Chemical process safety at a crossroads.

Abstract

will mark the 20th anniversary of the worst industrial accident in history, the chemical plant disaster in Bhopal, India, that killed thousands of people and injured tens of thousands more. Along with other safety professionals from around the world, I will be traveling to India this fall to reflect on what has changed and what we still must do to better protect the lives of workers and the public from chemical accidents. Chi (χ), the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet, is an ancient symbol of a crossroads. At its center, the intersection point, or chiasm, marks a single event that separates past from future. Bhopal is a chiasm, an event that forever changed the path of the chemical industry and that continues to be felt around the world. Thousands of Bhopal victims suffered permanent, disabling injuries, which they must live with every day. The tragedy has also changed public attitudes toward the chemical industry in lasting ways.