In the early hours of December 3, 1984, methylisocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from a plant owned, managed and operated by Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), causing a terrible tragedy in the central India city of Bhopal. The event continues to evoke strong emotions even decades later.
In the wake of the incident, the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) provided immediate aid to the victims and continued to do so in the years that followed. This included providing medical equipment and supplies, sending an international team of medical experts to Bhopal to aid victims, cooperating with the government of India on information sharing, and enabling medical experts to quickly determine how to treat MIC related illness.
All claims arising out of the gas release were settled in 1989 at the explicit direction and with the approval of the Supreme Court of India by means of a settlement agreement between the Government of India and UCC and UCIL. In 1991, 2007 and again in 2023, the Indian Supreme Court upheld the fairness and adequacy of the settlement in response to court challenges from non-governmental organizations.
Based on what was learned from the tragedy, UCC and others in the chemicals industry worked to develop and globally implement Responsible Care® to help prevent future gas leak tragedies by improving process safety standards, community awareness and emergency preparedness, as well as protecting workers and communities by working with governmental bodies to assure that industry best practices are implemented through regulations.
For more information about Responsible Care®, see www.responsiblecare.com or www.icca-chem.org.