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Union Carbide India Limited was Built
The UCIL factory was built in 1969 to produce the pesticide Sevin (UCC's brand name for carbaryl) using methyl isocyanate (MIC) as an intermediate. An MIC production plant was added in 1979. -
Earlier Leaks (1976-1982)
In 1976, two local trade unions complained of pollution within the plant. In 1981, a worker was accidentally splashed with phosgene as he was carrying out a maintenance job of the plant's pipes. In a panic, he removed his gas mask and inhaled a large amount of toxic phosgene gas, leading to his death just 72 hours later. In January 1982, a phosgene leak exposed 24 workers, all of whom were admitted to a hospital. None of the workers had been ordered to wear protective masks. -
October
The Bhopal UCIL facility housed three underground 68,000 liters liquid MIC storage tanks: E610, E611, and E619. In the months leading up to the December leak, liquid MIC production was in progress and being used to fill these tanks. UCC safety regulations specified that no one tank should be filled more than 50% with liquid MIC. In late October 1984, tank E610 lost the ability to hold most of its nitrogen gas pressure. It is meant that the liquid MIC contained within could not be pumped out. -
The Release
In early December 1984, most of the plant's MIC related safety systems were not functioning and many valves and lines were in poor condition. In addition, several vent gas scrubbers had been out of service as well as the steam boiler, intended to clean the pipes. During the late evening hours of 2 December 1984, water was believed to have entered a side pipe and into tank E610 whilst trying to unclog it, which contained 42 tons of MIC that had been there since late October. -
Tragedy of the Night
The MIC gas leak emanating from tank E610 petered out at approximately 2:00 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, the plant's public siren was fired for an extended period of time, after first having been quickly silenced an hour and a half earlier. Some minutes after the public siren fired, a UCIL employee walked into a police control room to inform both of them about the leak. -
The Aftermath
Poisonous gas leaks from Union Carbide India's pesticide plant in Bhopal at night, killing at least 3500 in the immediate aftermath and thousands later on. -
December - After the Aftermath
The police file a case against Union Carbide India and arrest nine people. Warren Anderson, chairman and chief executive of US-based Union Carbide Corp., is released on bail and leaves India. The case then transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) -
December
The case is transferred to India. The CBI files a charge sheet against Anderson, Union Carbide India chairman Keshub Mahindra and seven others, the charges include culpable homicide. -
Compensation Awarded
After initially filing a case worth $3 billion in the federal court of the southern district of New York, the Indian government drops all charges against Union Carbide India Ltd in exchange for payment of $470 million, 15% of the amount originally claimed. -
Union Carbide Corp. Sells Union Carbide India Ltd.
After ignoring four court summons, Warren Anderson is declared as a fugitive. In 1994, the Supreme Court allows Union Carbide Corp. to sell all of its 50.9% stake in Union Carbide India to McLeod Russell (India) Ltd. The American firm gave $20 million to set up a charitable hospital in Bhopal. -
Union Carbide announces merger plans with US firm Dow Chemical
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Greenpeace report
Report by Greenpeace reveals poisons such as trichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, chloroform, lead and mercury in the breast milk of nursing women living near the factory in Bhopal -
Amnesty International Report
An Amnesty International report published in 2004 concludes that a further 15,000 people died in the years afterwards as a direct result of long term, gas related effects, and that 100,000 people continue to suffer from chronic and debilitating illnesses for which treatment is largely ineffective. -
July
Fifteen years after reaching a settlement, the Supreme Court orders the government to release all additional settlement funds to the victims. News reports indicate that yhere is approximately $327 million in the fund as a result of earned interest from money remaining after all claims has been paid -
September
The Madhya Pradesh government announces a proposal to provide clean drinking water to coloniss near the Union Carbide factory. -
Arrest Warrant against Warren Anderson
A Bhopal court issues a new arrest warrant against Warren Anderson. His trial is separated from the others. -
Anderson dies at his home in Florida, US, aged 92
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Dow Chemical summoned by Bhopal Chief Judicial Magistrate
Bhopal chief judicial magistrate reissues summons to Dow Chemical to appear in court and explain why its subsidiary Uniom Carbide did not submit itself to court of law for trial in the 1984 gas disaster. The next hearing will be on 14 March 2015.
