Hazard Concerns: MIC at Bhopal and Virginia and the Indian Nuclear Liability Act

Tyabji, Nasir (2012): Hazard Concerns: MIC at Bhopal and Virginia and the Indian Nuclear Liability Act. Published in: Economic and Political Weekly , Vol. 47, No. 41 : pp. 41-50.

Abstract

Oblivious to the anger and outrage expressed throughout the world after the methyl isocyanate leak in December 1984, the continued storage of MIC at the parent West Virginia plant until 2011, despite several accidents, indicates the limited effect of public safety concerns on corporate strategy. As in India, neither the US executive nor the judiciary seemed capable of withstanding pressures exerted by the chemical processing industry. This is an ongoing story of struggle. What gave Bhopal a fresh salience in the public mind was the Indian government’s proposal to buy nuclear power reactors from the US, and to agree to legislation which would satisfy US manufacturers of the limits to their liability. Disconcertingly for the government, the Bhopal chief judicial magistrate’s judgment in 2010 led to an explosion of public fury, forcing the government to introduce clauses in the nuclear liability legislation laying down responsibility on the technology supplier. If organic chemicals have awakened the world to the dangers of chemical substances, Bhopal brought home the fraught nature of industrial processes involving exothermic reactions.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Bhopal Gas Disaster; Union Carbide; Technology Transfer; Transnational Corporations; People concerned about MIC (PCMIC); Nuclear Liability Act
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy ; Regulation ; Public Health; K - Law and Economics > K2 - Regulation and Business Law > K23 - Regulated Industries and Administrative Law; N - Economic History > N8 - Micro-Business History; N - Economic History > N8 - Micro-Business History > N82 - U.S. ; Canada: 1913-; N - Economic History > N8 - Micro-Business History > N85 - Asia including Middle East; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O2 - Development Planning and Policy > O25 - Industrial Policy; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes

References

“admin” (2009): “The Real Sell Out”, newsclick.in http://newsclick.in/india/real-sell-out accessed on 2 February 2011.

Amnesty International (AI) (2004): Clouds of Injustice: Bhopal Disaster 20 Years on, http://w.awwmnesty. ch/de/laender/asien-pazifi k/indien/ dok/2009/25-jahre-bhopal/clouds_of_injustice_ 2004.pdf, accessed on 31 January 2012.

Back, Richard C (1965): “Carbarmate Insecticides: Signifi cant Developments in Eight Years with Sevin Insecticide”, J Agr Food Chem, 13(3): 198-99.

Bayer (2011): “Bayer Crop Science Announces Decision Not to Resume MIC Production”, http://www. bayercropscience.com/bcsweb/cropprotection. nsf/id/84634C20BB57C2D3C125785700503244, accessed on 23 January 2012.

Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) (2008): Presentation to the Group of Ministers on Bhopal, 17 April, http://legacy.bhopal.net/ march/padyatra2008_gom.html, accessed on 17 January 2012.

CG (2008): “Blast Rocks Bayer Plant; Injuries Reported; Area Roads Closed; Residents Told to Shelter in Place”, Charleston Gazette, http://wvgazette.com/News/Bayerexplosion/ 200904270376, accessed on 24 January 2012.

– (2011a): “Bayer to Phase Out MIC; Cut 220 Jobs”, Charleston Gazette, http://wvgazette.com/News/ Bayerexplosion/201101110865, accessed on 24 January 2012.

– (2011b): “Decades-old Threat from Toxic Gas Drifts Away”, Charleston Gazette, http://wvgazette. com/News/Bayerexplosion/201103182860, accessed on 24 January 2012.

– (2011c): “Most Claims Dropped from Bayer Suit”, Charleston Gazette, http://wvgazette.com/ News/Bayerexplosion/201104210930, accessed on 24 January 2012.

C&EN (1957): “New Carbamate for Killing Bugs: Carbide’s Sevin Is Not Only Highly Toxic to Many Insects But Is Also Unsafe to Humans”, Chemical and Engineering News, 35(38): 94-96.

– (1985): “Methyl Isocyanate: The Chemistry of a Hazard”, Chemical and Engineering News, 63(6): 27-33.

– (1992): “CHEMRAWN in Moscow Provides Practical Approaches to Industry Goals”, Chemical and Engineering News, 70 (45): 7-12, 41-42.

– (2009): “Safety Board Retreats: Citing Antiterrorism Law, Bayer Pressures Chemical Safety Board to Cancel Public Meeting on Fatal Accident”, Chemical and Engineering News, 87(11): 40, http://pubs.acs.org/cen/email/html/cen_87_ i11_8711news6.htm, accessed on 6 February 2012.

– (2011):”Preventing Disaster”, Chemical and Engineering News, 89(30), accessed on 3 February 2012.

CE (1985a): “US CPI Start to Feel Effects of Bhopal Tragedy”, Chemical Engineering, http://www. che.com/articles/1985-1999/Vol92/chevol92_ num6_51.html, accessed on 30 January 2012.

– (1985b): “Italian Firm Boasts ‘Safe’ Carbamate Process”, Chemical Engineering, 92 (10), 2http://www.che.com/articles/1985-1999/Vol92/ chevol92_num10_14.html, accessed on 30 January 2012.

– (1985c): “Bhopal, a Year Later: Learning from a Tragedy”, Chemical Engineering, http://www. che.com/articles/1985-1999/Vol92/chevol92_ num25_66.html, accessed on 30 January 2012.

– (1986a): “Indian Scientists Conclude That Design Problems Caused the Tragedy at Union Carbide’s Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) Plant in Bhopal, India a Little Over a Year Ago”, Chemical Engineering, 93(1), http://www.che.com/articles/1985-1999/ Vol93/chevol93_num1_06.html, accessed on 31 January 2012.

– (1986b): “CPI Alter Their Ways of Dealing with Toxics”, Chemical Engineering, 93 (21), http://www.che.com/articles/1985-1999/Vol93/ chevol93_num21_51.html, accessed on 30 January 2012.

Chess, Caron (2001): “Organisational Theory and the Stages of Risk Communication”, Risk Analysis, 21(1): 179-88.

DSF (1985): “Bhopal Gas Tragedy” Social Scientist, Delhi Science Forum, 13(140): 32-51.

Dembo, David et al (1990): Abuse of Power: Social Performance of Multinational Corporations; The Case of Union Carbide (New York: New Horizons Press).

D’Silva, Themistocles (2006): The Black Box of Bhopal: A Closer Look at the World’s Deadliest Industrial Disaster (Victoria, Canada: Trafford Publishing).

European Commission, Directorate-General for the Environment (EC) (2012): Chemical Accidents (Seveso II) – Prevention, Preparedness and Response, http://ec.europa.eu/environment/seveso/ index.htm, accessed on 31 January 2012.

Fortun, Kim (2001): Advocacy after Bhopal: Environmentalism, Disaster, New Global Orders (Chicago: University of Chicago Press).

Gonsalves, Colin (2010): “The Bhopal Catastrophe: Politics, Conspiracy and Betrayal”, Economic & Political Weekly, 45(26-27): 68-75.

ICFTU/IFCEGWU (1984): The Report of the ICFTUICEF Mission to Study the Causes and Effects of the Methyl Isocyanate Gas Leak at the Union Carbide Pesticide Plant in Bhopal, India, on December 2nd/3rd 1984, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and International Federation of Chemical, Energy, and General Workers Unions, http://bhopal.net/oldsite/ documentlibrary/unionreport1985.html, accessed on 20 January 2012.

Jebaraj, Priscilla (2010): “Did Emergency Allow Carbide to produce MIC in India?”, The Hindu, New Delhi, http://www.thehindu.com/news/ national/article456600.ece, accessed on 2 May 2011.

Khanna, Sushil (1984): “Transnational Corporations and Technology Transfer: Contours of Dependence in Indian Petrochemical Industry”, Economic & Political Weekly, 19(31-33): 1319-40.

Lambrech, J A (1959): United States Patent 2 903 478.

Lapkin, Milton (1994): Reducing the Storage of Methyl Isocyanate at Rhone-Poulenc’s Facility in Institute, West Virginia: An Interim Technical Report to People Concerned about Methyl Isocyanate, http://wvgazette.com/static/watchdog/ micreport.pdf, accessed on 23 January 2012.

Mehta, Pushpa S et al (1990): “Bhopal Tragedy’s Health Effects: A Review of Methyl Isocyanate Toxicity”, The Journal of the American Medical Association, 264(21): 2781-87.

Mokhiber, Russell (1985): “Paying for Bhopal: Union Carbide’s Campaign to Limit Its Liability”, The Multinational Monitor, 6(10), http://www.multinationalmonitor. org/hyper/issues/1985/0731/ mokhiber.html, accessed on 1 February 2012.

New York Times (1984): “Union Carbide of India: Image Is Shattered”, 12 December: A9.

– (1985): “The Bhopal Disaster: How It Happened”, 28 January.

Panchu, Sriram (2010): “Bhopal Gas Leak Case: Lost Before the Trial”, Economic & Political Weekly 40(25): 10-11.

Raju, Suvrat and M V Ramana (2010): “The Other Side of Nuclear Liability”, Economic & Political Weekly, 40(16): 48-54.

Richter, Reinhard and Ralph D P Riester (2001): “Isocyanates, Organic” in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology, http://www. scribd.com/doc/30134019/Isocyanates-Organic, accessed on 11 January 2012.

Saunders, J H and R J Slocombe (1948): “The Chemistry of the Organic Isocyanates”, Chem. Rev., 43 (2): 203-18.

Shoichiro, Ozaki (1972): “Recent Advances in Isocyanate Chemistry”, Chem. Rev., 72 (5): 457-96.

Srivastava, Paul (1987): Bhopal: Anatomy of a Crisis (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger).

Tarbell, D Stanley (1976): “The Past 100 Years in Organic Chemistry”, Chemical and Engineering News, 54 (15): 110-23.

Union Carbide (1976): Methyl Isocyanate (New York: Union Carbide).

– (1985): “Bhopal–The Company’s report: based on the Union Carbide Corporation’s report- March 1985”, Loss Prevention Bulletin, Union Carbide, 063: 1-4, http://www.scribd.com/ doc/71597731/bhopal, accessed on 29 January 2012.

UCIL (1973): Methyl Isocyanate based Agricultural Chemicals Project No 73-8, Union Carbide India Ltd, http://bhopal.net/oldsite/carbidedocuments /completepages/02dec1973projectproposal/ UCC04206-page12.gif, accessed on 11 February 2012.

United States, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (1985a): Affi davit of Edward Munoz January 24, 1985, MDL Docket No 626, http:// www.bhopal.net/source_documents/munoz% 20affi davit1985.pdf, accessed on 23 January 2012.

United States, District Court, Southern District of New York (1985b): In Regard: Union Carbide Corporation, Gas Plant Disaster at Bhopal, India, December 1984 Michael V. Ciresi et al Memorandum of Law in Opposition to Union Carbide Corporation’s Motion to Dismiss These Actions on the Grounds of Forum Non Conveniens MDL Docket No 626, http://bhopal.net/source_ documents/Ciresi%20memorandum%201985. pdf, accessed on 10 February 2012.

United States, Environment Protection Agency (1989): Prevention Reference Manual: Chemical Specific, Volume 13: Control of Accidental Releases of Methyl Isocyanate nepis.epa.gov/ Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=2000TK6S.txt, accessed on 10 February 2012.

United States, 111th Congress, House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Majority Staff (2009): Memorandum: Supplemental Information Regarding the 2008 Bayer Chemical Plant Explosion, http://www. fas.org/sgp/congress/2009/042109supp.pdf, accessed on 11 January 2012.

United States, Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (2011a): Pesticide Chemical Runaway Reaction Pressure Vessel Explosion: Investigation Report, Report No. 2008-08-I-WV, January 2011, http://www.csb.gov/assets/document/ Bayer_Report_Final.pdf, accessed on 29 January 2012.

United States, District Court, Southern District of West Virginia, Charleston Division (2011b): Case No 11‐cv‐00087 Maya Nye and Others vs Bayer Crop Science Plaintiffs’ Memorandum in Support of Preliminary Injunction, http://wvgazette. com/static/watchdog/MIC_PI_Brief.pdf, accessed on 26 January 2012.

Varadarajan, Siddharth (2008): “Reality, One Bite At a Time”, http://svaradarajan.blogspot.in/ 2008/10/dear-bill-foreign-secretarys-letter. html, accessed on 4 February 2012.

– (2010): “Nuclear Liability Law Has Sting in Tail for the US Too”, http://svaradarajan.blogspot. com/2010/03/nuclear-liability-law-has-stingin- tail.html, accessed on 7 December 2010.

Ward, Ken (1994): “Is MIC Unit Safe or a Potential Bhopal?”, Sunday Gazette-Mail, 8 May, http:// wvgazette.com/static/watchdog/micstory.pdf, accessed on 5 February 2012.