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The greatest industrial disaster of India; was it man-made?



Summary of background and causes:

Contributing factors:

Several other factors were identified by the inquiry, including the fact that the operators chose a dangerous method of manufacturing pesticides, there was large-scale storage of MIC before processing, the location of the plant was close to a densely populated area, there was under-dimensioning of the safety features, and the plant depended on manual operations.

Deficiencies in the management of UCIL were also identified. There was a lack of skilled operators due to the staffing policy, there had been a reduction of safety management due to reducing the staff, there was insufficient maintenance of the plant and there were only very loose plans for the course of action in the event of an emergency.

Plant production process

Methylamine (1. MeNH2 at left) reacts with phosgene (2) producing Methyl isocyanate (3. CH3NCO) which reacts with 1-Naphthol (4) to yield Carbaryl (5, right) Union Carbide produced the pesticide Sevin (a trademarked brand name for carbaryl) using MIC as an intermediate. Until 1979, MIC was imported from the US. Other manufacturers, such as Bayer, made carbaryl without MIC, though at greater manufacturing costs.

The chemical process, or "route", used in the Bhopal plant reacted methylamine with phosgene to form MIC (methyl isocyanate), which was then reacted with 1-naphthol to form the final product, carbaryl. This route differed from MIC-free routes used elsewhere, in which the same raw materials are combined in a different manufacturing order, with phosgene first reacted with the naphthol to form a chloroformate ester, which is then reacted with methyl amine. In the early 1980s, the demand for pesticides had fallen though production continued, leading to buildup of stores of unused MIC.

Work conditions:

Attempts to reduce expenses affected the factory's employees and their conditions. Kurzman argues that "cuts ... meant less stringent quality control and thus looser safety rules. A pipe leaked? Don't replace it, employees said they were told ... MIC workers needed more training? They could do with less. Promotions were halted, seriously affecting employee morale and driving some of the most skilled ... elsewhere". Workers were forced to use English manuals, even though only a few had a grasp of the language. .....more