In December 1984, United States-based chemical company Union Carbide was responsible for a chemical accident that killed around 20,000 citizens of Bhopal, India. Now, a new study has found that twenty-five years later, poisons from the spill are still causing birth defects in Bhopal. The Sambhavna clinic claims that one in every twenty-five children born has a birth defect, which is ten times higher than the national average. Apart from birth defects, symptoms of victims at the time of the spill included lung, liver, kidney, and immune system damage. One victim, Mohini Devi, claims her children and grandchildren have experienced birth defects, and that her grandchildren ‘have been born without eyes.’ Campaigners to hold Union Carbide responsible for its actions claim that the government has called the now-closed factory ‘safe’ and ‘open for the public to tour.’ The Bhopal government also allegedly neglected to work toward any sort of allegations against Union Carbide, and simply left the plant to continue leaking chemicals. Now, Satinath Sarangi, of the Sambhavna clinic in Bhopal, says the government is working to strike a contract with Dow Chemical which will yield a $1 billion investment, and allegedly allow Union Carbide to overlook its obligations to clean up their spill.
Sources:
Ramesh, Randeep. “Bhopal Water Still Toxic 25 Years After Deadly Gas Leak, Study
Finds.” The Guardian. Dec. 1 2009. Web. Dec. 9 2009.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/01/bhopal-chemical-studies-toxic-levels>.
Student Researchers: Abbey Wilson & Jillian Harbin
Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley, Associate Professor of Media Studies, DePauw University
Evaluator: Tim Cope, Department of Geosciences, DePauw University
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