National tragedy- CWG 2010

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All I can say seeing the so called preparations of Commonwealth Games 2010 (expected to be held in New Delhi this year) is that, the organisation of the games has turned from an opportunity to showcase national pride & announce India's arrival at the world stage confidently to a shoddy state of affair wherein we are no longer sure how on the earth the games could be held...!! I know that to some people  my words would hurt- & believe me, I ain't writing this stuff being too pleased with myself- but this is the truth.

I still remember the day when new Delhi was announced as the winner city to hold the games of pride in 2003...as a 15 year young adolescent, I felt proud & told myself that I belong to one of the fabulous countries in the world...! Then there was closing ceremony of Commonwealth Games in Melbourne & even there everything looked so promising.

The high point was the Commonwealth youth Games of 2008 which were hosted in Pune..my hometown...I was buoyed by the spectacular show posted by all the athletes & more importantly by the organizing committee. All looked well set for the big event.....

By & large, India's performance in the Olympics has been of mere participatory nature not too long ago. The Beijing Olympics saw Indians actually making their presence felt at the international level. But I don't see that trend continuing for a long period of time unless, the sports culture imbibes in India. But despite of that shabby background, hosting CWG offered a chance to India what Olympics offered to Beijing & China at large......a chance to showcase the world what the nation & it's people are capable of doing, achieving & arriving at the world stage with the bang..! This was an opportunity which doesn't come too often in a generation. India could have -& beyond any doubt- should have grabbed it with both the hands.....

I must be given a Nobel prize of the most optimistic person in the world...shouldn't I? I hope, USA would soon ratify Kyoto protocol, I am very much sure that human race will learn from it's mistakes & I also believe that India, having a once in a generation opportunity, would grab it...!! Too much to ask for, isn't it?

Now look at what's happening out there...first of all there is hardly any news piece about who is going to represent India, how are their preparations going on etc...may be media is reserving those article pieces for crucifying them after their awful performances in the games...


Fine..what about stadias...I am all left to wonder if at all there would be any kind of stadias ready in every respect before the games?? Government has spent 18 times more than the actual budget decided in 2003...! Well what' more shocking is perhaps the lack of dedication among politicians & executers. Everyone is busy in either claiming how all's well or some senior politician is busy with his version of rhetorics...if nothing is left...they quarrel among themselves...sometimes just give a bite to media on preparations to be on track....!! God bless India...!!


What is annoying or rather frustrating is the latest corruption charges on the big guns..!! Gosh, that was not expected at least in the games preparations...! But there it is..! Corruption is like a bullshit..it's all over, no matter in which country you are! But in the games planning too? I am aghast!


Despite so much of funding from the government, all the executers could establish is leaking stadiums, most of them are half built...there is no sign of when they will be completed...& what kind of games would India deliver to the world on the backdrop of corruption charges..!! I am sick of it all & now jokingly I think probably the Indian government is taking a revenge of 200 years of British colonial empire over it ..!!


But rather the situation largely remains pathetic & it has turned into India's shameful tragedy..I recently heard India has dropped it's plans to bid for the Asiad games...clear sign of India's lost confidence..God bless India...!!


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Threat of solid waste

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How many of us are really bothered about what the hell happen to the waste that we throw out of our houses everyday? For the scope of discussion, let ourselves limit to the problem of solid waste generated in the households, hotels, shopping malls, big industries & so on. We don't really care too much about the problem because it hardly surfaces up & touches our lives. You can find all the stats about waste on the internet & even in some of the links attached below. So, I am not going into much of the details of it as far as the stats are concerned. But I am going to focus on India's solid waste problem. India is indeed a big country & with it's sheer big size, it inherits it's own problems as well. One of the least cared problem is the problem of solid waste management. India's GDP growth rate is one of the best in the entire globe. But with that sky rocketing growth, there comes the problem of incresed consumarism & increased waste being created. Of course, bigger chunk of it comes from the urban, densely populated areas where one can find middle class society & slum areas outnumbering it. I am littlebit doubtful how much solid waste is a problem in the Indian villages because people living in the villages battle for their daily livelihood, high consumerism is an alien word for them. So, we reach to the dirty, filthy & one of the worst livable places in India...the slums..! Who are the people living in those slums? Those are- in sophisticated words- "Low income groups"- who support needs of the population living in posh societies. There are maids, laundry boys, sweepers, hawkers & so on. I think the population in the posh residential complexes & bungalows are able to meet their basic needs because people living in the slums lend their hand.
So, all the wrappers, plastic bottles, cans, unwanted stuff goes to your dustbin, travels through a large conveyor system & finally reaches the dumping site maintained by the local governing body. There is ahrdly any scientific thinking given to the development of such dump yards. There could be a river flowing near it, or there could be a village nearby. All get contaminated- not to mention of the soil getting contaminated! There is no stoppage to the waste coming in there.
 Seeing the waste disposal site, I remember the movie "Wall-E"! You gotta watch the movie to understand our future...700 years in time..(If at all we survive!)
So, the waste which is not biodegradable will remain there for years together polluting our beautiful planet. The problem indeed is high consumerism, but we have to find out the solution to the non biodegradable things coming with high consumerism. Only then we will arrive at doing something good for our planet. I don't see any scope for people's attitude regarding shopping, buying stuff in excess, eating more than needed change in the near future. At best we can offer them the choices which are green, non polluting, & sustainable. How about filling hydrogen in your SUV? Or, how about a chips wrapped in a biodegradable wrappers? What if we get a chance to recycle our domestic waste & make some money out of the generated fertilizer? We would love to opt for those choices, aren't we? So, there is a need to invest in the R & D of such things...may be then we would be able to reduce the problem of huge chunks of solid waste produced to some extent..!! Hope we would be able to do it..!!
God bless planet earth!

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Her Majesty Queen's Prime Minister comes calling..!!

The article is all about Britain's PM Mr. David Cameroon visiting India & why we should be bothered about it as a nation (or should we be bothered about it at all or not?)

Mr. Cameroon

Boss in chaos-

Well, Mr. Cameroon is a captain of a coalition government which in itself is a great historic event in UK. UK is not known to have a coalition government at the helm in the distant past. I think Mr. Cameroon can learn a lot from Indian political system about presiding over a coalition government. One more fact we can't ignore about his government that it is yet to be tested regarding how it views the Kashmir issue (OMG....how many times in my blog, I've to mention about an issue which itself has been conceived by the British imperialistic government). Because India's experience in this particular issue with Britishers has been bitter- to say the least. There had been many political leaders who raised the sensitivities against the Indians.

Why is he here?-

Excellent question! previous such visit to India by any British PM was paid by Mr. Tony Blair (Labor Party candidate) a decade ago. So, there is a general feeling in the UK about having neglected such an important ally. In terms of economy, UK is still experiencing the backlashes of recent meltdown while India not only weathered the same but successfully flourished as well. This leaves them wondering about how well India can be "be friend with". Indian economy has become so important for Britishers because of the potential it holds as a big consumer market & it's need for Advanced jet Trainer aircrafts for it's budding fighter pilots. Indian Migs are in no way trainer aircrafts. For a fighter who has never flown a plane except for a simulation flights, MiGs are a tough task. It;s like handing over a Ferrari F1 car to a person on racing track who has just learnt how to shift gears & expecting him to win the pole-position. Therefore, a trainer planes are needed. this is a market which Britishers have sniffed. They have got AJT Hawks & Indian government has money (more than 700 million pounds) & will to procure them. Makes a perfect deal..!!

AJT Hawk

Also, there is an intense feeling among the political & economic pundits across HM's nation that in it's continuing neglect towards India in the last decade, it has lost a big opportunity of investment there. It has been take over by the one & only USA, Russia, China & Japan. remember the Indo- US nuclear deal? USA President with one strike of his signature, opened the flood gates for India in terms of civilian nuclear usage. As did Bush government sanctioned it, Obama administration took it's time in solving it's hegemonic issues & very soon India had it's first specific & precise deal with Canadians....not with Uncle Sam! He joined after he woke up to the fact that it's no longer a nation of 20th Century. Same is the case with James Bond's nation. They were so blindfolded to take a note of India's economic growth, they are no longer in India's anticipated list of investor nations. probably that's why even such a top leader is visiting India, Indian media & leadership looks so reluctant to take a note of it. But of course, at the end of the day, it would be in the mutual interest of both the nations to have a strong bilateral relations. Topmost thing should be, there should be no racism in UK  against the students or people who arrive in UK seeking their respective fortunes. If they agree on this bottom line, things can smoothly be worked out.

there is one more thing which is catching my attention whether Koh-i-noor (Mountain of Light, as named by emperor Nadir Shah who plundered it from India in 14th Century. Previously it was named as Samantic Mani) diamond will be brought back to India.

Koh-i-Noor

But considering it's curse, I would prefer it to be with the Queen until the empire collapses totally...as per the curse Koh-i-Noor carries with it. But that's a joke....I really wish UK to flourish as well!

India's role in Post- US+UK Afghanistan-

Both USA & UK are concerned about situation in Afghanistan once they leave it. Therefore, India is being seen as an important ally who could look after very well over the region. India has got it's own national interests in it as well. It would be able to counter Chinese String of Pearls against it as well as it would be able to keep a close eye on it's notorious western neighbor from there.

So, considering all these situations, i would call it as a beginner in the relations of those two countries but still lot needs to be done in this regard.

Chalo ek bar firse...(Ind-Pak-China -Triangular series)

Its a very cute & romantic song from a hindi movie (& I've forgotten its name as usual) but the song goes like Chalo ek bar firse ajanabi banajaye hum donno...
A sad saga of GF BF seeing each other (so to say) for the last time- pretty usual stuff in hindi masala movies. But the song seems to have become a theme song for recent so called diplomatic engagement between India & its lovely western neighbor..........(u've gotten very smart in geography..how come you spelled the name correctly without a fraction of a second??) In recent months I've actually stopped reading anything on the India's diplomatic front (if at all there is any). This is out of frustration seeing our diplomats having lost the spine & flamboyant attitude.  I am not sure why Indian politicians always display a rather soft (I wish to call spineless) attitude when it comes to making tough calls. Why we always hide behind the terms like decorum, politeness & matured outlook kinda things. Why our national interest is always given a second priority? I am not among the advocates of "Go for war & go for the kill all the time" (but you should also know that attitude & must be able to use at appropriate time) but I do feel that if your opponent is damn arrogant & is hell bent upon defying your every "Cool it, man" requests, there is no point in telling him the importance of  peace, love & liberty.
Having put this background, I now turn back to those lovely neighbors. It is very clear & sure that- no matter how Pakistan views it- Indo-pak ties (or Kashmir issue for that matter)- can NEVER be compared to Israel- Palestine clash (or Gaza strip tug of war). I don't know why there is such a big issue on Kashmir being raised by Pakistan when it is occupying large part of it under the banner of Azad Kashmir!! If at all there is any issue (& thanks to India's 1st PM), it must be returning the PoK (what Ind calls to Pak's Azad Kashmir) back to India. But that doesn't at all seems to be on cards(....not even on it's backside bottom line..!!) Rather there are reports of China building a rail link through PoK. It is meant to increase China's dominance in the sub continent rather than a support for Pakistan's economy. This is a 21st Century big game being played to jeopardize India. in the last century, USSR & US played the game & both got wounded- no matter how they try to hide it. But it was mighty USSR which got knocked out shattered in pieces. This time it could be India!! There are already ethnic groups fueling violence on the basis of caste & religion. Having it's mighty arms spread around Indian Ocean & String of Pearls, India will be an easy prey to China. One can argue about how no two countries having McDonald's went to war in the Post- globalization world, but what if China gets India on the floor with a strong arm of geopolitics & asks it to remain under its tows? It's not the fear that has generated out of '72 disaster, it's the disbelief in Chinese character. It is very certain & nobody should make any mistake about it that, sweet Chinese smile breaks under pressure!! They can do horrendous things to get themselves on top & they do not believe that there is enough room for India & China to grow together. Don't go by what Xinuha publishes, see their actions..military & diplomatic especially. Why it raises Tibet issue all the time with Indian delegates when India has declared that its a Chinese territory way back? Why it does notorious things in Tamang & Aksai Chin? There is a huge deficit in terms of military might between Indian & Chinese & India hardly stands any chance against it's lovely trans Himalayan neighbor. Don't take this as personal opinion, Indian rare admiral recently said this in a national press conference..!!
If Indian diplomats don't wake up on time (like IndiGo crew members) it will be too late & they may have to sing the song "Chalo ek bar..." on Beijing highways to earn bread & butter..!!

Obama's 9/11

You might actually get shocked after reading the title & all the bizarre images of 9/11 tragedy may pop-up in your mind. You may start wondering when such a terrible thing happened in Obama’s reign. But breathe; the superpower is not under attack (at least, not so far) from terrorists, but this time it is under strike by worst thing ever. The Mexican gulf oil spill!! While September 11, 2001 rang a loud bell in deaf superpower’s ears & sounded a “Wake up, god damn it!!” call for Bush administration, I am not sure if Obama & co. has heard the same thing this time around. I’ll come back to it later, for the time being- & as this is meant to be a review article- I am duty bound to explain it to you how this tragic set of incidences happened.

Tragedy-

April 20^th, another hot day in the sub continental summer & I was in Indore on an official visit. Indian media was totally obsessed with ‘who will be in the final of this year’s IPL edition’- type of stories, likes of CNNs & BCCs began putting news of some blown out rig in the Mexican gulf squeezing out lot of crude oil. That rig didn’t just explode; it sounded a galvanizing call for all of us. It can be very convenient to sit back in your chair with A.C blowing a wonderful chill up your spines & say ‘its Uncle Sam’s problem & he ought to sort it out with BP’ (whose rig it was). It ain’t just his problem, it’s everybody’s problem. With global demand for conventional fuels day by day, it is hard to imagine how it’s NOT our problem.

So, as the days progressed, it was feared to be the worst oil spill of the decade. Many reporters started comparing it with the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Alaska in 1989 in which an oil tanker thrashed into a reef & spilled around 260,000 to 750,000. It ranks as the 1^st in terms of volumes of oil released in an accident. This time BP looked all set to change the history. The accompanying satellite image will show you the exact locality of the BP oil spill in the Mexican gulf

It is estimated that up to 5-10 thousand barrels of crude oil has leaked per day. One can find an amazing (disheartening to watch, I should say) clip on bbc’s link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8651333.stm on how this spill progressed day by day. If you notice carefully, the spill crossed the estimated spread distance for the day many a times. There is a wildlife protection zone & many a times the spilled water reached the coast line (not to mention the damage to the wild life caused by it). There are reports of deaths of thousands of birds & fishes. Once birds shoot themselves into contaminated water, oil coats their wings & feathers in such a wonderful way that they lose their ability to fly back within no time. Oil prevents the exchanges of gas molecules into the water & hence fish can no longer be able to breathe oxygen & eventually die out of suffocation. These are just the external effects. Many marine organisms die out because they consume highly polluted oil which leads to the annihilation of their red blood cell. It also damages their kidneys & internal organs. We are not very sure about what exactly happens to the microscopic life forms. There are certain bacteria found to be the degraders of this contamination but largely this micro flora & fauna are subjected to the wrath of contamination.

BP’s response-

In US, the responsibility for the cleanup work is fixed on the defaulter’s shoulders. So, whether BP liked it or not, it had to bear the cost of compensation to be paid to the fishermen, cost of cleanup work & importantly, the cost of repairing the well. The oil giant tried to block the spill in the every possible way. Some efforts were thwarted by the formation of gas hydrated (ice like crystals) which blocked the lowering of rescue dome. The major problem was the sheer depth of the damaged site. At a depth of 2-3 km below the water level you have to work with razor sharp precision. There are remote operated vehicles for help but the control is manual & in the foggy conditions everything looks cloudy, it gets even harder to work. As an initial response to contain the oil spill, BP used collectors, chemical dispersants, and spill burning methods to contain the spill. But when you have 10,000 barrels of oil leaking every day, you need to be smarter than that. So, BP engineers came out with the measure famously known as “Top Kill” to inject mud & blocking material into the Blow out Preventer (BOP) which was leaking the oil faster than imagined. But the out flow of oil was so much that BP had to announce its failure on 29^th May.

The leaking piece of pipe which was attached to BOP was removed & now, the oil was escaping to the surface directly from the BOP. So, BP engineers lowered a fitting cap into it & tried to fit in the capping stack over the BOP. On 15^th July, it went in BP’s favor & the leak stopped for the first time since 20^th April!

What’s next?

Although there have been the talks begun for a while about BP’s future- as to if it will have to unwillingly accept the bargainer who will be sniffing an opportunity amidst this tragedy- one thing is clear that after paying approximately US $ 3.5 bn towards cleanup, BP is no longer a mighty giant. Have a look at some figures here-

BP Facts

Clean-up:

·         Cost to date: $3.1bn approx

·         Escrow account promise: $20bn

Shares:

·         Share price on 20 April (before leak began): 656p

·         Share price lowest point (on 25 June): 296p (55% fall)

·         2009 profits: £10bn

·         2010 dividend: £1.8bn in Q1; Q2-4 cancelled, saving £5.4bn

Debt:

·         Total debts: £17bn, of which £4.9 due by end-2011

·         2009 cashflow: £21bn

·         Credit ratings: A2/A (Moodys/S&P)

·         Credit default swap spread (5 years): 4.1% per annum

This was what may lie ahead for BP economically. Now I come to the point which I began in the beginning; “Obama’s 9/11” dogma! Here is an interesting graph predicting what is waiting for the world in the next few decades when it comes to green house emission.

This is the current estimates of global oil consumption. (I am not sure how it would look like in black & white, but in color, the image is pointing at US as a major consumer, followed by Canada, Australia, & China, Brazil, India as emerging oil thirsty nations). But the next graph will change your perception of “Its only Uncle Sam’s problem”. The graph clearly marks today’s developing, fast developing, emerging etc nations ahead of US when it comes to green house gas emissions. That’s what worries me more than anything.

I can’t dare imagine the emissions from industries when the number of cars on the roads is supposed to hit 1.2 billion mark by 2030. If all of them still keep on consuming the same conventional fuel, Apocalypse is surely nearing! That’s why I think that we need to come out of our traditional mentality of ‘blame it on US’, if we too keep on trading the path powered by conventional dirty energy sources. I am in no mood to advocate ‘go back to jungle’ slogan (because if we all would leave our jobs & turn back to jungles, there won’t be any jungles left!!). Rather I insist on adapting our economies in order to embrace efficient & non conventional energy sources. There needs to be lot of money invested for finding & successfully harvesting these sources. Our coal, crude oils are the tiny but powerful time bombs which are on the brink of exploding at any time. Their explosion won’t be as hard as 9/11 planes jetting into twin towers but theirs will be a slow poisoning effect. If at all somebody feels that Bush administration woke up after 9/11, realized the importance of action to be taken against what it deemed to be terrorism & mobilized its resources for the cause, Obama needs to wake up to the call that this is our time in order to mobilize our resources behind R & D for non conventional energies. At the same time governments of BRIC, SAARC etc need to put their acts together for deploying their resources on development of efficient energy sources. It ain’t just Nuclear energy, but rather scores of clean energy sources like solar energy; hydrogen energy sources, tidal energy, wind source etc. need to be hunt down. So, even after high rhetoric of President Obama against BP high authorities, if he & the world at large understand the need of the hour, we are half way through on saving the climate.

When are we going to have some self respect?????

It is very much clear that Bhopal gas tragedy has now become a judicial tragedy. There are more than one school of thoughts emerging as to how & why Mr. Anderson was blessed by the top politicians of that time to fly off the country without having any charges pressed. There are some political thinkers & good journalists- who covered that tragic drama of the nation's history- believe that the R. Anderson was given a "Safe passage" in order to satisfy Reagan administration. What the he** is that?? Can anybody justify government's decision to let the main culprit off only because we were not among the fast developing countries? Or because Rajiv Gandhi's government at the center was incapable of damning US diplomatic pressure- like his mother's government did? Gosh..!!! I was not even born at the time when this tragic incident happened. But after reading about all the saga, a kind of sickening emptiness hits me. I wonder how can people in the power remain at the helm of it when their deeds are actually hurting national pride & not only so, but keeping that wound fresh & burning!!
When I set my eyes on the current scenarios to see if there are any signs of maturity arisen after that tragedy, I turn nothing but depressed. What about Bt things which subject farmers to mercy of Bio tech companies for seeds? What about non conventional energy sources? When are we really going to come out of "Blame US for global warming" mindset? When the **ll are we going to pose counter mechanism in place for Chinese String of Pearls? When are our politicians going to forget caste based census & reach out to masses irrespective of caste & religion? When are going to execute the capital punishment for Afzal Guru & 13 others? Is Hon'ble President Pratibha Patil going to make a tough call on it or not? Lastly but most importantly, are we ever going to stand up as a strong knowledge-military-industrial complex & talk to others looking in the eye?????
I have no answer...

The Butcher Gas

This time we are going to understand more about the methyl isocyanate,

the gas which is ill known to be associated with Bhopal gas tragedy. There is

abundant data in the media about political aspects, administrative shortcomings

& corporate negligence which led to the unfortunate massacre. I intend to draw

your attention to the scientific details of the very gas, Methyl Isocyanate or MIC.

MICMethyl

isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular

formula C2H3NO, arranged as H3CN=

C=O. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane,

methyl carbylamine, and MIC. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in

the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl,

and aldicarb). It has also been used in the production of rubbers and adhesives.

As a highly toxic and irritating material, it is hazardous to human health, and wasinvolved in the Bhopal disaster which killed nearly 8,000 people initially and


approximately 17,000 people in total.

Sources and Potential Exposure

· No information is available on the levels of methyl isocyanate is ambient

air or water.

· Occupational exposure to methyl isocyanate may occur for those workers

who use insecticides and herbicides produced from methyl isocyanate.

Few known exposures to the general public have occurred.

· Methyl isocyanate has been detected in cigarette smoke.

Health Hazard Information

Acute Effects :

· In 1984, in Bhopal, Union Carbide gas leak of methyl isocyanate resulted

in the deaths of more than 2,000 people and adverse health effects in

greater than 170,000 survivors. Pulmonary edema was the cause of deathin most cases, with many deaths resulting from secondary respiratory


infections such as bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia.

· Other effects noted from acute inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate in

humans are respiratory tract irritation, difficulty breathing, blindness,

nausea, gastritis, sweating, fever, chills, and liver and kidney damage.

Survivors continue to exhibit damage to the lungs (e.g., bronchoalveolar

lesions and decreased lung function) and the eyes (e.g., loss of vision,

loss of visual acuity, and cataracts).

· Animal studies have reported pulmonary edema, upper respiratory tract

irritation, respiratory lesions, and weight loss from acute inhalation

exposure to methyl isocyanate.

· Acute animal tests in rats have shown methyl isocyanate to have extreme

acute toxicity from inhalation exposure and high acute toxicity from oral

exposure.

Chronic Effects (Noncancer):· CalEPA has calculated a chronic inhalation reference exposure level of


0.001 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) based on lung and body weight

effects in rats. The CalEPA reference exposure level is a concentration at

or below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur. It is not a

direct estimator of risk but rather a reference point to gauge the potential

effects. At lifetime exposures increasingly greater than the reference

exposure level, the potential for adverse health effects increases.

· Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is extremely toxic. The threshold limit value set by

the American Conference on Government Industrial Hygienist was 0.02

ppm (the threshold value indicates exposure to the particular substance in

question should not excedd that value. Otherwise it becomes a cause for

problematic health hazards)

· MIC can damage by inhalation, ingestion and contact in quantities as low

as 0.4 ppm. Damage includes coughing, chest pain, dyspnea, asthma,

irritation of the eyes, nose and throat as well as skin damage. Higher

levels of exposure, over 21 ppm, can result in pulmonary or lung edema,

emphysema and hemorrhages, bronchial pneumonia and death.· Although the odor of methyl isocyanate cannot be detected at 5 ppm by


most people, its potent lachrymal properties provide an excellent warning

of its presence (at a concentration of 2–4 parts per million (ppm) subject's

eyes are irritated, while at 21 ppm subjects could not tolerate the presence

of methyl isocyanate in air).

· Proper care must be taken to store methyl isocyanate because of its ease

of exothermically polymerizing and its similar sensitivity to water. Only

stainless steel or glass containers may be safely used; the MIC must be

stored at temperatures below 40 °C (104 °F) and preferably at 4 °C (39 °

F).

· The toxic effect of the compound was apparent in the Bhopal disaster,

when around 42,000 kilograms (93,000 lb) of methyl isocyanate and other

gases were released from the underground reservoirs of Union Carbide

India Limited (UCIL) factory, over a populated area on December 3, 1984,

immediately killing thousands and leading to the deaths of tens of

thousands in subsequent weeks and months.

Reproductive/Developmental Effects:· After the Bhopal, India, accident, an unusually high percentage of


survivors had disorders of the reproductive system, including leukorrhea,

pelvic inflammatory disease, excessive menstrual bleeding, and

suppression of lactation.

· Other adverse effects included increases in the number of stillbirths,

spontaneous abortions, and increased infant mortality.

· Animal studies have reported increased incidence of fetal deaths and

decreased fertility, live litter size, fetal body weight, and neonatal survival

following inhalation exposure to methyl isocyanate during pregnancy.

Cancer Risk:

· In a study in which animals were exposed once by inhalation, no tumors

were significantly associated with methyl isocyanate exposure in mice and

female rats; male rats had marginally increased rates of tumors of the

pancreas.· EPA has classified methyl isocyanate as a Group D, not classifiable as to


human carcinogenicity. Although, it is not clear if MIC is one of the

triggering agents that cause cancer.

Looking ForwardAfter

24 years it has clearly become a judicial tragedy (with all due respect

to Judicial System) which hurts more than a gas tragedy since it attacks our

collective consciousness. It becomes very important that we ensure installation

of all safety & security measures in the potent threatening establishments.

Whether we like it or not, primary focus should be given on installation &

constant upkeep of security mechanisms, training of employees than on having

maximum foreign direct investment. FDI/ FII is welcome but not at the cost of

indigenous lives. We got to have it clear that while passing Nuclear Liability Bill,

we fix the responsibility on defaulters. I can see a ray of hope in the way

government wants to review the Bill.

Next time we will read about what US media calls as Obama’s 9/11 that is

Mexico gulf oil spill. Do write to me in the mean time. You can read some of my

previous articles on my blog