and to draw conclusions based on these events.

INTRODUCTION: What Happened at Bhopal? Reading newspaper and magazine articles written

immediately following the events at Bhopal, it is apparent that it took some time for authorities to

determine the causes of the industrial accident. Speculation seems to have run wild for a time following

the accident. Drawing from later statistics and information seems to be a more reliable method of

determining the most likely scenario. Where various alternate feasible possibilities have been presented,

we will try to include the most likely.

At approximately midnight on December 3, 1984, an unexpected chemical reaction took place in a

Union Carbide of India Limited storage tank. The storage tank contained methyl isocyanate, (hereafter

referred to as MIC) a toxic gas used in the process of a pesticide called Sevin.(1) As part of the distilling

process there was an extremely high concentration of chloroform present. This caused corrosion of the

tank. The tank being made of iron provided a catalyst for the reaction. A large amount of water was also

(10)"Permanent Scars of the Bhopal Catastrophe." DISCOVER. Vol. 7, April 1986, p. 9.

When the vapor was released, it was released into a highly populated area. The grounds in the immediate

human life depends largely on where the person lives and the penalties involved when lives are lost.

refrigeration equipment which should have kept the temperature low, so that the MIC did not vaporize,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Union Carbide, Environmental Affairs, Medical Research, India Limited, Bhopal Reading, ECONOMIST Vol, United Nations, Public Health, Carbide India, VARIETY FAILURES, union carbide, economist vol, environment vol, environment vol 27, vol 27, storage tank, public health, dec 15, 15 1984, local government, dec 15 1984, vol 27 sept, emergency response, 27 sept 1985, 293 dec 15,
Approximate Word count = 1857
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)