Impacts of Bhopal Disaster - Effects on Health, Environment, and Economy

The Bhopal disaster of 1984 had long-term impacts on health, environment, and economy. The gas leakage at the Union Carbide plant caused thousands of deaths and permanent disabilities. Children born after the incident have congenital disabilities and intellectual impairment. The environment is still contaminated with toxic chemicals, making drinking water unsafe and crops hazardous. The company faces a significant challenge of a lawsuit with the Indian Government. The economy has been dramatically affected because of the number of people who cannot work.

Running head: IMPACTS OF BHOPAL DISASTER 1
Impacts of Bhopal disaster
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The Bhopal incident occurred in 3rd December 1984, and it was one of the worst
catastrophes in the world. There was a gas leakage at the Union Carbide plant whereby
thousands of people died, and others were left with permanent disabilities. This was one of the
most prominent effect and challenge to the people of India. The long-term impacts of the
catastrophe continue to impact the people up to now (Bhopal, Blanchard, Weber & Murray,
2018). The physical effects of the Bhopal disaster are related to human health where children are
born with some congenital disabilities. People left with permanent disabilities cannot work to
earn a living. The children who were exposed to the incidence have intellectual impairment and
psychiatric illness (Senthilkumar, Sah & Ganesh, 2017). Additionally, there have been
continuous environmental problems because of improper cleaning. The underground water has
toxic chemicals which make the drinking water unsafe. Some of the substances include persistent
organic pollutants and heavy metals. The soil is also contaminated, and some of the crops grown
in the area have residue of the toxic chemicals. Health problems are a challenge as results of
toxic chemicals and other pollutants which contaminated the environment.
Similarly, there was economic and financial distress to the company as well as the
affected people. The company faces a significant challenge of a lawsuit with the Indian
Government. There is a struggle between the government and the company because the
company claims that it was not responsible for the cause of incident (Allen & Horney, 2018). A
lot of money is spending on handling those cases because some of the victims have not been
compensated. The leakage of the gas also had an enormous impact on the transportation and
income generation. Most of the people who are affected cannot work, others only work for a few
hours, and they end up not affording their basic needs. The economy has been dramatically

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affected because of the number of people who cannot work. The banks give loans at high
interest, and the citizens are forced to agree because of the circumstances.
References

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Allen, L. A., & Horney, J. A. (2018). Methods: Study Designs in Disaster Epidemiology. In
Disaster Epidemiology (pp. 65-74).
Bhopal, A., Blanchard, K., Weber, R., & Murray, V. (2018). Disasters and food security: The
impact on health.
Senthilkumar, C. S., Sah, N. K., & Ganesh, N. (2017). On the long-term effects of methyl
isocyanate on cell-mediated immunity in Bhopal gas-exposed long-term survivors and
their offspring. Toxicology and industrial health, 33(4), 318-331.