The source of all nightmares
India is a big country in the world with a population second only to China. As early as the 1960s, India's population exceeded 400 million for the first time after the war, and the population increased. However, India was still in a backward agricultural state, and the existing agricultural technology was not enough to produce food to feed 400 million people. At this time, the Indian people were in a state of extreme poverty and their living and sanitation conditions were not up to standard. What's more, in this case, a large number of densely populated and backward slums were born.
In order to improve the living conditions of the Indian people and solve the problem of food shortage, 1966, the Indian Prime Minister first put forward the slogan of introducing advanced technology to support agricultural development, which was also called "green revolution" in India. Simply put, it is to transform crops through science and technology and use chemical substances such as fertilizers and pesticides to increase grain output. However, due to the backward development of science and technology in India, of course, it can't be realized entirely by itself, and it can only introduce American chemical technology at a high price.
Union Carbide Company, a large chemical enterprise with many years of experience, participated in agricultural technical guidance in India. Because it undertakes the work of preparing pesticides and killing insects, most of its factories store a large number of toxic liquids, namely methyl isocyanate. This liquid has a very low boiling point and can be completely volatilized into gas at about 40 degrees. This gas is extremely toxic. People can be blind or suffocated in a short time if they accidentally inhale this highly toxic gas. It is speculated that this chemical plant should be built in a sparsely populated suburb to avoid the leakage of toxic gases. However, this chemical plant in India is not far from the slums in Bhopal, India, and it has great security risks in itself, which is a disregard for people's lives.
In a few short years, the agricultural reform in India has made great achievements because of the introduction of chemical technology, and the grain output has soared, effectively alleviating the famine problem in India. However, to everyone's surprise, a catastrophe sweeping Bhopal is coming.
The sudden arrival of disaster
1984 12.3, in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, India, a loud noise suddenly came from a chemical plant near the slum. The most worrying scene happened. The huge storage tank containing more than 40 tons of highly toxic methyl isocyanate exploded completely, and the liquid highly toxic liquid evaporated instantly, and a gas accompanying death suddenly filled the sky of Bhopal. People who are still asleep are awakened by the explosion, and soon it becomes more and more difficult to breathe, and their eyes are accompanied by a strong burning sensation, and they gradually become blind. Panicked people have nowhere to run, and no one can survive under the siege of this dead air.
Crowds of people flocked to hospitals, but at that time, the medical level in India was also extremely poor. No doctor could make corresponding diagnostic countermeasures and there was a lack of drugs to deal with chemical gas poisoning. Doctors are unable to treat these innocent people who have been attacked by poisonous gas, so they can only distribute gauze towels to cover their noses and mouths. Unfortunately, methyl isocyanate is so toxic that it is useless without professional anti-virus tools. Suffering from the lack of medical tools and means, doctors can only watch patients fall down in pain one by one.
The big bang brought irreversible disaster to Bhopal. Countless innocent people were killed by poison gas, not only humans, but also Bhopal's creatures were tortured by poison gas to a certain extent. 25,000 slum dwellers near the chemical plant died on the spot, and since then, more than 500,000 people have died because they have not received effective treatment. 200,000 people with minor injuries were also disabled for life because of the explosion. The consequences of poison gas are far more than that. The overall prevalence of Bhopal is rising rapidly, and newborns are either premature or deformed. According to the preliminary statistics of the Indian government afterwards, 575,000 people died of * * *, and more than 65,438+0,000 people were traumatized to varying degrees by inhaling toxic gases.
Six years after the disaster, the land in Bhopal is still shrouded in the shadow of death, and Indian Ministry of Health personnel still detect extremely high toxic elements in the soil and water here. This chemical explosion completely turned a city with a population of one million into a barren land.
The cause of the explosion
The toxic gas leakage caused by the explosion in India has naturally attracted the attention of the whole world because of the large number of people affected and the large coverage area. As the owner of the explosion factory, Union Carbide Company was forced to hold a press conference at the first time to explain. According to Union Carbide, the explosion had nothing to do with the company. An employee was in a bad mood that day and deliberately poured water into the storage tank for methyl isocyanate, which triggered a violent chemical reaction, which led to an explosion and the leakage of toxic gas.
This is a good story. If it weren't for the on-site investigation by professional staff, Union Carbide Company could completely fish in troubled waters and confuse the truth of the matter. With the gradual follow-up of the prospectors, the real cause of the explosion in the chemical plant was discovered. The explosion was not an employee's own illegal operation at all, but a serious security loophole in the chemical plant of Union Carbide Company. Not only is the equipment aging, but in order to save money, chemical plants with potential safety hazards were built in relatively densely populated areas from the beginning. This is a complete disregard for life and a contempt for the management and use of science and technology!
Follow-up treatment of big bang
The big explosion in Bhopal, India, triggered a wave of public opinion climax around the world, but the United Carbide Company of the United States, as the actual responsible party, never showed the sincerity of apology and repentance. It took four years to pay 280 million pounds to the Indian government. The chemical pollution in Bhopal has lasted for decades, causing more than 500,000 deaths and 200,000 lifelong disabilities. Moreover, the pollution that has affected nature for generations is really not enough to make up for the losses. What is even more exasperating is that a considerable number of victims have not received due compensation at all.
Hundreds of thousands of people died from the poisonous gas produced by the explosion, but the eight defendants who were responsible were never punished accordingly. It was not until 20 10 that the Indian government made a formal judgment on them. Surprisingly, one of them died long ago, and the other seven were sentenced to two years at most. For the consequences they caused, this kind of punishment is really not enough to convince the public.
The evil deeds of the United Carbide Company of the United States were seen by the Indian people. Such a perfunctory attitude of apology and compensation has aroused the anger of the Indian people. Finally, under the constant litigation, Union Carbide Company built a hospital with half of its shares to treat the injured people. In this way, Union Carbide Company not only directly damaged its reputation, but also lost money, and then gradually declined.
The power of science and technology can benefit mankind, but it also has powerful destructive power. Human beings should make good use of science and technology, but they should also fear it. In the pursuit of efficiency and function, we must abide by the norms and never take chances.