Publication - October 1, 2002
Subsequent to the catastrophic release of methyl isocyanate in the form of a toxic gas at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India in December 1984, the factory was closed. The release killed thousands of people in the vicinity of the plant and left many more thousands suffering from permanent damage to their health. The cessation of operations at the plant, which was engaged in the production of a range of pesticides and intermediates was not followed by remediation of the site. The methyl isocyanate can be presumed to have been dispersed and degraded in the atmosphere following its release. The same, however, was demonstrably not the case for other chemicals in the site production and generated wastes portfolio. Moreover, there is also a legacy of pollution of the site with metals and organic contaminants both inside and outside the plant.