Bhopal: A hope 20 years strong

Dainik Bhaskar, Bhopal
Thursday March 17, 2005
GAS DISASTER FILES WILL BE OPENED ONCE AGAIN
Director ICMR says research is necessary

By Neelam Sharma

BHOPAL : Research that was wound up 18 years back is likely to be resumed. Four to five studies that need to be started immediately have been identified. A team of ICMR [Indian Council of Medical Research] specialists will work on this. These decisions were taken at the meeting of the Advisory Committee set up by the Supreme Court for the health care of the gas victims. The first meeting of the Committee was held at the auditorium of the Kamala Nehru Hospital. The Director General of ICMR Dr. N K Ganguly chaired the meeting.

Dr. Ganguly said that studies on the health consequences of gas exposure are necessary and all related will be collected. A task force has been set up to monitor the research that will begin soon. Given the higher number of cases of lung cancer among the gas victims this was thought to be an area that requires more attention. Dr. Ganguly said that in today’s meeting recommendations have been made to start few research studies with immediate effect. Proposals will be made on these and work will begin from April 1.

The treatment protocol for the gas victims have remained unchanged since 1987. He spoke in detail on the need for preparing treatment protocols taking into account the current health problems. Dr. Ganguly directed that all information related to the treatment of all gas victims be submitted to the Committee. Treatment protocols will be prepared afresh taking into consideration current health problems and the treatment facilities available to them. The matter of transfer of Gas Relief hospitals to the Health Department will be decided on the basis of information on health problems and available treatment facilities. Dr Ganguly did not seem to be in favour of transfer of the Gas Relief hospitals to the Health Department. He said that in view of the significant work to be done in future it is better to keep them as a separate unit. Dr Ganguly also indicated the possibility of bringing together all research done on the health consequences of gas exposure and carrying out an evaluation of data quality. The research carried out so far will be assessed and published according to their scientific value. Dr. Ganguly accepted the possibility of impact on the reproductive system of women because of the effect of Methyl isocyanate on cell chromatin of uterus of pregnant women. He indicated that research could be carried out on this after current data and that from the immediate aftermath are studied.

What Has Been Decided At The Meeting

· Coordination will be established between the Advisory Committee and the Monitoring Committee.

· An agency has been identified for collection of data on patients.

· A Task force to be constituted for monitoring the work of rehabilitation of gas victims.

· In any research carried out in future data will be collected from all 56 wards for evaluation of actual damage.

· Full attention will be paid to the needs and expectations of the gas victims.

· It was recommended that the funds available for relief and rehabilitation be spent depending upon the priorities of the gas victims.

Members Of The Committee

Chairman Dr N K Ganguly, Director General ICMR
Dr. P M Bhargav, Molecular Biologist
Dr C C Choubal, Gastro Enterologist
Dr Shyam Agrawal, Oncologist
Dr Deepak Mehta, Medical Practitioner
Dr. C Sathyamala, Community Medicine
Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Gas Relief Hospitals Will Be Networked

Dr Ganguly suggested the networking of all Gas Relief hospitals and coding of patients to improve treatment of gas victims and access to information. This will enable patients to receive same treatment at any of the health care facilities. This will also help in estimating the actual number of gas victims. Commenting on the inadequacies of the system of patient registrations in hospitals he said that all data should be on the computers so that patients do not have problem in receiving immediate
treatment. Currently patients go from one hospital to another in the hope of finding relief.

There Are No Super-Specialists

The qualifications of doctors appointed at the Gas Relief hospitals were considered inadequate at the meeting. Chief Medical Officer, Gas Relief Dr B S Ohri accepted that there was a problem in this regard. Till today Dr Ohri held that doctors at the Gas relief hospitals were adequately qualified. The Committee has decided that the incharge of the center for rehabilitation studies should currently work under the directions of Dr Pande of All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

Madhya Pradesh Stays Plea

2005-03-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Central Chronicle

Medicines for Bhopal gas victims ineffective: Panel : HindustanTimes.com

2005-03-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Medicines for Bhopal gas victims ineffective: Panel : HindustanTimes.com

Over 550 court arrest to highlight problems of gas victims

2005-03-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Over 550 court arrest to highlight problems of gas victims

How will Carbide plant be cleaned, asks HC

2005-02-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

How will Carbide plant be cleaned, asks HC

Bhopal victims to protest before PM's house - Sify.com

2005-02-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

Bhopal victims to protest before PM's house - Sify.com

Bhopal victims to protest before Manmohan home

2005-02-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

Bhopal victims to protest before Manmohan home

Gary Cohen on Bhopal

2005-02-09T01:32:00.000-08:00

Bhopal's Poisonous legacy - Boston Globe
By Gary Cohen | December 2, 2004

TWENTY YEARS ago today, families in Bhopal, India, were awakened in the middle of the night by terrible burning in their eyes and lungs. Within minutes, children and mothers and fathers staggered into the street, gasping for air. As they ran in complete terror, someone yelled that the Union Carbide pesticide factory had exploded, spewing out poisonous gas throughout the city.

Bhopal has rightly been called the Hiroshima of the chemical industry. Bhopal not only represents the stark story of the human fallout from a chemical factory explosion but offers up important lessons about the culture of the chemical industry and its approach to security and public health.

The sad reality is that we continue to learn about chemicals by allowing industry to expose large numbers of people to them and seeing what happens.

In this way, we have learned about dioxin contamination by letting Dow, Monsanto, and other chemical companies expose American soldiers and the entire Vietnamese population to Agent Orange. We have learned about asbestos by killing off thousands of workers with lung disease. And we have learned about the long-term effects of methyl-isocyanate after Union Carbide gassed an entire city in India.

Since the Bhopal disaster, we've learned that we all carry the chemical industry's toxic products in our bodies. Every man, woman, and child on the planet has a body burden of chemicals that are linked to cancer, birth defects, asthma, learning disabilities, and other diseases.

Since Sept. 11 we have also learned that in addition to our routine chemical exposures, chemical factories are perfect targets for terrorists. According to federal government sources, there are 123 chemical facilities nationwide that would put at least 1 million people at risk if they accidentally exploded or were attacked by terrorists. Some of these chemical factories are located in major cities. Yet the chemical industry continues to resist any meaningful regulation that would require them to replace the most dangerous chemicals with safer alternatives.

A recent "60 Minutes" expose vividly showed many of these facilities lack even the most basic security protection, yet the government is spending billions of our tax dollars invading other countries and looking for chemical terrorists overseas.

Twenty years have passed, but today in Bhopal thousands of people remain sick from chemical exposure and more than 50,000 are disabled due to injuries. The amount of compensation Union Carbide paid to the survivors has not been enough to cover basic medicines, let alone other costs associated with disabilities and a lack of ability to work.

The abandoned factory site remains essentially the same as the day that Carbide's employees ran for their lives. Sacks of unused pesticides lie strewn in storerooms; toxic waste litters the grounds and continues to leak into the neighborhood well water supply.

Officials at Dow Chemical, the new owners of Union Carbide, claim they have nothing to do with the ongoing disaster in Bhopal. Yet Dow may soon be faced with a subpoena from the Bhopal court to present its subsidiary Union Carbide in a criminal case or face action for obstructing justice. And the New York District Court may soon order Dow to clean up the toxic mess left behind by Carbide 20 years ago.

On this 20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, survivors in Bhopal will march and make speeches and demand their basic rights to be free of chemical poisons, to be compensated for damages, and to hold Dow Chemical and Union Carbide liable for the world's worst industrial disaster.

The Bhopal survivors are not only speaking for themselves but for us as well. In the last two decades, Bhopal has come much closer to home. The chemical terror they experienced and the lack of care and respect they have received are haunting reminders that we are living under a similar poison cloud.

Gary Cohen is the executive director of the Environmental Health Fund in Boston. He serves on the international advisory board of the Sambhavna Trust, which operates a free medical clinic for the survivors in Bhopal, India.
© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

Bhopal: Schakowsky Letter in Chicago Tribune

2005-02-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

Chicago Tribune
December 2, 2004

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (LETTER)
Dealing with continued fallout of Bhopal, India

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, (D-Ill)

December 2, 2004

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal, India, disaster, when 27 tons of poisonous gas leaked from a storage tank at the Union Carbide Corp.'s pesticide plant. More than 7,000 Indians died in the immediate months after accident. The deadly effects continue today.

Between 10 and 30 residents continue to die each month in Bhopal from toxic exposure and 150,000 people continue to suffer long-term health consequences. Drinking water still contains high levels of mercury and other pollutants, toxins and heavy metals. Soil samples from the area have found abnormal amounts of lead, nickel, copper and chromium. Tainted water and the generally toxic living environments have led to premature cancer, deformities, chromosomal aberrations and other disorders for Bhopali children.

On this tragic anniversary, we should renew our commitment to the people of Bhopal. Union Carbide, now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Co., continues to refuse to appear before the Bhopal District Court to face the criminal charges pending against it for the disaster.

That's why I joined my colleagues in introducing a resolution expressing the commitment of Congress to work with the Indian government to ensure that Union Carbide provides environmental and medical rehabilitation in Bhopal and is held responsible for its actions. There is a "polluter pays" principle enshrined in the domestic laws of both India and the United States, where polluters, rather than public agencies or taxpayers, are held financially and criminally liable for environmental pollution and disasters. We should uphold that principle.

In the post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, we must also act to prevent future toxic disasters from occurring here at home or around the world. The Bhopal anniversary should serve as a reminder of the enormous risks we take by not securing our chemical facilities.

Dec. 2, 1984, was indeed a tragic day for the people of India. We must deal with the continued fallout and resolve to prevent future toxic catastrophes from ever happening again.

Bhopal in Our Midland

2005-02-09T01:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13479159&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=8
Bhopal industrial accident – 20 years later
Kathie Marchlewski, Midland Daily News 12/02/2004

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of a massive industrial accident in Bhopal, India, survivors, activists and college students are mobilizing to plead for justice for victims still suffering, and for cleanup of the contaminated site.
No plans for demonstrations in Midland were announced by press time today. In the past, representatives from the Campaign for Justice in Bhopal have visited Dow Chemical facilities and executive homes during annual shareholder meetings and other occasions.
At the University of Michigan, EnAct and Students for Bhopal are expected to commemorate the day by reading survivor testimonials outside the two main entrances to the campus Dow Chemistry Building. The walls will be plastered with posters giving facts about Bhopal.
More than 50 colleges across the U.S. are expected to have similar demonstrations. Some students also will ask universities to stop accepting monetary gifts or grants from Dow.
"Students are outraged," said Ryan Bodanyi, ICJB’s student coordinator. "Dow should expect these protests to continue and intensify."
Dow has been asked to take responsibility for the accident since it bought out Union Carbide in 2001. It has maintained that it did not inherit liability in the matter, and that all claims against Union Carbide were settled with the Indian government in 1989. Union Carbide paid $470 million and continued medical and economic aid in later years.
Bodanyi said the Dow protests this week are expected to be as large as those that took place at college campuses during the Vietnam era, when the company was producing Agent Orange.
At Grand Valley State University, Saginaw resident Paul Damore, who grew up in a home on the dioxin-polluted Tittabawassee River flood plain, has led a petition drive asking the school to ban any donations from Dow until it takes responsibility for contamination in Bhopal and along the Tittabawassee River. He has about 300 signatures so far.
"There’s a social injustice that needs to be fixed," Damore said.
Damore, 20, is featured on the Greenpeace website telling his story of growing up in an area with dioxin. The site also features a Bhopali teen who talks about living in a city contaminated with toxins allegedly left from the 1984 pesticide plant explosion.
Damore said that while his main concern is dioxin in mid-Michigan, he also wants to speak up about Bhopal and increase student awareness on his campus.
"It made me insanely mad," he said. "It made me want to do something."
Events scheduled this week in Bhopal include a commemoration program, a media tour of the factory site, and a candlelight vigil with relatives of people carrying photos of those who died. There also will be a rally with more than 3,000 survivors expected to attend. For more information, visit www.bhopal.net.

©Midland Daily News 2004

Bhopal in CNN

2005-02-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/02/india.bhopal.reut/index.html

HollandSentinel.com -Catastrophic chemical leaks still a public risk 11/28/04

2005-02-09T00:38:00.001-08:00

HollandSentinel.com -Catastrophic chemical leaks still a public risk 11/28/04

Radio-Canada.ca / Dimanche magazine

2005-02-09T00:38:00.000-08:00

Radio-Canada.ca / Dimanche magazine

The Journal Standard Online

2005-02-09T00:37:00.001-08:00

The Journal Standard Online

The Victoria Advocate

2005-02-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

The Victoria Advocate

Bhopal disaster echoes 20 years later - 11/28/04

2005-02-09T00:36:00.001-08:00

Bhopal disaster echoes 20 years later - 11/28/04

Horror persists 2 decades after Bhopal leak

2005-02-09T00:36:00.000-08:00

Horror persists 2 decades after Bhopal leak

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Bhopal still suffering, 20 years on

2005-02-09T00:35:00.001-08:00

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Bhopal still suffering, 20 years on

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Bhopal | Response: Union Carbide and Dow Chemical

2005-02-09T00:35:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Programmes | Bhopal | Response: Union Carbide and Dow Chemical

7.30 Report - 01/12/2004: Photographer recaptures Bhopal survivors

2005-02-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

7.30 Report - 01/12/2004: Photographer recaptures Bhopal survivors

AlterNet: EnviroHealth: Silent Night, Deadly Night

2005-02-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

AlterNet: EnviroHealth: Silent Night, Deadly Night

CCA | Press | Corporate Manslaughter | Bhopal | Jurisdiction

2005-02-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

CCA | Press | Corporate Manslaughter | Bhopal | Jurisdiction

India surveys deadly Bhopal leak site - (United Press International)

2005-02-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

India surveys deadly Bhopal leak site - (United Press International)

RIGHTS: Fight for Justice in Bhopal Enters Third Decade

2005-02-09T00:29:00.000-08:00

RIGHTS: Fight for Justice in Bhopal Enters Third Decade

Bhopal tragedy: The story so far

2005-02-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

Bhopal tragedy: The story so far

Union Carbide denies Dow has owned up - The Times of India

2005-02-08T23:37:00.002-08:00

Union Carbide denies Dow has owned up - The Times of India

IOL: Bhopal deal agreement is a 'deception'

2005-02-08T23:37:00.001-08:00

IOL: Bhopal deal agreement is a 'deception'

$12bn hoax 'cruel'

2005-02-08T23:37:00.000-08:00

$12bn hoax 'cruel'

MSNBC - BBC admits Dow 'interview' was a hoax

2005-02-08T23:36:00.000-08:00

MSNBC - BBC admits Dow 'interview' was a hoax

New evidence on Carbide - UK Independent

2005-02-08T23:34:00.000-08:00

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=590130

US giant's defence on Bhopal could be undermined by company papers
By Saeed Shah
06 December 2004

New evidence has emerged that could undermine Union Carbide's
long-standing denial of responsibility for the world's worst industrial
accident, the devastation of the Indian city of Bhopal.

The American company has always claimed that its Indian subsidiary was
solely responsible for the design and management of the plant, where a
poisonous gas leak killed thousands of people 20 years ago.

The documents, obtained by The Independent, show the closeness of the
relationship between the American chemical giant and its financially
troubled Indian business.

A massive leak of poisonous gas from the pesticide factory in December
1984 killed some 7,000 people instantly and contributed to the death of
more than 20,000 more. Survivors are still seeking justice and proper
compensation.

The documents also show cost-cutting in the year before the fatal leak.
Staff and maintenance cuts have been cited as key factors in the
accident.

Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) from the US owned a 51 per cent stake in
its Indian subsidiary, Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL).

UCC and its chairman at the time of the leak, Warren Anderson, have
never answered a summons to face charges of culpable homicide in India.
UCC was bought by Dow Chemical, another US giant, in 2001.

The documents show that UCC provided the "basic process design" for the
Bhopal plant - built in the late 1970s.

The first document, dated 22 September 1975, was a memorandum from a UCC
engineer called Charles H Becker, and shows the intimate and extensive
involvement of UCC in procuring equipment, designing and providing
technical services to the plant in Bhopal. The document shows that UCC
was involved in procuring "safety equipment" and "control
instrumentation" - both of which failed on the night of 2 December 1984,
when water entered a storage tank containing the volatile chemical
methyl isocyanate, triggering a chemical reaction that sent clouds of
deadly gas over nearby slums.

The memo ended with the words: "Union Carbide's know-how, technical
support, and majority ownership of UCIL provide assurance of technical
competence."

A second document is dated 24 February 1984. This letter is between two
senior managers at Union Carbide Eastern Inc, the Hong Kong-based
subsidiary which oversaw UCC's operations in Asia. The "confidential"
letter, between vice-president R Natarajan and J B Law, chairman of
Union Carbide Eastern, discussed the severe financial problems that had
hit Union Carbide India by early 1984. It then went on to ask "what UCC
is going to do to resolve the problem".

The document also revealed that: "A major OIP [Operations Improvement
Programme] effort, including reduction of 335 men, resulted in $1.25m
annual cost savings in 1983 but future savings will not be easy."

Tim Edwards, of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, said:
"These two documents prove that Union Carbide USA slashed operating
costs and sourced safety systems that, by Union Carbide's own admission,
did not have the capacity to prevent the disaster."

Tomm F Sprick, director of the Union Carbide Information Centre - the PR
department of UCC - insisted: "The cost-cutting memo you cited had
nothing to do with the incident." He admitted that "the safety systems
in place could not have prevented a chemical reaction of this magnitude"
but blamed the leak on sabotage.

William Krohley, a lawyer for Union Carbide pointed to a civil lawsuit
brought by Bhopal survivors and the Indian government in a US court in
1987, which found that, at the time, "UCC's participation was limited
and its involvement in plant operations was terminated long before the
accident. Preliminary process design information furnished by UCC could
not have been used to construct the plant."

Mr Edwards said the new documents undermined both these conclusions.

"No US court has ever rejected the assertions made by Bhopal survivors
on their merits, only on jurisdictional and procedural grounds," Mr
Edwards said.