Friday, December 4, 2009

What are we doing?

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal, India. For those that don't remember, a toxic gas leaked out from the plant which was located in a crowded slum of Bhopal. 4,000 people died the first day and another 10,000 died within three days. To put this in some comparison, 2, 985 people died on 9/11. Union Carbide claimed that the leak was caused by a disgruntled employee, although they were never named or charged. Activists and neighbors claimed that it was poor maintenance that caused the leak. I'm usually going to tend to side with activists over the company, especially based on their track record and the reason why they were located where they were in the first place. It is estimated that at least another 100,000 have had significant health impacts from this leak and 30,000 live in the area drinking water still contaminated. The Indian government says they have cleaned up the area and the high incidence of birth defects is from the fact the people live in slums not from the chemical, as if somehow that justifies them and stops the debate. To prove the area was safe, they said they were going to open up the site to visitors, but later changed their minds and the site remains closed but of course perfectly "safe."

Regardless of who you believe or don't believe, this is a clear example of environmental racism. The plant was built were it was for a specific reason, because they could. The same way that BU doesn't want to build their facility dealing with highly deadly bacteria in Sudbury, but instead in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston, and the reason that hazardous waste dumping sites are located almost predominantly in areas with high minority populations. Native Americans are particularly hard hit.

When Jesus said do unto others as you would have them do unto you and love your neighbor as yourself I don't think this is what he had in mind.

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