2. Bhopal accident

The manufacturing process for methyl isocyanate (MIC), an intermediate in the manufacture of insecticides, involved storing the product in storage tanks, each capable of holding 40 t of MIC. This intermediate is a volatile product, capable of reacting exothermically with water to produce carbon dioxide, and of polymerizing. These properties led to its release into the environment following a series of malfunctions. But it is above all MIC's toxicity that is responsible for the large number of victims. MIC vapors react with the skin,...