The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was considered as of 2010 to be the world's worst industrial disaster.[1]

Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The highly toxic substance made its way into and around the shanty towns located near the plant.[2]

Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed

a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[3] A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.[4] Others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.[5]

The cause of the disaster remains under debate. The Indian government and local activists argue that slack management and deferred maintenance created a situation where routine pipe maintenance caused a backflow of water into a MIC tank, triggering the disaster. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) argues water entered the tank through an act of sabotage.

The people responsible for this were fined $2,000 each. Dow Chemical Company purchased UCC in 2001, seventeen years after the disaster. It is a fact US companies create "shell corporations" like these in foreign lands to shelter their USA image, stock values and to protect themselves from repercussions.

When Trump Exclaims “Other Countries are Being Unfair to US” and Imposes Tariffs and Quotas People who Know Scoff and Condemn his Selfish Ignorance