Subterranean Leak



THE STUDY

Centre for Science and Environment’s Pollution Monitoring Lab (PML) tested water and soil samples from in and around the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) factory for the presence of toxic chemicals

pml studied the chemistry of the processes used for producing various pesticides in ucil and based on it, selected four groups of chemicals for testing soil and water samples. In chlorinated benzene compounds it tested 1,2 dichlorobenzene, 1,3 dichlorobenzene, 1,4 dichlorobenzene and 1,2,3 trichlorobenzene. In organochlorine pesticides it tested alpha, beta, gamma and delta hexachlorocyclohexane (hch). The two main products of ucil —Carbaryl and Aldicarb—were also tested. Five heavy metals—lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury and arsenic—were also tested.

Why we tested

ucil used to manufacture three different kinds of pesticides: Carbaryl (trade name Sevin), Aldicarb (trade name Temik), and a formulation of Carbaryl and gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (g-hch) sold under the trade name Sevidol. g- hch was extracted from the technical grade hch, a mix of several chemical forms (isomers) of hch (mainly alpha, beta, delta and gamma hch). ucil used to buy technical grade hch, extract g-hch and throw the remaining isomers as waste.

Carbaryl and Aldicarb fall under carbamate group of insecticides; both are moderately persistent, highly toxic; highly water soluble and mobile in soils. It is therefore not surprising that pml found both these pesticides in the soil and water in and around the factory.

hch and its isomers are highly persistent and toxic organochlorine pesticides and presence of different isomers of hch is because of its processing in the plant, use of g-hch for Sevidol formulation and dumping of other isomers within the factory and outside in the waste dump site (also called by ucil as solar evaporation pond).

Hexachlorobenzene (hcb) is an impurity in the technical grade hch and was also produced as a byproduct of various chemical processes in the ucil factory.

Chlorinated benzene compounds are highly persistent and were either used by ucil as solvents or are degradation products of hch or hcb. For instance, 1,2 dichlorobenzene was used as solvent for producing alpha-naphthol—a chemical used in the production of Sevin, the main product of ucil. Chlorinated benzene compounds are also used as insecticides and fungicides.

Heavy metal like mercury was used as a sealant in the Sevin plant and chromium was used as a coolant in the cooling plant of the ucil factory.

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