Report: Analysis of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Incident

This report delves into the tragic Bhopal gas disaster, examining the underlying causes and devastating consequences of the 1984 industrial accident. It investigates the establishment of the Union Carbide India Limited plant, the production of the highly toxic MIC gas, and the factors contributing to the gas leak. The report analyzes the malfunctioning safety systems, the role of water contamination in the tank, and the resulting exothermic reaction that led to the explosion. It highlights the impact of the gas leak on human health, detailing the reasons behind the gas's toxicity and the resulting annihilation of thousands of people. The report references key literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disaster and its long-lasting effects.

Running Head: ENGLISH 0
BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY: ACCIDENT MAP

ENGLISH 1
Why did the Gas tragedy happen?
In 1969, one of the pesticide plants of Union Carbide India limited was setup in Bhopal (Kumar
& Pandey, 2019). The plant was into the production of the pesticide Sevin. The chemical Sevin
was produced by reacting Methylamine with phosgene to produce MIC. The Hazardous plant
was built in the central location of Bhopal which was not an appropriate site for its establishment
(Kumar & Pandey, 2019). The gases produced were highly toxic which when inhaled could
result in deaths. The leakage of gases Monomethylamine, Chlorine, Phosgene and MIC were the
cause of tragedies happening since the establishment of the factory (Kumar & Pandey, 2019).
On 2nd December 1984, there was a gas leakage of MIC at large scale resulting into an
annihilation killing thousands and making the future generation disabled physically and
mentally.
Why the MIC gas is poisonous?
MIC gas is produced from Carbamate pesticides such as carbaryl, methomyl, aldicarb and
carbofuran that makes it a highly poisonous and toxic gas. The inhalation of large amount of gas
could result in hazardous impact on human health. In the UCIL factory, there were three
underground MIC liquid storage tanks of 68000 liters. The tanks were E610, E611 and E619.
There were stringent regulations that no tank can contain more than 30 tons of MIC and inert
Nitrogen gas was used in the tanks to easily pump out the MIC gas (Mishra, 2015). The MIC
tank E610 have lost its ability for containing nitrogen gas, in the last October of 1984 and
moreover, the tank contained 42 tones of MIC that was above the set limit (Mishra, 2015). The
failure of the tank to pump out the MIC gas led to the complete stoppage in its production. The
officials decided to stop the production of MIC.
Why the production of MIC was halted?
The production of MIC was halted because as the tank lost its capability to store the inert
nitrogen which helps in the easy pump out of MIC gas. As pumping out of MIC was not possible
from the tanks so the pressure in the tank increases and further the storage of nitrogen was
beyond the set limit of 30 tones (Mishra, 2015). The fear of MIC leakage from the corroded
pipes of the factory led to some parts of the factory shutting down for repair.

ENGLISH 2
Why was the deadliest gas released?
The safety system of factory was mal-functioning. The lines and valves of the factory was in a
depleted condition and even the steam boilers and gas scrubbers were out of function. As the
safety system of the factory was outdated, there were higher chances of the leaks of the gas. The
higher pressure in the tank caused the release of the poisonous gas.
Why the pressure increased in the tank?
The pressure in the tank increased due to the water getting into the tank that caused the
exothermic reaction. The reaction was accelerated due to the high temperature, containments,
and availability of iron from the corroded non-stainless pipelines of steels. The reaction caused
the increase in the pressure from 34.5 to 69kPa (Mittal, 2016). After an hour, the reaction
reached at the critical level resulting in a bursting of tank valve and exploding of MIC from the
tank. The MIC remained in the atmosphere for around 40 to 60 minutes thus causing one of the
destructive annihilations in the history of humankind (Mittal, 2016).

ENGLISH 3
Bibliography
Kumar, S. C., & Pandey, V. (2019). A Study on the Horrendous Industrial Mass Disaster at
Union Carbide Plant of Bhopal in Light of Ethical Dimension. Indian Journal of Public
Health Research & Development, , 106.
Mishra, P. R. (2015). Molecular bio-dosimetry for carcinogenic risk assessment in survivors of
Bhopal gas tragedy. International journal of occupational medicine and environmental
health, 921.
Mittal, A. (2016). Retrospection of Bhopal gas tragedy. Toxicological & Environmental
Chemistry, 1079-1083.