05
Jul
Long-Term Impacts on Babies in the Womb during the Bhopal Gas Disaster, Study Reveals
(Beyond Pesticides, July 5, 2023) After nearly 40 years since the Bhopal, India manufacturing facility leaked 47 tons of a chemical used in pesticide production, exposing half a million people and killing thousands, a new study in the BMJ Medical Journal has shed light on the enduring health and human capital effects resulting from in-utero exposure. The study finds significant negative impacts on both economic and health outcomes. Individuals who were in the womb during the disaster exhibited lower birth weights and remain more susceptible to respiratory problems, cognitive impairments, and other health issues later in life. Moreover, those born just after the gas leak were found to have lower educational attainment and reduced earning potential as adults. Over the past four decades, Beyond Pesticides has consistently reported on the Bhopal Gas Disaster, which stands as one of the most devastating industrial tragedies in history [1] [2] [3] [4]. The calamitous night of December 2, 1984, resulted from a gas leak of the highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) from a Union Carbide Corporation (now owned by Dow Chemical Company) manufacturing facility. MIC is an intermediate chemical used in the production of insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin), aldicarb, and other carbamate […]
