This document discusses chemical disasters and provides details about the Bhopal disaster. It defines a chemical accident as an event resulting from the release of hazardous substances. It recommends precautions people should take, such as finding out emergency plans and available antidotes. The summary then describes how the 1984 Bhopal disaster in India occurred when toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide plant, exposing over 500,000 people and killing thousands in the ensuing years.

1. CHEMICAL
DISASTERS
By Prapanja
VIII A

2. DEFINITION OF CHEMICAL
ACCIDENT
 The terms “chemical accident” refer to an
event resulting in the release of a
substance or substances hazardous to
human health and/or the environment in
the short or long term. Such events include
fires, explosions, leakages or releases of
toxics or hazardous materials that can
cause people illness, injury, disability or
death.

3. PRECAUTIONAL STEPS TAKEN
CARE :-
 Find out whether the industrial units close
to your city use hazardous chemicals
 Find out if the local administration has
emergency plans to deal with industrial
accidents
 Find out about the antidotes needed in case
of poisoning of people, animals, water
resources, etc., and their availability
 Find out from hospitals, if they are
capable of handling cases of exposure to
chemicals
 Keep a chart of do’s and don’ts in case of a
chemical disaster

4. BACKGROUND OF THE BHOPAL
DISASTER
 What happened at the Bhopal Disaster?
 45 tons of methyl isocyanate (MIC) escaped
from 2 underground storage tanks at a
Union Carbide pesticide plant.
o When it happened?
 December 3,1984
o Where did it occur?
 Bhopal , India

5. THE BHOPAL DISASTER-
INTRODUCTION
 The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as
the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak
incident in India, considered one of the
world's worst industrial disasters.
 It occurred on the night of 2–3 December
1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)
pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
 Over 500,000 people were exposed to
methyl isocynated gas and other chemicals.

6. THE BHOPAL DISASTER
 In the early hours of Dec 3, 1984, a chemical
factory in Bhopal leaked a highly toxic cloud of
methyl isocyanate onto the densely populated city.
 This factory belonged to Union Carbide , a
multinational company based in USA.
 Of 8,00,000 people living in Bhopal at the time
2,000 died immediately, 300,000 were injured and
as many 8,000 have died since.

7. THE BHOPAL DISASTER
 The leak was caused by a series of
mechanical and human errors.
 A portion of the safety equipment at the
plant had been non operational for 4
months and rest failed.
 The city health officials had not been
informed of the toxicity of the chemicals
used at the union carbide factory.
 There were no emergency plans or
procedure in the place and no knowledge
of how to deal with the poisonous cloud .
 A series of studies made 5 years later
showed that many of the survivors were
still suffering from various related

8. HOW THE INCIDENT OCCURRED?

9. A SMALL VIDEO CLIP

10. CONCLUSION
The bhopal disaster
Is one of the worst
industrial accidents
in history.