few disasters may occur due to irresponsibility. Such disasters can range from an insignificant aspect to something absolutely detrimental. Chemical leaks are a rather harmful accident, especially in industrialized factories. This was the case in 1984 when Union Carbide’s safety mechanism failed to detain three tanks of Methyl Isocyanate (MCI for short). As a repercussion, a massive chemical leak of white fog polluted the city of Bhopal’s atmosphere within a moment. The tragedy of the Bhopal Chemical
The Bhopal Gas Disaster of 1984 INTRODUCTION On the Night of December 2, 1984, there was a horrific accident at the Union Carbide Pesticide Chemical Factory in Bhopal, India. The factory produced a chemical called methyl isocyanate (MIC) also know by Union Carbide as “Liquid Dynamite”. It is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO MIC is a highly reactive intermediate chemical used to manufacture various pesticides. This chemical reacts exothermically with water and produces a poisonous
This paper will examine the Bhopal, India disaster of 1984 focusing on the ethical responsibility of Union Carbide. In the rest of this document is the case that a corporation has a responsibility to behave ethically if for no other reason than increase in long term profitability. Background In 1969 the Union Carbide plan was built in Bohpal India. The plant was operated by Union Carbide India Ltd (Leonard, 2010). 50.9% of the plant was owned by Union Carbide (of which Union Carbide India Ltd was a subsidiary)
Sometimes government bodies, corporations, and the like fall short in instituting preventative systems to avert a disaster, oftentimes causing the general populous to be inadequately prepared should a catastrophe occur. This action is due to an overall shift in emphasis from preventative measures to preparedness in disaster planning. In “Generic Biothreat, or, How We Became Unprepared,” Andrew Lakoff articulates that today’s crises management involves the development of methods that could be used
December 3, 1984 the residents of a Bhopal, India awoke to a toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas that had been discharged from the near-by Union Carbida India Limited plant. The deadly cloud infiltrated hundreds of shanties and huts as it slowly drifted in the cool night awaking sleeping residents to coughing, choking, and stinging eyes. By dawn the cloud had cleared and many were dead or injured. Reports of the incident were slow to reach America. Union Carbide, a U.S. corporation that owns
Disaster is a blind killer as it erupts and affects thousands worldwide. The severity of disasters is expected to increase as a result of contemporary threats (biological, cyber, nuclear, etc.) in addition to increased globalization and climate change. Yet sometimes government bodies, corporations, and the like fall short in instituting preventative systems to avert a disaster, oftentimes causing the general populous to be inadequately prepared should a catastrophe occur. Union Carbide’s gas leak
Case Study Action Plan: Union Carbide Bhopal accident Learning Team A: Michael Proffitt, Amanda Garrity, Sean Riedel, Cippy Seidler & La Shonta Fuller University of Phoenix PHL 323/Ethics in Management History: Controversy Union Carbide In December of 1984 controversy surrounded Union Carbide, a chemical and polymer company founded in 1917, when the company had a poisonous gas leak from their pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. (Union Carbide Corporation, 2011) This incident killed thousands
The Bhopal gas leak was a terrible tragedy in which thousands of helpless civilians were killed and hundreds of thousands were injured as they slept. Determining who was at fault and, consequently, who should compensate the victims and clean up the site are questions that have plagued the affected parties, my Rotman classmates and the world at large for over 25 years. The analysis to follow, in attempting to present the roles and responsibilities of each major player, will demonstrate the incredible
Pragmatism; and Social Justice. In this essay I am mainly bringing out the facts of the tragedy and the importance of Law and Economic Perspective, which favors an industry such as the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) in this case, and also the Social Justice Perspective, which speaks in favor of the people of Bhopal. Law and economics is an interdisciplinary field that applies economic theory to examine the formation and the impact of tort law and the tort damages. It focuses mainly on deterrence
The Bhopal Plant As previously stated, the Bhopal plant was responsible for the production of Carbaryl, otherwise known as Sevin which was released under the brand name Eveready. The plant itself aided Bhopal somewhat with attracting new people with the promise of jobs and fixing the inconsistent electricity supplied to the city. While the plant was initially very profitable, eventually the market changed, leaving the factory making a loss every year. The plant eventually stopped producing Sevin