International row over sponsor of 2012 London Olympic Games

摘要

An international row has erupted over one of the sponsors for the 2012 London Olympic Games.On the night of 2-3 December 1984 the Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) pesticide plant began leaking deadly gases onto the people of Bhopal in India. The immediate death toll is estimated to have been in the region of 2,500 people with the total number of deaths attributed to the leak estimated to be 25,000 with as many as 125 000 still suffering from the effects of the deadly gas. The site has never been properly cleaned up and continues to this day to poison the people of Bhopal.In 2001 the US based company Dow Chemical purchased Union Carbide thereby acquiring its assets and liabilities. However Dow Chemical has steadfastly refused to clean up the site, provide safe drinking water, compensate the victims or disclose the composition of the gas leak, information that doctors could use to properly treat the victims.