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The Bhopal Medical Appeal held a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster and remember the many thousands who died then, and since. Deaths continue as Union Carbide (now owned by Dow Chemical) have refused to clean up the pollution, which also causes horrific birth defects. London, UK. 02/12/2009. The Bhopal Medical Appeal held a memorial service in Trafalgar Square, London on Wednesday 2 Dec, 2009 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster and remember the many thousands who have died at the time and since. Deaths continue as Union Carbide (now owned by Dow Chemical) have refused to clean up the pollution, which also causes horrific birth defects. Some of those attending had brought white sheets representing funeral shrouds, and wrapped themselves in these. A choir lead the singing of 'Abide With Me', apparently popular across all religious denominations, and Gandhi's favourite hymn. It had been planned that some of those present would lay down and cover themselves in the white sheets at this point, but a heavy downpour shortly before the service that left puddles on the square made this impractical. The Bhopal Medical Appeal (BMA) campaigns for justice for the people of Bhopal who are still suffering from the effects of the disaster and also supports the Sambhavna clinic which provides 'simple, safe, effective, ethical and participatory ways of treatment monitoring and research for the survivors of Bhopal.' You can find much more about the Bhopal disaster and its continuing aftermath on the BMA web site at bhopal.org as well as on other sites such as Wikipedia. It is a horrific story showing how giant corporations can carry out horrendous corporate crimes and evade their responsibilities, thanks in part to the support of the US and Indian governments. The following brief account is based largely on information on the BMA site, with a few details from various press and other sources. On the night of 2-3 December 1984, 27 tons of deadly methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India in a cloud containing other highly toxic gases. The leak began around 10pm and those close to the plant began suffering almost immediately. Three hours later the plant director denied there had been a leak but residents were already evacuating the area as they were woken up by feeling suffocated and vomiting. Because the cloud was heavy an hung close to the ground, children suffered more. The leak was brought under control by 4am, but already people were dying. Roughly half a million people living in Bhopal were exposed to the gas and around a third of that number were treated in temporary clinics and hospitals. Conservative estimates are that around 8,000 died in the first week after the leak, and a total of around 20,000 to date. More than 120,000 still suffer from the effects of the accident and the subsequent pollution, which is still spreading and causing birth defects. The plant, part-owned by the Indian Government, had proved unprofitable, perhaps why the company had changed to a cheaper manufacturing method there using the highly toxic MIC before production had ceased. The plant had been allowed to run down to a level where none of the safety systems worked and the workers there were not properly trained or resourced. After the disaster, Union Carbide refused to release important information about the leak. The corporation was charged with cuplable homicide but has refused to appear before an Indian court. Its CEO, Warren Anderson was charged with manslaughter. He disappeared for years, evading an international arrest warrant and a summons to appear before a US court, and since he was discovered by Greenpeace living in luxury in Bridgehampton on Long Island, New York. The Indian government finally reuqested his extradition in 2003, but it was refused by the US Government in 2004. A new warrant for his arrest was issued in New Delhi in June this year. A partial settlement was made between Union Carbide and the Indian Government in 1989 resulting in small amounts of compensation for some victims. It did not cover the liability for cleaning up the pollution caused. Dow Chemical who bought Union Carbide in 2001 claim that it has no liability for the Bhopal disaster.

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Bhopal - 25 Years of Shame

The Bhopal Medical Appeal held a memorial service to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster and remember the many thousands who died...

by Peter Marshall in United Kingdom on 02/12/2009

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