Bhopal Gas Tragedy

BHOPAL GAS
TRAGEDY
PRESENTED BY:
ADITI SINGH
AISHA KHAN
AISHWARYA SINGH
SAKSHI BHAT
JYOTI SINGH
RAGHAV SINGH
RICHA PATHAK.
BHOPAL
DISASTER
Incident Case
Description
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India,1984
(UCIL)
The Setting
 Bhopal located in North Central India
 A tourist centre
 Industry encouraged to go to Madhya
Pradesh as part of a policy to bring
industry to less developed states.
 Decision to build was taken in 1970.
The Plant (UCIL)
 Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)
 51% owned by Union Carbide USA
 Built to produce Carbonyl Pesticide
 Very Successful – In the initial part of
India’s Green Revolution
 Initial staff - 1000
Toxic Materials in Soil and Water
CEO
 Warren
Anderson was
the CEO of
Union Carbide
at the time of
disaster
 The Bhopal disaster or Bhopal Gas
Tragedy is the World’s worst industrial
disaster.
 It Occured at the night of

December 2-3, 1984.
What happened on the
mid-night of
December
2nd ,1984
in
Bhopal ?
 Around midnight on December
2nd, 1984, there was a leak of M
ethyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas and
other toxins from the plant,
resulting in the exposure of over
5,00,000 people.
How it happened ?
 Occurred late at night, soon after the shift
change
 MIC tank overheated, over pressured
and vented through scrubber
 Elevated discharge of massive quantity
of MIC (app 25 tons)
Incident causes
• Tank pressure rose to 200+ psig (14+
bar) - tank was designed for 70 psig
(4 bar)
• High pressure could cause leak, force
water into relief header
• Filters were being flushed and drain
line from filter was blocked
• Flushing continued despite blockage
 41 tonnes of MIC in storage reacted with
500 to 900 kg water plus contaminants
 Resultant exothermic reaction reached

400 to 480ºF
(200 to 250ºC)
Properties of MIC
 Highly toxic and flammable gas
 May be fatal if swallowed
 Absorbed through skin or inhaled
 Eyes, ears, nose and throat irritant
 May polymerize explosively
 Boiling point is near to ambient
 Run away reaction with water possible
unless chilled below 11 C.
The Incident’s extent
MIC Safeguards Table
SAFEGUARD TYPE
1. Mounded/insulated MIC Tanks Passive
2. Refrigeration below reaction initiation temperature Active
3. Refrigeration uses non-aqueous refrigerant (Freon) Active
4. Corrosion protection (cathodic) to prevent water ingress Active
5. Rigorous water isolation procedures (slip blinds) Active
6. Nitrogen padding gas used for MIC transfer not pumped Active
7. Relief Valve and rupture disk Passive
8. Vent gas scrubber with continuous caustic circulation Active
9. Elevated flare Passive + Active
10. Water Curtain around MIC Tanks Active

Safeguards
 Safeguards may be equipment items or
procedures designed to prevent the
initiating event, limit or terminate the
propagation.
 Active -- human procedures or mechanical
initiation to operate
 Passive – designed in and do not require
any initiation
 No alarm or warning to public
(TIA and LIA)
 Very stable atmosphere and low wind
directly into town
 Surrounding population asleep
 Over 2,500 fatalities
Estimation on Death toll
 Official immediate death toll - 2,259
 Government of M.P has confirmed
deaths due to gas release - 3,787
 Other govt. agencies estimate - 15,000
 In first weeks - 8,000
 Gas related diseases - 8,000
Lost their eyes
A government affidavit filed in the
Supreme Court in 2006 stated that
 Out of 558,125 cases of injury
-> minor -- 516,406 (92.5%)
-> temporary partial disablement --
38,478 (6.8%)
-> Severely and permanently disabled --
0.7% (~3,900)
o The government's classification was criticized
after the deaths of people who were classed as
having minor injuries.
Activists attend a demonstration to mark the 25th
anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster
Still after two decades too……..
Even after 2 decades too..
 People continued to suffer from

-> cancer
-> serious birth defects
-> blindness
-> breathing difficulties
-> Various Gynecological
complications.
A girl carries water in a slum area next to the
union Carbide Corp pesticide plant in Bhopal
Conclusion
 After 26 yrs of the disaster, the court
declared 2yrs imprisonment to
Warren Anderson
 But he is not yet taken into custody.

Thank you

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BHOPAL GAS

 It Occured at the night of

 Resultant exothermic reaction reached

1. Mounded/insulated MIC Tanks Passive

2. Refrigeration below reaction initiation temperature Active

3. Refrigeration uses non-aqueous refrigerant (Freon) Active

4. Corrosion protection (cathodic) to prevent water ingress Active

5. Rigorous water isolation procedures (slip blinds) Active

7. Relief Valve and rupture disk Passive

8. Vent gas scrubber with continuous caustic circulation Active

9. Elevated flare Passive + Active

10. Water Curtain around MIC Tanks Active

 People continued to suffer from

 But he is not yet taken into custody.

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