Hazardous Chemicals

April 1, 1985 Resolutions

Number: 1985-18

 

WHEREAS, the tragic leak of poison gas in Bhopal, India, on December 3, 1984, killed over 2,500 people and injured tens of thousands more and has had an as-yet-undetermined effect on wildlife in the region; and

WHEREAS, this incident was apparently exacerbated by

  1. the nature of the chemical involved,
  2. lack of state-of-the-art safety equipment,
  3. failure of the company to follow safety rules,
  4. failure of the appropriate authorities in India to prosecute known safety violators, and
  5. lack of adequate warning and emergency response procedures to protect the nearby population from the sudden and drastic consequences of an accident; and

WHEREAS, although the United States has been a world leader in promoting environmental health and safety in the past, the Bhopal tragedy combined with recent actions of the U.S. Government to discourage making information available abroad about hazardous chemicals, calls into question the U.S. commitment to environmental protection;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 14-17, 1985, in Arlington, Virginia, calls upon each member of the chemicals industry doing business in the United States to comply in all its plants around the world with the strictest health and safety regulations it must meet in any country in which it operates, but in any case no less protective than is required in the U.S.; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation calls upon all appropriate agencies of the United States Government, in cooperation with members of the chemicals industry, to make available, upon request of any government, technical assistance for

  1. an immediate safety audit of any chemical plant to ascertain what safety hazard it may pose to workers, the community, and the environment,
  2. training for government officials in monitoring and regulating the manufacture, transportation, and use of hazardous chemicals,
  3. the development and testing, in cooperation with local authorities, of appropriate emergency plans, warning systems, and cleanup response teams, and
  4. improved and expanded United Nations Environment Programme advisory and training programs for hazardous chemicals.