16th December 2005

21 years ago this month was one of the worst industrial disasters in history - the 1984 Union Carbide chemical plant accident in Bhopal, India with a current death toll of  20,000 plus over half a million injured. A 40-ton heavier-than-air cloud of lethal methyl isocynate swept through the town, and the since then the abandoned plant has never been cleaned up. Greens are calling on people to add their names to an online petition.

Philip Booth, a Gloucestershire Green party spokeperson said: "Union Carbide - now swallowed up by Dow Chemicals - seems to have got away with paying $500m for damages. The CEO of Union Carbide at the time, Warren Anderson, was declared a fugitive by the Chief Magistrate of Bhopal for failing to appear as chief defendant in a homicide case. To this day Anderson is still 'on the run' with the FBI claiming they can't find him. His address however is public knowledge."

Philip Booth said: "In stark contrast the Texan environmentalist Diane Wilson, who in 2002 chained herself to a 70 foot tower at a Dow Chemicals plant in Seadrift Texas and then hung a banner reading "Dow Responsible for Bhopal", was sentenced to four months in prison. She is still refusing to serve the time until Warren Anderson is extradited to Bhopal to face manslaughter charges and is currently on a national tour of campuses raising awareness about Dow Chemicals - being careful not to set foot in Texas. She also paid a visit to Warren Anderson who was mowing the lawn at his comfortable home on Long Island."

Philip Booth added: "As if  we need a reminder two weeks ago 3.8 million people in Harbin, China, lost their drinking water as 100 tons of cancerous benzene spilled from a chemical plant into the Songhua River - the disaster will also affect around 70 Russian towns as the 50 mile slick of benzene heads downriver."

Go to online petition - but be warned that on other pages on this site are some very disturbing photos:
http://www.bhopal.net/dow_action.html
Go to online fax:
http://bhopal.aidindia.org/waterwebfax.htm