Dow is Not Responsible for the Bhopal Incident

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster.  A Union Carbide plant based in Bhopal, India leaked a cloud poisonous gas, killing thousands.  Its ramifications can still be felt to do this day because the damage has yet to be cleaned up.  There have been calls for Dow to take responsibility for incident, since the company acquired Union Carbide in 2001.  With this in mind, two questions arise. 



1) Is it the responsibility of new owners to ameliorate the actions and consequences of the old owners?

2) Does Dow bear that responsibility for the Bhopal incident?



For the sake of argument, although debatable, let us assume that the answer to the first question is "yes", that new owners must take responsibility for for the old owners actions and consequences.  This leads us to the answer of the second question, a resounding "no". Dow is not responsible for the Bhopal incident, for the mere fact that the company does not own and has never owned the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.



Union Carbide India, Limited (UCIL), was founded in 1934, and owned 51% by Union Carbide, and 49% by the Indian government.  The Bhopal incident occurred in 1984.  Ten years later, in 1994, Union Carbide sold its 51% share of UCIL to the William Magor Group.  The Indian Government still held its 49% share.  In that same year, the UCIL, was renamed to  to Eveready Industries India, Ltd.  Nearly seven years later, Dow acquired Union Carbide in 2001.



The question remains, is Dow responsibile for the clean up of the Bhopal incident?  The answer is no, since Dow has never had any ownership interest in Union Carbide India, Limited, Everyready Industries India, Ltd., Williamson Magor Group, or for that fact the Indian Government.  If any entity is responsible it is the new owners of the former UCIL plant, the Williamson Magor Group and the Indian Government.  It is time to exonerate Dow for the Bhopal incident, for the company had no role, stake, or ownership in the matter.