The Bhopal syndrome

the long version

In the early hours of December 3, 1984, the city of Bhopal, India, was converted into a gas chamber, creating a holocaust unprecedented in the annals of man-made industrial disasters. Bhopal was expensive in human lives, in environmental damage, and in economic and social costs. It was unnecessary and avoidable. Tragically, Bhopal is being repeated, not just as explosions, infernos, and deadly clouds heard, felt, and seen, the world over, but as 'mini-Bhopals'- smaller industrial accidents that occur with disturbing frequency in chemical plants in both developed and developing countries. Even more numerous and deadly are the 'slow-motion Bhopals'- unseen and chronic poisoning from industrial pollution that causes irreversible pain, suffering, and death. This book presents a journey through many continents and shows the pervasiveness of 'the Bhopal Syndrome." These shocking revelations are a manifestation of something fundamentally wrong in our stewardship of the earth, and shows that change is needed in the value systems of our industrial enterprises so that the health and safety of both people and the environment is paramount, superseding any technical or commercial considerations. -- from Foreword