Mon~bly Planet
March , 1985
Volume 6,
umbe r 3
A PUBL/CA TION OF THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Cloud of Death Hits India Accident Highlights Dangers of Chemical Production John Pavitt The Ihoµu trags:iy has raisa1 intematialal comems atx:>ut tre iroctuction and use of ha2arooos chemicals in developing COU1tries. New infO'matioo indicates trat the gps leak that killed over a:>oo W3.S avoid:lble. It is jwt coo example, critics crar~, of the lower safety starrlaros multiratiaBl ccrpaaticns have "1en oi;erating in the Thiro \irld. The public at ~ is rarely eXJX)SErl to high levels of pesticides. :Ey oorrervative estimates, however, 500,CXX> farm wcrkers, pesticiCE plant anploy~, ani children wcr ldwide beoome serioosly ill am aboot 5000 die each~ from eXp:)sune to pesticides (Wcrld Watch Institute, 1978). ~cro:irg t.o tiB World 1-ealth Crgpnization, som6:re in the Thiro Wcrld is i:oi.scnrl by pesticices every mirute. Jh the lhitEd States, rotghly 16,CXX> p o ~ arrl a)() cmth3 are CBusad by pesticioos arua11y (Ll.viig In 'lhe Ehvirallnent, Miller, 1982). 'Ire clou:i of rooteyl ioocynate !?PS that swept throt.gh Ihoµu wis the same as that usact in tre iroomtion of ma,y pesticides. Methyl isocyrate (MIC) is mcde from ID)SSell3, which was devel-oi;ed during World W3.r I as an extremely effi.cia1t biooide. The chemistry trat ~ s IJ10sgene a killer a.loo makes it a useful l:uilding blook fer synthetic µ-ooucts. ~ ~icire, Sevin, is effective on as maey Ias 100 different croi:s arrl oome 100 types of
insoots.
There balefits S1ould te talarcoo appinst the oosts of maintaining an agrirultural. syst.em oopen:ia1t on expen3ive ani pota'ltially hcl2cl.rooos i;etrochemicals. JnhaJation of MIC causes liver ani ki~y damage that can prove t.o te fat.al; respiratcry dam~, an:! in rome cases, rudda1 doo.th by suffooatiai. It is estimatro trat s:>roo 200,000 people ~re injuroo in the gps leak D3oemter 3 (~w York Times, 2/4/85). Al.tha.igi nost pesticire poiS'Jning:3 are caisa:i from misuse on croµ:;, the loo.k in mdia cxx:ured at a plant owrm by cne of the wcrld's ~ chemical manifceturers. Union CarbiCE as a reputation of being cne ' of the mere safety-o::riscioos chemical comp:mies. Wey did the leak l'BpPEfl trere, ani who vas resJX)llSible? A recent incµiry by the New York Times frund trat tre gas leak resulta:t from oi:erating errors, desigl flaws, mainterame failures a1d t r ~ deficiencies. ~ the Continued on
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