29. A Disaster Waiting to Happen
Union Carbide’s Bhopal plant was built in 1969 to produce carbaryl, a pesticide that is sold under the brand name Sevin, and for which methyl isocyanate (MIC) was a key component. MIC is a highly toxic and irritating material and is extremely hazardous to humans. Other manufacturers eventually switched to other processes for producing carbaryl that did not require the use of the highly dangerous MIC. Not so Union Carbide, which stuck with MIC at its Bhopal plant because it was cheaper.
To save money, Union Carbide also cut corners in the maintenance of the MIC storage tanks and pipes at the Bhopal plant. Over the years, there were numerous leaks in which dozens of workers were killed or injured. By early December 1984, the plant was a disaster waiting to happen. One of three MIC storage tanks was out of commission, pipes and valves were corroded, most safety systems were out of order, and special vents for scrubbing poison gasses did not work.