The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is considered to be the world's worst industrial disaster. The disaster happened because water entered a tank containing Methyl isocyanate. This caused a chemical reaction which resulted in the buildup of much Carbon dioxide, among other things. The resulting reaction increased the temperature inside the tank to reach over 200 °C (392 °F). As the cool morning breeze picked up pace, it carried the poisonous gas leaking from the Union Carbide factory to rest of the city and killing people - both awake and asleep. As per government's affidavit, about 3,000 people died of poisonous gas within a few hours of the incident. It is estimated that about 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas and other chemicals leaked from the Union Carbide factory. Methyl isocyanate is extremely toxic and if its concentration in air touches 21ppm (parts per million), it can cause death within minutes of inhaling the gas. In Bhopal, the level was multiple times higher. The leakage of gas was reported from Plant Number C. As per official record, methyl isocyanate got mixed with water used for cooling the plant. The mixture led to generation of volumes of gases, which put tremendous pressure on Tank Number 610. The tank cover gave way to building gaseous pressure releasing tonnes of the poisonous gas, which diffused over large area. Approximately 5 lakh people were exposed to the leakage of methyl isocyanate gas. Tragedy did not strike Bhopal on the intervening night of 2-3 December 1984 but thereafter. The massive leakage of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide plant resulted in colossal loss of life and an estimated 8,000 died within two weeks and more than five lakh were affected. Breathing Methyl Isocyanate can irritate the nose and throat. * Breathing Methyl Isocyanate can irritate the lungs causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. It reacts exothermically with water to produce carbon dioxide, methylamine, dimethylurea and/or trimethylbiuret. Heat of reaction causes evolution of the vapors of the isocyanate. ... Airborne vapors of methyl Isocynate are explosive when exposed to heat, flame or sparks.
Safety failures which caused Bhopal tragedy:
1.During the leakage of methyl Isocynate from the storage tanks of union carbide the water sprayers of the industry was not in working conditions. 2. There was unavaibaility of safety officer who has the knowledge of handling such tragedy. 3. Lack of safety management in workers 4. Gas scrubbers were not in working condition. 5. Absence of occupiers in industry at that situation.