Dow’s Toxic Legacy in Bhopal
1984 saw the biggest industrial disaster in human history. A Union Carbide factory in Bhopal leaked toxic gas, killing 7-10,000 people in just a few days. Today the death toll has reached at least 25,000, and an estimated 500,000 have been affected. Survivors suffer extreme health problems, the groundwater is contaminated, and birth defects in Bhopal are many times higher than the average in India.
In 2001, Union Carbide (UCC) was bought by Dow Chemical, so the responsibility to adequately compensate the gas victims, clean up the site and compensate those poisoned by the contaminated water falls to Dow.
Now Dow are sponsoring the London Olympics, gaining millions of pounds of contracts and boosting their reputation. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is supposed to promote environmental, social and ethical issues, but Dow is responsible for this ongoing humanitarian and environmental disaster.
LOCOG needs to Drop Dow Now
More information:
What happened in Bhopal in 1984?
[...] Wednesday the 27th of June will mark one month to the Olympics, and Dow’s wrap has begun to be installed around the Olympic stadium, cladding the Olympics in Dow’s toxic legacy. [...]