Bhopal Gas Disaster

A storage tank at the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh leaked over 40 tons of methyl isocyanate gas into surrounding neighborhoods. The immediate death toll reached at least 3,800 people, with estimates of total fatalities over subsequent weeks rising to 16,000. Approximately 500,000 residents suffered exposure, resulting in respiratory damage, blindness, and long-term health complications. In 1989, Union Carbide paid $470 million in a legal settlement. The disaster prompted worldwide reassessment of industrial safety regulations.