I recently attended a TEDx day of talks here in the UK at Warwick University. On of the speakers was Tim Edwards, Executive Trustee of the Bhopal Medical Appeal.
Somewhere in the back of my head I remember the Bhopal disaster but I hadn’t realised it’s scale and long lasting affects over 30 years later.
You can read the full story here,
[embed]http://bhopal.org/what-happened/union-carbides-disaster[/embed]
But I wanted to explain a few headlines to get us all reflecting on what is going on here.
On the night of December 2nd, 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, began leaking 27 tons of the deadly gas methyl isocyanate. None of the six safety systems designed to contain such a leak were operational, allowing the gas to spread throughout the city of Bhopal. Half a million people were exposed to the gas and 25,000 have died to date as a result of their exposure. More than 150,000 people still suffer from ailments caused by the accident and the subsequent pollution at the plant site.
The company is now owned by Dow Chemical who are the biggest chemical company in the world with a market cap of $163 billion, yes that is billion with a ‘B’. There was a payout to the victims amounting to just $2000 per each death and $500 per victim. The victim numbers are obviously heavily disputed and they continue to rise too. The disaster only hit the company by just $0.49 on the share price at the time.
From what I can see nobody is listening or appearing in any requested court appearances. There have been countless requests, demonstrations and petitions for compensation. Nobody is answering.
You and I are consuming maybe hundreds of products each and every month that are being made by these chemical giants and we have no idea what they are, they are present in what we eat, wear and use. It makes me sick to think that in the supply chain I have supported these criminals who are not being held accountable.
There is a moral responsibility on the Directors of these colossal corporations to do the right thing and look after the victims of Bhopal, where it’s medical, mental or financial.
There is a place where you can add your name to a letter, although I am sad to see not many have actually signed up, it’s called ‘Don’t Bury Bhopal’.
[embed]http://bhopal.org/what-happened/union-carbides-disaster[/embed]
Thank you.