be banned for all applications, which is sometimes referred to as the precautionary principle . This important nuance is discussed later in this chapter. 

Application of the principles of risk assessment will be important in the successful implementation of REACH, particularly during its authorization phase. Exposure factors such as whether industrial workers or consumers are exposed, and what production volumes are anticipated, should be taken into account along with a determination of the potential for unintended but catastrophic releases such as in the Bhopal incident. Other factors, including economic effect and whether a suitable replacement for the chemical exists, should be considered before reaching a decision that a substance must be completely banned. 

Cullinan, Paul. (2004). Case Study of the Bhopal Incident, Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, Vol. I Environmental Toxicology and Human Health, http //www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c09/e4-12-02-04.pdf... 

Twenty-six years after the Bhopal incident, its impact continues to be felt by Dow. Interestingly, Bhopal began with a joint venture... 

The first reaction involves the partial oxidation of ethylene over a Ag-gauze catalyst. Since both reactions are highly exothermic, they need to be controlled carefully. More important from a safety point of view, a water spill into an ethylene oxide storage tank could lead to an accident similar to the Bhopal incident. Yet it is common in processes with two reaction steps to store the intermediates so as to permit the products to be generated continuously, even when maintenance problems shut down the first reaction operation. 

The Flixborough nylon plant accident in the UK (1974) was caused by an open-air explosion of a flammable gas released into the air. It killed the 28 plant employees present and caused extensive property damage in the surrounding area. The failure to perform a full technical assessment of a modification was given as the main cause of the event. The Seveso pesticide plant accident in Italy (1976) is well known for the dangerous release of dioxin due to poor plant safety features and to the underestimation of the possibility of a runaway reaction. The Bhopal incident in India (1984), at another pesticide plant, killed an estimated 4000 (although the total number is still unknown). This disaster was attributed to too large an inventory of toxic substances and to very poor staff attention to the operability of safety features. 

Note that the number one OSHA citation listed in Table 9.12 for the oil and gas drilling industry is for noncompliance with 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication. The 1984 Bhopal Incident, the ensuing chemical spill, and the resulting tragic deaths and injuries are well known however, the repercussions—the lessons learned—from this incident are not as well known. After Bhopal, a worldwide outcry arose "How could such an incident occur Why wasn t something done to protect the inhabitants Weren t safety measures taken or in place to prevent such a disaster from occurring "... 

The Bhopal incident in India in the mid-1980s resulted from inappropriate controls and venting during tank filhng involving methyl isocyanate. Nearby shanty town dwellers experienced major limg damage, or death. 

The Bhopal incident was the first case of mass exposure of humans, animals, and vegetation to MIC. Several factors influenced the toxicity of MIC, such as the living conditions of the victims. Under identical conditions in a developed country, the consequences most likely would have been different. At the same time, the exposure of the Bhopal populahon was to a specific concentration of MIC and for a specific duration. 

The large number of casualties from chlorine and phosgene exposure during World War I showed that survivors showed long-term respiratory disorders with chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the most common conditions, followed by pulmonary fibrosis. The Bhopal incident in India (see Chap. 10) has also shown evidence of long-term respiratory disorders following exposure to the toxic industrial pulmonary oedemagen methyl isocyanate. 

Varma DR, Guest I (1993) The Bhopal incident and methyl isocyanate toxicity. J Toxicol Environ Health 40 513-529... 

To put this incident into perspective, consider that, in the United States over the seven-year period that encompassed 1984 (1981-1987), only 309 deaths were reported nationwide associated with chemiccd releases into all media combined. The Bhopal incident was unique both in the severity and the large number of people effected over a single release at one time. The Bhopal incident had a regulatory impact worldwide. In the United States, for example, it helped build support for a more stringent amendment to the Clean Air Act, first signed in 1970, that finally went into effect in 1990. This amendment listed 189 chemicals for which special standards and risk assessments were required by the end of that decade. These chemicals were selected by the U.S. EPA based on their relative toxicity and the volume of release. Methyl isocyanate was on that list. 

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