20th Anniversary of Bhopal Disaster Marked in Presentation at WSU Vancouver

VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Washington State University Vancouver Center for Social and Environmental Justice will present the film “India and Free Trade: A Closer Look at Bhopal” from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 3 in the Multimedia Classroom Building, Room 6.

This presentation marks the 20^th anniversary of the Bhopal Union Carbide disaster – a methyl isocyanate gas leak in 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited Bhopal plant that killed approximately 3,800 people and left several thousand individuals with permanent and partial disabilities. The film will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker and WSU Vancouver assistant professor of English Pavithra Narayanan.

Narayanan notes that while the past 20 years have been difficult for the victims of the disaster, it is time for the rest of the world to start asking tough questions: How do we want to live our lives? How does Bhopal figure in the choices we will make? What does Bhopal mean in this era of globalization?

Union Carbide India Limited was established in 1934, when Union Carbide Corporation became one of the first U.S. companies to invest in India. UCIL was a diversified manufacturing company, employing some 9,000 people and operating 14 plants in five divisions. The Bhopal plant, built in the late 1970s, produced pesticides for use in India to help the country’s agricultural sector increase its productivity and to contribute more significantly to meeting the food needs of one of the world’s most heavily populated regions.

This free event is sponsored by the Center for Social and Environmental Justice and the Portland Alliance. Parking is available for $1.75 in the Blue lot. For more information, contact Ben Duncan at (360) 546-9490 or csejust@vancouver.wsu.edu.

WSU Vancouver offers 15 bachelor’s and eight master’s degrees in more than 35 fields of study. The campus is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave., east of the 134^th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205.