29 December 2013 - The Factory Today

A few days ago I went to visit the factory site, so, as a final post in 2013, maybe there is nothing better than to review that.

Heidi, who is here volunteering and doing some research for her PhD, had been to get the permission. That sounded as though it was a feat in itself as she told me the story of arriving at the building and going to the office and being directed to another office where the appropriate person was out at lunch so she had to go back to the first office and then away again and return an hour later and then wait for about an hour while they completed all sorts of forms and wrote documents. A legacy of British bureaucracy?

When we arrived at the site the 6 or so guards took at least 10 minutes to scrutinise the pieces of paper, two of them with copies of our passports, before letting us in with the mandatory guard in tow.

 

Much has been cleared up now, at least on the surface and it is reverting into a natural park.Someone once joked that the only good thing about a motorway is that it is bio-degradable. That process is quite clearly well under way here with trees and green colonising the walls, the surface concrete breaking down and the tarmac roads disintegrating.

We even saw what looked like a fairly wild pig wandering around – but he or she did not hang around for us to inspect. A family of small puppies was not so reticent about our presence but still nervous.

Somewhat like Chernobyl, I suspect, surface appearances are not always telling the truth and I just wondered what we were walking on. I suspect that most of the surface soil is OK except in the places where waste was continually dumped or containers stacked. There the soil and everything below will be highly contaminated and, ideally, those places would be marked. Samples have been taken from many places and the scientists must have marked them during their investigations, if only for their final reports, but where are those markings now?

 

It is not just within the walls that the contamination occurred, even while the factory was operating. Waste ponds were built outside with plastic liners meant to contain the poisons while the water evaporated. But, even then, during the rainy season there was no control to prevent them overflowing and so beginning the long task of polluting the very ground-water.

For that, we can discuss for ever who might have been responsible. The US directors who made the decision that this was the best method for liquid waste removal; the local managers who agreed and allowed it to happen, despite knowing local conditions; the engineer who sized the ponds; the staff who filled it to a level where they could guess it would overflow during the rains and said nothing? It will do no good and can not bring back the past and change it.

What should be done with the site? Various buildings still stand, elegantly decaying, bare metal structures redolent with rust, concrete cracking, plants intertwining with structures. The huge batch storage tanks, rotting cylinders, stand exposed their insulation coats decayed and frayed, all trace of concrete protection gone. Suggestions have included a memorial and a park. How quickly was the site of the ‘twin towers’ changed? If India can send a rocket to Mars, maybe they could send one here?

 And sometimes the Indian Government denies there is any pollution or contamination at the site. (See the Bhopal Marathon, p156)

Some proposals have been made to clear up the site, seemingly ending in controversial argument with nothing being done, such as the offer (in 2006/7) by Cherokee Investment Partners and the attempt in 2002 by locals and Greenpeace of a partial clean-up when they were evicted by guards and police. It would, of course, be a massive undertaking and must include areas outside the factory walls as well. So argument continues not only about what should be done and the extent, but also who should do it and more importantly, who should fund it. The local campaigns are strident in demanding that the “polluter pays”. That was Union Carbide India Ltd, and where is that now? The arguments, legal and political go on and on incessantly about the responsibility of Dow, with lawyers being the only ones to benefit.

There are examples, of course where a company taking on another has accepted continuing liabilities for the health and injury to employees of the old company. It would of course be nice if Dow would do something similar for the people of Bhopal but they have shown no inclination since that take-over (or merger) in 2001. I guess it could be argued that was one reason for the take-over? I wonder how much pressure there is from other chemical companies that Dow should not give in? I have no evidence whatever for suggesting that of course but we all know things go on behind the scenes.

Sometimes I think that principle is getting in the way of practicality. Who is considering what is best for the people who now live and work in the surrounding area? The local authority now owns the site and manages access to it with a permanent presence of guards who have to watch all the holes and breaches in the wall and not just the gate. In any case it would be very easy to climb the walls and I have seen boys and young men playing cricket inside and it would be somewhat amazing if the guards did not know 20 or 30 people were playing cricket just through the trees. It is, after all, the only decent level playing area close to the surrounding bastis big enough for a game. What boys would ignore that?

In an argument nearly 30 years old and continuing, there are no all correct or all wrong answers.

25 December – Safety, Methylisocyanate & Chemistry

Ingrid Eckerman* reports that documents discovered in the Bhopal plant as well as others traced later show that UCC had conducted experiments on animals and knew ell the effects of MIC, both in the short and long term. They banned publication of the test results on rats which suggests that they were horrific. Had they shown no harm then I am sure that UCC would have emblazoned them on banners.

She writes, “ experiments had shown that animals exposed to MIC vapours died almost instantaneously. The vapours destroyed the respiratory system with lightening speed, caused irreversible blindness and burnt the pigment of the skin.”

Yet after the incident, the plant’s own medical doctor insisted that MIC was only an irritant and not life threatening.

Since 1963, studies on MIC have concluded:

·         it is the most toxic of the isocyanate family,

·         it is highly toxic both from breathing and skin penetration,

·         it is highly toxic and a hazard to life by inhalation,

·         it is an irritant to humans at very low concentrations.

UCC manuals also describe a runaway reaction scenario when MIC is contaminated by water or some metals. Only stainless steel appears to be a safe container. So management could never deny that they knew the danger or the possible results of a leak.

The Bhopal plant was designed to be a sister to the one in Institute, West Virginia but almost before it was built the market for Sevin was falling and so the standard of the factory was reduced.

Again Ingrid Eckerman* writes: “Between 1980 and 84, the UCC plant in Institute, West Virginia, USA had 67 leaks of MIC – but did not disclose this to the local population.” That, surely, should have warned UCC that safety was of paramount importance – maybe that was why they wanted to build this plant in India?

Lee Sustar has written in Counterpunch*, “The West Virginia operation had computerized monitors of valves and storage tanks; the Bhopal facility had only manual gauges. Operators in West Virginia had to undergo months of safety training; in Bhopal, such training was minimal. A loud siren at the U.S. plant was designed to warn workers and the community of any leaks of toxic chemicals; the Bhopal operation’s warning system was dismantled and replaced because frequent spills had triggered alarms so often.”

The other main difference was the more streamlined production process in Institute which meant that the MIC was not stored for such long periods.

As demand fell, standards were reduced further with staff reductions and the use of unqualified staff. Even the Indian trade union was concerned and wrote to management.

Apart from the MIC itself, when it reacts as it did that night, many other toxic and non-toxic gasses are produced so the cloud that engulfed Bhopal was a lethal cocktail. UCC and, since 2001, Dow Chemical, has not released a full list of what could have been included. It may be that they are uncertain, of course! But, if so, they could at least give a list of what could be present. That would have helped the doctors dealing with the immediate aftermath as well as assessing the long term implications for treatment now.

I will conclude this post with some of the known technical data about MIC with links to my sources:

Methyloisocyanate

Wikipedia – hazards; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_isocyanate

Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is extremely toxic. The threshold limit value set by the American Conference on Government Industrial Hygienists is 0.02 ppm. MIC is toxic by inhalation, ingestion and contact in quantities as low as 0.4 ppm. Exposure symptoms 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).^[14]

Proper care must be taken to store methyl isocyanate because of its ease of exothermically polymerizing (see Reactions) 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).

Other links:

USA Environmental Protection Agency - http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/hlthef/methylis.html

Cameo Chemicals - http://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/1112

Diamond	Hazard	Value	Description
3 4 2 W	Health	4	Can be lethal.
	Flammability	3	Can be ignited under almost all ambient temperature conditions.
	Instability	2	Readily undergoes violent chemical changes at elevated temperatures and pressures.
	Special	W	Reacts violently or explosively with water.

A colourless low-boiling liquid (39°C) that is denser than water. Flash point is less than 20° F. Very toxic by inhalation. Can be absorbed through the skin. Has a sharp odour, but the sense of smell cannot be relied upon to warn of the presence of vapours at low concentrations.

Rate of onset: Immediate

Persistence: Minutes to hours

 http://oehha.ca.gov/air/chronic_rels/pdf/methyliso.pdf

In summary, humans exposed acutely by inhalation to MIC may experience long term (as well as immediate) damage to pulmonary and extrapulmonary systems. The lung is probably the critical target organ for long term effects from acute exposure, although adverse effects on other organs (e.g., eye, reproductive, and gastrointestinal) also exist. The late responses to the acute exposure suggest an immunological component, which could involve several systems including lung, eye, liver, and kidney. The chemical identity of the ultimate toxicant is unknown and may be more than one compound

*

The Bhopal Saga by Ingrid Eckerman

Bhopal: the Making of a Disaster by Lee Sustar (Dec 2004), www.counterpunch.com

23 December - A Six Day Week

It was a bit of an ‘Indian’ day here on Saturday. None have been quite as chaotic as I remember some days from last time and many have been perfectly smooth and easy. But today has been a little like that. Pishorilal was about 10-15 minutes late but I started him; then, fortunately, so was Nasrin Bee. But Haroon arrived about 30 minutes early so I was able to start him as soon as I finished Nasrin – preparing for any variability to follow! Then Rizwan came – he has missed 6 days and I had given him up for lost. He has been a difficult case with an elbow pain, shoulder pain and a nagging little point of pain that won’t disappear. Today he said all was good except for that nagging point – but it is good to have him back.

Saturday means planning next week and often there are changes in patients, some stopping or just me deleting them from the schedule as they have missed several sessions.

That is a problem here as we expect patients to attend every day. I would imagine that for some, with businesses or work that is difficult, so I tend to be quite relaxed with them and am pleased to see them when they do turn up.

*****

I was chatting with Thorsten last night about this it and the intensity of it. He was saying that he finds it quite tiring having only one day a week free, and his job, he happily admits, is a relatively easy one. I think he has the best of all of us at this time of year in a pleasantly sunny garden. None-the-less, he thought it was OK to work like this for a short period; he is here for two months, but to keep it up for years would be too much stress.

I think it is very true and, particularly doing something like I am, the Panchakarma therapists for example, and the doctors must get very tired over time. Biju must have been working for Sambhavna for about 17 years now and although he was not doing Panchakarma in the beginning  must be quite weary. The doctors say they see about 40 patients every day – that makes 240 in a week. Can either give the care, attention and focus to that last one as they did to the first?

Medicine given with love is the most effective.

19 December – The Wednesday Meeting

Yesterday was the “Wednesday Meeting”. (Internet wasn’t working well enough yesterday to post – and that’s another thought, isn’t it?) It used to be the “Friday Meeting” but was changed to Wednesday so the name had to change! This is a meeting of all the staff (though they don’t all attend regularly) and even the part-timers must attend once each month and report.

It was my fourth meeting as I attended on my first week to say Hello and introduce or re-introduce myself to all that staff, many of whom I knew and also many I didn’t. Manuradha from the Registration team was swotting mosquitoes with something that looked like a tennis racket and sparked when she hit one. After the meeting she promised to get me one and a day later I was the proud possessor of a similar device. We still have the smoke sticks, of course, which Nandkishore makes every week or so but they just discourage the mosquitoes and they still come into my room.

There are three particular things that I really like about this meeting:

Firstly, there is no table, apart from a small one in the middle for the chair and secretary, so no barrier between people. It is held in the meeting circle which has a low wall and roof apart from which it is open to the air. So it doesn’t get stuffy.

The only table in the room

 

Second, every member of staff has to chair it at sometime and there is a rota which goes in alphabetic order through the entire staff. And I do mean EVERYONE, from the most junior or least paid to Sathyu. And no matter whomever chairs it, everyone has to indicate they wish to speak and be invited by the chair – even the doctors and Sathyu must follow that guide. And they do, willingly.

Third, it is a very equal meeting. Everyone can have their say and is listened to politely – though conversations can get robust and people upset  when there are disagreements. And people are certainly told when the meeting thinks they should have thought of some aspect they forgot before putting it to the meeting. In the ‘west’ we tend to think always of India being very unequal in terms of women’s rights. Well here they are definitely equal and the really important part of this is that it is quite naturally so. There is no ‘special effort’ to be so. That is just the way everybody acts and behaves.

Maybe some of our business meetings could look at these ideas?

But the mosquitoes seem to know when I have both my hands occupied with a patient and when I have the electronic tennis racquet in my hands. I think they must be highly evolved sensory beings.