Dow keeps Bhopal suffering

By Amitabh Pal

Tribune News Service

It’s been 30 years since the Bhopal disaster, but the U.S. company responsible for it has still not made adequate amends.

On Dec. 3, 1984, a gas leak at a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide, a U.S. multinational, in the central Indian city of Bhopal caused the deaths of several thousand residents within a matter of days. Over the past three decades, more than 20,000 people have lost their lives. Hundreds of thousands of Bhopal residents have experienced health problems.

Dow Chemical, which has purchased Union Carbide, refuses to be held liable, however. It claims that Union Carbide did all it could, and that Dow is not responsible because it didn’t own the company at the time of the disaster. But in buying up Union Carbide, Dow Chemical assumed all of Union Carbide’s liabilities, as well as its assets.

Union Carbide grudgingly paid out $470 million to the victims, a woefully insufficient amount. The company’s CEO at the time, Warren Anderson, was arrested during a visit to India and charged with manslaughter in the days following the accident. He was released on bail and died on the lam just a couple of months ago. The U.S. government wasn’t willing to apprehend or extradite him.

The case against the corporation is a strong one. An affidavit by Edward Munoz, former managing director of Union Carbide India, revealed that the company’s decision to store the deadly methyl isocyanate gas in massive tanks was the reason for the catastrophe. Crucial safety systems were switched off. Executives in the United States were responsible for their subsidiary and were informed about much of the cost-cutting.

Just a few weeks ago, Dow was issued yet another summons by an Indian court — and once more failed to show up.

“The Dow Chemical Company is once again thumbing its nose at the tens of thousands of victims and survivors of India’s worst industrial disaster,” said Shailesh Rai, program director of Amnesty International India. “Sadly, this appalling lack of responsibility is what we’ve come to expect after years of Dow’s denials.”

Victory

Bhopal victims recently won a victory when the Indian government announced that it would seek additional compensation, and disburse more payments, in response to an indefinite hunger strike by five survivors and their supporters.

“India’s move should serve as a wake-up call to Union Carbide and their masters at Dow Chemical,” said Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s director for global issues. “The Bhopal story isn’t going away, and it will haunt Union Carbide and Dow until justice is served.”

It’s way past time for Dow Chemical to accept full responsibility. The company needs to place humanity above its bottom line.

Amitabh Pal is the co-editor of the Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.