1984 Bhopal Victims Ask US Congress For Action Against Dow

WASHINGTON (AFP)--Three victims of the 1984 gas leak that killed thousands of people in Bhopal, India, took their battle Thursday to the U.S. Congress, seeking pressure on Dow Chemical Co. (DOW).

Three Bhopal residents spent the week lobbying lawmakers, urging them to hold a hearing on the world's deadliest industrial accident, ahead of its 25th anniversary in December.

"Dow is not listening to the Indian government; Dow is not listening to us. The only choice that leaves us is to come to their land and tell people what they continue to do," said activist Rachna Dhingra.

The disaster occurred when a storage tank at a pesticide plant run by Union Carbide - bought by Dow in 1999 - spewed cyanide gas into the air, immediately killing more than 3,500 slum dwellers.

The death toll has since climbed to more than 15,000, according to Indian authorities. But activists say the toll is twice that, and that tens of thousands more are chronically ill due to toxic water and leftover chemicals.

Sarita Malviya, 16, who met with the legislators, said the skin on her hands peels off every four to five weeks, leaving her hands feeling ice cold. She said her mother suffers breathlessness and her father has eye problems.

"We want justice in Bhopal because that would mean justice for everyone. It would mean that even after 25 years, companies can be held accountable," she said.

Dow says all liabilities were settled in 1989 when Union Carbide paid $470 million to the Indian government, to be allocated to survivors and families of the dead, and that it no longer operates the site.

But campaigners say the amount is too low and does not account for clean-up and continued health problems in Bhopal. They also want Dow to submit to court challenges in India.

Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who met with the Bhopal residents, has circulated a letter in Congress calling for pressure on Dow.

"It is unacceptable to allow an American company the opportunity to exploit international borders and legal jurisdictions so that they can evade civil and criminal liability for environmental pollution and abuses committed overseas," Pallone wrote.

The campaigners are also traveling to other U.S. cities urging local governments to divest from Dow.

-Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500