suit against it for $470 million, paid to the Indian government. Although the major theme was Bhopal, three dominant messages sprang from the meeting: • The chemically intensive Kanawha Valley in West Virginia will likely be a test bed in the quest for better communication on safety matters among plant management, labor, and communities. • Chemical firms should prepare for the next important wave of activism under the community-right-to-know law: a demand for community-based independent auditing of safety condiAstronaut Joseph R. Tanner performs tions in chemical plants and refineries. onboard protein crystal growth expenment; • Conflict between chemical compashuttle remote manipulator arm deploys nies and the Oil, Chemical & Atomic German-built satellite into space Workers International Union (OCAW) is likely to intensify. an entire 11-year solar cycle. However, Chris Bedford, an OCAW consultant notes Tim Miller of NASA's Marshall who organized the meeting, says: "The Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., ideal we're working for is a chemical who has served as mission scientist for workers' code of ethics/' Such a code, he both ATLAS-2 and ATLAS-3, further tells C&EN, "would say that chemical ATLAS missions have been canceled workers have the power and the obligabecause of budgetary pressures and tion to stop unsafe practices in industry." other shuttle priorities. For example, Kanawha Valley activATLAS-3 "met all our expectations," ists still worry about the MIC unit at Miller says. "One of its high points was Rhône-Poulenc's agricultural chemical our ability to receive and process so plant in Institute, 10 miles downriver much data in real time," a big advance from Charleston, where 250,000 lb of the over ATLAS-2 and ATLAS-1. chemical is stored. Rhône-Poulenc, the InMission scientists will spend months analyzing the data collected. But prelim- spheric Sounder (MAS), designed to stitute community, and the Charlestoninary results show success in all but one measure water vapor, chlorine monox- based National Institute for Chemical area. For example, one satellite-borne in- ide (CIO), and ozone at altitudes of 12 Studies are now negotiating an agreement strument yielded "an unprecedented to 60 miles. CIO plays an important part calling for independent audit of the plant. look" at ozone-destroying hydroxyl, in- in ozone loss. MAS did transmit nine Activists, who want the audit, have recluding four complete global maps of hours of "excellent" observations on leased a report by a chemical engineer hydroxyl in the middle atmosphere." CIO. Thus, Miller tells C&EN, mission demonstrating how the company could The one setback was a computer scientists expect valuable data from that convert to a continuous stream process under which MIC could be manufactured malfunction that cut off links with instrument, too. ATLAS-3's Millimeter-Wave AtmoRichard Seltzer as needed instead of being stored. Participants also expressed concern about confrontations in the Kanawha Valley over the scheduled closing next month of Occidental Chemical's organic Concerns about chemical plant safety in a two-day event during which the chlorides plant in Belle. Terry Short, who the U.S. were a central focus last week at eight major chemical producers in the will lose his job along with about 50 otha gathering in Charleston, W.Va., of Charleston area presented their worst er union members and 30 nonunion some 85 labor and environmental activ- case accident scenarios to the public at members, charges that the company has ists. They met to commemorate the 10th an open seminar and through exhibits ignored union warnings about dangeranniversary of the catastrophe in Bhopal, in a downtown shopping mall (C&EN, ous conditions. He also alleges the company is retaliating against the workers India—when a leak of methylisocyanate June 20, page 22.) (MIC) from a Union Carbide plant killed Meeting participants from India for establishing an OCAW local at the 3,800 or more people. charged that the thousands of Bhopal plant. Bedford says the safety expertise of The commemoration was sponsored victims have received insufficient mediby Communities Concerned About cal treatment. They demanded that too many workers in the U.S. is being Corporations, a New York City-based Union Carbide play a more active role in lost because of layoffs, increasing the public interest group. the victims' rehabilitation. In February vulnerability of plants to accidents. Wil Lepkowski It was held less than six months after 1989, Carbide settled the Bhopal civil
Bhopal commemoration targets chemical safety
NOVEMBER 21,1994 C&EN
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