Re-Examining Bhopal: Health and human rights lessons from the world's worst industrial disaster

The 1984 methyl isocyanate gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India was the worlds' worst industrial disaster. Over 558,000 people were exposed to the toxic gas. Reports suggest that up to 20,000 have died prematurely as a direct result (more than 3,000 acutely), and that victims have been poorly compensated. This report systematically reviews the 30-year history and outcomes of this tragic event in the context of the applicability of both pre-existing and current standards of environmental health and human rights with the purpose of defining essential lessons for prevention of similar industrial disasters and for ensuring such rights for future disaster victims. The review shows that health rights standards legislatively adopted at the time of the incident were not adequately exercised and were largely ineffective for a number of reasons. Succeeding rights and protective standards, while adopted, also provided little help with regard to longer-term health outcomes. Specific obstacles to accident prevention and post-event tertiary (morbidity and mortality) prevention are listed, and most notably include the roles of government, industry, and medical and legal services for victims. Based upon lessons learned from Bhopal, recommendations are offered in the context of current international human rights and health standards for future disaster prevention and response to assure health protection and post-event care and compensation. These specifically address preparedness of medical and legal services, the provision of timely evidence-based health care and epidemiology, diligent incident investigation, and rigorous advocacy for health and human rights in the judicial system.