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Bhopal, December 5 (RHC)-- Tuesday marked the 40th anniversary of one of the worst industrial disasters of the 20th century. 

Shortly after midnight on December 3, 1984, in the city of Bhopal, India, tons of lethal gases leaked from a pesticide factory run by the U.S. company Union Carbide. Between 8,000 to 10,000 people lost their lives within days. 

Thousands more died in the following years, while survivors, their children and grandchildren are still suffering from chronic health issues due to the leak and the toxic waste that was left behind by Union Carbide, which was later purchased by the U.S. multinational Dow Chemical. 

Survivors and their advocates took to the streets of Bhopal Tuesday as they continue to fight for justice four decades later.  One organizer of the protest, Rachna Dhingra, told reporters:  “Today, 40 years later, we are asking pretty much the same things as people were asking 40 years ago. People of Bhopal are seeking that there be a special medical commission on Bhopal, be set up so that there is appropriate, free healthcare for gas victims and their children, who continue to bear the scars of the Union Carbide disaster even today.  We are asking that the global toxic hot spot that emerges in the middle of the city be cleaned up by Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.”

[ SOURCE:  DEMOCRACY NOW ]