Vizag Gas leak refreshes wounds of '84 Bhopal Gas Tragedy

As the country is reeling under the coronavirus crisis a toxic gas leak at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh created an atmosphere of fear. Preliminary reports indicate that 8 to 10 people have died in the city so far due to the gas leak. Also thousands of citizens have fallen ill.

What exactly was the cause of the gas leak in Visakhapatnam? What exactly happens in this company? And what is this gas used for there. People have many such questions.

The toxic gas leaked from the Visakha LG Polymer Company in Visakhapatnam is called Sterin. This gas is also called ethylenebenzene. It is a synthetic chemical. This chemical is in the form of a colorless substance. However, if this gas is kept for a long time, it will turn a light yellow color

Styrene is highly flammable. Therefore, when it is ignited, a large amount of toxic gas is emitted. Former director of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Center, Dr. D. Raghunath Rao said that the use of styrene gas is mainly polystyrene.

The wounds of a gas accident in Bhopal 36 years ago due to a gas leak in Visakhapatnam have been healed. The gas accident on December 2, 1984 has been listed as one of the biggest industrial accidents in the world.

The toxic gas had leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. This gas leak has had the opposite effect on some people even today.

Compared to the gas leak at Visakhapatnam, the gas leak at Union Carbide Company in Bhopal was more horrific and a major accident. However, the incident at Visakhapatnam has revived those wounds.

More than 3,000 people were killed in a gas accident in Bhopali. The tragedy had adversely affected the lives of 1.02 lakh people. Many have started with disabilities and respiratory diseases.

The actual death toll in the Bhopal accident was more than 15,000. However, according to government records, only 3,787 people were killed.

Visakhapatnam is trending on Twitter after the gas leak in Visakhapatnam. Veterans of the country and celebrities from South India have expressed their grief over the tragedy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also called a meeting of concerned officials and ministers of the Disaster Management Department to discuss the issue.