In the early morning of December 3, 1984, 40 tons of toxic gas leaked from the pesticide plant of the American company Union Carbide in Bhopal in central India. More than half a million people, many of them factory workers, were exposed to gases, but no one knows how many have died â€" it is estimated that about 25 million, many inside their homes.
The comparison of Chernobyl is obvious, but there is a big difference between the two disasters. While the Ukrainian tragedy was widely spoken and reported, Bhopal remained in semi-obscurity to the present day, although it is considered the worst industrial disaster occurred until today.
On the day of the disaster, Union Carbide officials left the factory without reveal what the substance responsible for the leak, which hindered the task of saving lives. Only later learned that 500 000 people had been exposed to 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate, a gas that, when inhaled, causes a slow and painful death.
The gas cloud spread quickly through the neighborhoods near the factory, entering into people's homes through Windows and doors. Who didn't die got health problems: vision damage, diabetes, joint pain, breathing problems, heart or kidney.
"[Today] there is anemia, delayed menses in adolescents, painful skin problems. And many people with birth defects, "said Satinath Sarangi, told Reuters the Bhopal Medical Appeal. "Children are born with crooked limbs, brain damage, muscle and skeletal disorders. One out of every four or five homes has someone like that. "
In 2001, the company Dow Chemicals bought Union Carbide and stayed with its environmental liabilities, but denied its responsibility for the scenario that turned Bhopal into a sick city. According to Reuters, no trial came to be celebrated in Indian territory.
Today, Union Carbide factory remains abandoned in Bhopal, but their hazardous waste and contaminated materials are still scattered throughout the area, contaminating soils and groundwater.
. fancybox-wrap {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; z-index: 8020; }. fancybox-skin {position: relative; /* margin-top: 20px! important; */backgroun d: #222222; color: #74b32e; text-shadow: none; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 2px; }. fancybox-opened {z-index: 8030;} . fancybox-opened. fancybox-skin {-webkit-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); -moz-box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba (0, 0, 0, 0.5); }. fancybox-outer,. fancybox-inner {position: relative;} . fancybox-inner {overflow: hidden;} . fancybox-type-iframe. fancybox-inner {-webkit-overflow-scrolling: touch;} . fancybox-close {backgroun d: url('wp-content/themes/codistage/styles/fancybox/exit.png') no-repeat; width: 25px; height: 25px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 5px; }/*. ng-gallery-image img {width: 565px; height: 393px;}*/ A tragédia de Bhopal 1 of 8 jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var thumbContainerWidth = 0, thumbs = Array(), selectedIndex = 1, thumbIndex = 1, imageOffset = 7; $ ('. ng-gallery-thumbnail-box '). each (function () {thumbs.push($(this)); }); /* thumbnail navigation */$ ('. ng-greensavers-thumb-next '). unbind (). bind (' click ', function (e) {e.preventDefault(); if (thumbIndex < == (thumbs.length-imageOffset)) {$ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). stop (). animate ({left:-$ (thumbs [thumbIndex]). position (). left}); thumbindex + +; } }); $ ('. ng-greensavers-thumb-prev '). unbind (). bind (' click ', function (e) {e.preventDefault(); if (thumbIndex > 1) {$ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). stop (). animate ({left: $ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). position (). left + ($ (thumbs [thumbIndex-1]). position (). left-$ (thumbs [thumbIndex-2]). position (). left)}); thumbindex--; } }); $ (window). load (function () {/* set thumbnail container width */$ ('. ng-gallery-thumbnail '). each (function () {thumbContainerWidth = thumbContainerWidth + $ (this). width () + 10; }); $ ('. ng-thumbnails-container '). width (thumbContainerWidth); }); });
Read More