Pressmeddelande - 1 December 2012 10:58

28 Years since the World's Largest Industrial Disaster

It was during the night between 2nd and 3rd December, 1984, that the sleeping inhabitants of the slum in the town of Bhopal, in the middle of India, woke up because every breath burnt, they vomited, the eyes hurted like fire, and they did not get air. Everyone knew immediately that gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant - there had been many smaller leakages earlier. At the same time as human fell down, dead, on the streets, the hospital was overwhelmed by blinded people who were suffocating to death.

At least 500,000 people were exposed to the gases. Around 8,000 people, maybe more, died during the first weeks. It is estimated that 100,000, maybe twice as many, have permanent injuries, of more or less serious grade.

The direct reason to the leakage is still not known. But it is clear that the magnitude of the disaster and its consequences depends on negligence from Union Carbide as well as the Governments of India and Madhya Pradesh. The maintenance was neglected, and a catastrophy plan was missing. After the leakage, it was denied that the gases could cause permanent injuries, and not until several years later, the victims got a small economic compensation.

During the years that the plant worked, chemical waste was dumped in the surroundings, in the way that at the time was common all around the world. This has led to polluted groundwater in the area where a growing slum population have settled. Organisations working in the area considers that there is an increase of malformations among children.

That the issue after 28 years still is sensitive to the Government of India is shown by the ban to the Swedish general practitioner Dr. Ingrid Eckerman who no longer gets visa to India. In 2011, she was sent back from Delhi by return flight. Her book "The Bhopal Saga - causes and consequences of the world's largest industrial disaster", published in India eight years ago, is probably the cause.

Read more about this in the earlier press release http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/ingrid-eckerman/pressrelease/view/swedish-doctor-banned-from-india-816057

MyNewsdesk www.mynewsdesk.com/se/pressroom/ingrid-eckerman

My website www.eckerman.nu

My blog www.ingrideckerman.blogspot.se

The Bhopal Medical Appeal www.bhopal.org

The Chingari Trust www.chingaritrustbhopal.com

The International Medical Commission on Bhopal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Medical_Commission_on_Bhopal

The Bhopal disaster http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster

The film One night in Bhopal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyd8oKdb_C8

Others who were sent back:

www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278465

www.countercurrents.org/dixit030212.htm