Five Past Midnight in Bhopal Essay -- Environment, Methyl Isocyanate,

Union Carbide owned and operated a pesticide factory in Bhopal, which at one point was a gift to the city’s people and economy. However, an explosion released the toxic chemical methyl isocyanate or MIC into the air, killing thousands of innocent people in cities in close proximity to the plant and exposing many more to its effects. Union Carbide as a company prided itself on its safety standards. However, several oversights would give rise to this disastrous event. Carbide neglected to explain the dangers of MIC, to design the factory properly, and to operate the factory in a safe manner successfully. In this paper, I will argue that Union Carbide’s negligence caused the release of the toxins and the poor immediate response. MIC itself is a highly volatile and deadly substance that is used in the production of the pesticide, Sevin. Carbide neglected to explain the dangers of this substance on several fronts. First, Carbide studied the substance thoroughly in order to construct a manual designed to instruct workers on how to handle MIC properly. However, they neglected to include knowledge of an antidote to MIC in the manual. "Injection with sodium thiosulfate could, in certain cases, neutralize the deadly effects of the gas." (Bhopal, 92) If Carbide had included this information in the manual, then all of the employees, including the medical staff, would have a purported treatment in the event of an accident. This treatment could have saved the lives of many people in a disaster. Secondly, not only did the medical staff lack knowledge of an antidote, but also they â€Å"did not have any specific training in the effects of gas-related accidents, especially those caused by methyl isocyanate." (Bho pal, 167) The company ... ...egligence on all fronts allowed for the opportunity of the worst-case scenario to take place. The people of Bhopal had a right to a clean environment and air. Union Carbide knew the critical information about the gas and had a professional responsibility to uphold its obligation by not releasing toxic gas into the atmosphere and by making sure their employees followed all procedures. The company knew that a disaster of this magnitude was possible beforehand. Therefore, they knew the consequences that would occur from a failure on their part to correctly operate their factory. Carbide showed a lack of care in operating the factory where a moral obligation to the safety of the people was clearly present. Therefore, Union Carbide’s negligence is responsible for the release of toxic MIC into the air and the poor immediate response to the disaster.