Alarming figures on the health problems of people exposed to gas were found in an analysis by the Sambhavana Trust Clinic, which assists survivors of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Clinical data from 8,106 unexposed and 16,305 gas-exposed patients who underwent treatment throughout the previous 16 years served as the basis for the conclusions. According to this statistics, people who were exposed to the hazardous chemical methyl isocyanate (MIC) during the 1984 Bhopal tragedy had far higher incidences of a number of ailments than people who were not.
nearly 5,479 people were murdered and nearly 500,000 were injured in the disaster that happened on the night of December 2-3, 1984, when MIC seeped from the Union Carbide factory. According to the data, people who were exposed to gas had a 1.7–2 times higher prevalence of respiratory conditions such obstructive and restrictive lung disorders. Significantly higher rates of mental health conditions, particularly depression, were also discovered; in the group exposed to gas, depression was 2.7 times more prevalent.
Additionally, the study found diseases including diabetes and hypertension that had not previously been linked to gas exposure. Patients exposed to gas had a five-fold greater prevalence of diabetes and a more than three-fold higher prevalence of hypertension. These results imply that survivors are still impacted by the disaster’s long-term health repercussions, with illnesses such as these growing increasingly prevalent in recent years.
The study also found that the risk of early or premature menopause was 2.6 times higher for women exposed to the gas. The exposed group experienced kidney-related problems seven times more frequently, which may have been brought on by the initial exposure to MIC. Heart conditions such ischaemic heart disease and myocardial infarction were 4.5 times more common.
The group exposed to gas also had significantly greater rates of neurological disorders such as neuropathy, neuralgia, and hemiplegia. It was discovered that neuropathy, in particular, was seven times more prevalent and might be connected to diabetes. A metabolic condition called hypothyroidism was discovered to be 1.7 times more common in those exposed to the gas, indicating a rising concern about the long-term health repercussions.
Satinath Sarangi, the founder of the Sambhavana Trust, highlighted the necessity of ongoing specialised medical care for Bhopal survivors, pointing out that even forty years after the accident, there remains a persistent trend of increased morbidity among victims. These results highlight the Bhopal Gas Tragedy’s continuing effects and the need for continuous medical study as well as healthcare assistance for its survivors.
SOURCE :
ECONOMIC TIMES
