From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Union Carbide Corporation (Union
Carbide) is one of the oldest chemical and polymer companies
in the United
States, currently employing more than 3,800 people.[1] It
became infamous for the worst ever industrial accident that took place in
its Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh,
India plant in 1984[1]. Union
Carbide was found liable for the disaster, but has denied
responsibility. Union Carbide became a wholly owned subsidiary of
The
Dow Chemical Company on February 6, 2001, [2]
following completion of its settlement and opening of The Bhopal
Memorial Hospital and Research Centre, ending its chapter in India
in the same year.[3] It
sells most of the products it manufactures to Dow Chemical. It is a
former component of the Dow Jones Industrial
Average.[4]
In 1920, its researchers developed an economical way to
make ethylene from natural gas liquids
such as ethane and propane, giving birth to the modern petrochemical
industry. Today, Union Carbide possesses some of the industry's
most advanced process and catalyst technologies, and operates some
of the most cost-efficient, large-scale production facilities in
the world. Before divesting them, the chemical giant owned consumer
products Eveready and Energizer batteries, Glad bags and
wraps, Simoniz car wax and
Prestone antifreeze. The company
divested other businesses before being acquired by Dow including
electronic chemicals, polyurethane intermediates, industrial gases
and carbon products.
Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that
undergo one or more further conversions by customers before
reaching consumers. Some of these materials are high-volume
commodities, while others are specialty products meeting the needs
of smaller market niches. The end-uses served include paints and
coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal
care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture and oil
and gas.
Bhopal
disaster
The Bhopal disaster was an industrial disaster that took place at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in the Indian city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. At midnight on 3
December 1984, the plant accidentally released methyl
isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC
and other chemicals. The first official immediate death toll was
2,259. The government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of
3,787 deaths related to the gas release.[5] Others
estimate 8,000-10,000 died within 72 hours and 25,000 have since
died from gas-related diseases. 40,000 more were permanently
disabled, maimed, or rendered subject to numerous grave illnesses;
521,000 exposed in all.[6][7][8] As of
2009 no one has yet been prosecuted for the disaster.
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