The chemical industry in the United States is on that is often overlooked. It is highly needed in most everyday activities but never thought very highly of. That is why the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are very damaging not only to our country's economy but also to the chemical industry. This industry is rarely conceived as helpful to most citizens but is seen as a weak point or an area of fragility.
The main concerns when thinking about the chemical industry in comparison to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are that of security and secrecy. All chemicals in the United States need to stay secured from all unauthorized use and possibly hidden from all conceivable terrorists. This shows that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have most likely affected security in the chemical industry. Chemical plants are now requiring authorization and security checks at their plants, which is in tern possibly slowing down the work that takes place at these plants. In other words, time equals money and all of these security issues are using up valuable time.
Next, I would like to talk about the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India. "On December 3, 1984 the residents of a Bhopal, India awoke to a toxic cloud of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas that had been discharged from the near-by Union Carbide India Limited plant. The deadly cloud infiltrated hundreds of shanties and huts as it slowly drifted in the cool night awaking sleeping residents to coughing, choking, and stinging eyes. By dawn the cloud had cleared and many were dead or injured. Reports of the incident were slow to reach America. Union Carbide, a U.S. corporation that owns 51% of the plant, based in Danbury Connecticut, was in the dark for many days. Union Carbide made front page across the country for months and is still considered the worst industrial disaster in the history of the planet. The official Indian government panel charged with tabulating deaths and injuries updated the count to more than 3,800 dead and approximately 11,000 with disabilities.
