Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Ethical Issues and UCC's Responsibility

Business law and ethics

TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................3
Ethical Issues..........................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
The case of Bhopal disaster is one of the deadliest industrial disaster in the history.
On the night of 3rd December 1984, when a poisonous gas named Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)
leaked into the atmosphere. This leakage was from the pesticide plant situated in the Union
Carbide India Limited (UICL) which operates under the UCC, USA. The gas released was
having more density of MIC in comparison to the air because of which the cloud of the toxic
gas was formed near the ground which made it hard for the humans in inhaling it. This report
provides an insight into the Bhopal disaster and the ethical position of the parent UCC.
MAIN BODY
Ethical Issues
Bhopal's disaster also referred as Bhopal gas tragedy was one of the worst gas leak
accident in history of industrial disaster where 40 tons of toxic gas leaked from factory,
where leakage has scorched throats, dry eyes, which hampered lives of thousands of people.
Over 5 lakh people were directly exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, where highly
toxic gas made within its further way into small towns around located near plants. The
disaster raised various working horizons of urgent questions about multinational companies
respondance to varied aspects of unthinkable happens. The tragedy evidently generated focus
on ethical functional performance aspects to be accountable towards stakeholders and
external communities, on which US union carabride company has been widely lacking
ethical functional performance parameters. Bhopal plant was owned and operated by UCL
an Indian company in which UCC just held half the stock, where the stakeholders' life were
at risk. It can be understood that shares holders were at risk which also were at fundamental
risk as there is exclusively effective growth towards wider working domains (Le Menestrel,
2021).
Safety, health and welfare of the public is highly recognised as the most important
point where ethical codes were violated, on which rare poor quality of facility, lack of
instruments were the reason for the leak. Public were later never given any information
about MIC leakage, and the safety measures were not strictly adhered. Which has to be
taken, gas leakage which also potentially raised up risk factors. The final death toll was
estimated to be between 15,000 and 20,0000 where some half a million survivors were
suffering from varied respiratory problems, eye irritation and blindness resulting from
exposure to the toxic gas which has been recognized as one of the worst industrial disaster
which was due to negligence of mankind. The disaster had varied impacts far beyond the