The column “Defending Dow” by Edward Delp (March 1) against activists protesting Dow Chemical was factually incorrect, irrational and shows a lack of background research.
The disaster that occurred 22 years ago is the worst gas leak in history, with over 20,000 dead by conservative estimates and not 3,800 as cited by Mr. Delp.
The accident occurred due to poor safety standards at UCIL, which was fully controlled by the U.S.-based Union Carbide, since it was the majority stakeholder. In 1989, Carbide paid $470 million as compensation – that is, $500 for each victim who died or suffered lifelong disabilities from exposure to deadly methyl isocyanate. However, the genetic and neurological effects of the exposure were unknown until a decade after.
In 2001, Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide to become the world’s largest chemical company when it was fully aware of Carbide’s liabilities in Bhopal and the U.S. Beyond the unfair compensation, the greater tragedy in Bhopal is the lack of cleanup of the accident site. Numerous studies document the presence of toxins like mercury, lead and other carcinogens in soil and groundwater, which are poisoning hundreds of thousands to this day. The victims are demanding Dow clean up the site, face criminal charges and provide long-term health care and livelihood for the disabled. None of these were covered by the settlement reached in 1989. Indeed, pollution was not even an issue then.
These facts, backed by Amnesty, Greenpeace, the BBC and Time magazine, were sufficient for several congressmen and the EU to demand Dow to do its duty. Corporations like Dow thrive on willfully making issues of ethics and social justice complicated through mergers and media campaigns leading to some like Delp to still question the onus of responsibility.
Dow is in clear violation of basic human rights – of people who are halfway across the world, but people nonetheless like you and me. Marching on the street may not be everyone’s choice, but when the stakes are as high as the lives of thousands, the voices need to be strident. Finally, raising these issues in this campus provide the vital perspective about corporations like Dow to students, who have the potential to make a difference as responsible global citizens.
Giri Krishnan
President, Association for India’s Development
Editor’s note: As stated in Delp’s column, the number of deaths, 3,800, was cited from the Union Carbide Web site. The column acknowledged that this number is debated.
