The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was caused by the leakage of which gas?

Appeared in: P.CHO-2019

Explanation

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was caused by the leakage of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas.
The incident occurred on December 2-3, 1984, at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant.
MIC is a highly toxic chemical, and its release led to thousands of deaths and long-term health problems for hundreds of thousands of people.
The gas is denser than air, causing it to stay low to the ground and maximize exposure to the population living near the plant.

Option A: Isoamyl acetate, also known as banana oil, is used as a flavoring agent and for testing the fit of respirators. It is not a highly toxic industrial chemical.
Option B: Propionic acid is a weak organic acid used as a food preservative. It is not the highly toxic gas that caused the Bhopal disaster.
Option C: Methyl trichloride is another name for chloroform, which is a well-known anesthetic and solvent. It has different chemical properties and was not involved in the Bhopal incident.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Identification of the chemical agent responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Understanding major industrial accidents like Bhopal is crucial for nurses, especially in public health and emergency preparedness, to recognize the signs of chemical exposure and manage mass casualty incidents.
Nursing priorities in a chemical disaster include: ensuring scene safety (using PPE), rapid decontamination of victims, and providing supportive care, focusing on the ABCs (Airway, Breathing, Circulation).
What if the exposed patient presents with an unknown chemical exposure? The immediate nursing action is to remove the patient from the source, initiate decontamination with copious amounts of water, and provide high-flow oxygen and supportive care while efforts are made to identify the specific agent.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key subject of the question, which is the 'Bhopal Gas Tragedy'.
This is a factual recall question based on a significant historical event in public health and environmental safety.
Access your knowledge about this specific event to identify the chemical agent involved.
Evaluate each option: Isoamyl acetate, Propionic acid, and Methyl trichloride are incorrect as they are different chemicals with different uses and toxicity profiles.
Select Methyl Isocyanate as it is the historically and scientifically accurate cause of the disaster.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Identification of the chemical agent responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
Stem keywords: Bhopal Gas Tragedy, leakage, gas
Lead-in keywords: which
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 2 p. 2221-2223

E6 Pharmacology Katzung 16e p. 1561-1563

Practise the full P.CHO-2019

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.