25 years on,still waiting for Bhopal gas research

“Two generations of victims exposed to MIC have been indiscriminately prescribed antibiotics,steroids and psychotropic drugs to ‘manage’ their ailments instead of finding a cure. No focused research has been conducted in developing an antidote to cyanide poisoning,” said Dr DK Satpathy,who retired as director of Medicolegal Institute,Government of MP,this September. “If a patient has headache,she will be given Saridon,the same for breathlessness and all other symptoms caused by MIC.”

Following the disaster,ICMR temporarily set up the Bhopal Gas Disaster Research Centre under Gandhi Medical College to monitor the health effects of MIC exposure. The Centre stopped monitoring mortalities in 1992. In 1994,the Centre was shut down,without publishing the findings of the studies conducted between 1984-94. No research has been conducted since.

“All medical data has indicated serious genetic mutation but no autopsy studies have been conducted. No government body can explain why the prevalence of cancer among female victims is three time the national average. No one can conclusively say what are the outcomes of MIC exposure,” said Dr Alok Banerjee,director,Centre for Rehabilitation Studies.

Union Carbide Corporation (UCC),now Dow Chemicals,is yet to reveal the composition of MIC; it calls it a ‘trade secret’. After initially recommending sodium thiosulphate as a detoxifying agent,Union Carbide’s Dr Bipin Awasia said he had been ‘mistaken’ in 1984.

“Sodium thiosulphate was an effective treatment but it was given only to 500 odd patients. Carbide officials were worried about legal repercussion as the success of the treatment would prove that the gases had broken the blood-lung barrier and increase the compensation amount,” says Dr Satpathy.

The research proposals from ICMR — focusing on genetic disorders,low birth weight,congenital malformations,growth/developmental disorders and biological markers of MIC exposure — came after directives from the Central government.

“This could have been an opportunity to develop an antidote to cyanide poisoning but not enough research has been conducted. We cannot force researchers to take up subjects against their interest. Genetic abnormalities cannot be ruled out but we do not have a study that clearly establishes the extent of genetic mutation. More requires to be done in the field of medical data to understand cyanide poisoning better,” said Dr V M Katoch,Director General,ICMR.