WASHINGTON -- November 17 -- At midnight on December 2, 1984 twenty-seven tons of lethal gases leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, immediately killing 8,000 people and poisoning thousands of others. Today, at least 150,000 people, including children born to parents who survived the disaster, are suffering from exposure-related health effects such as cancer, neurological damage, chaotic menstrual cycles and mental illness. Over 20,000 people are forced to drink water laced with unsafe levels of mercury, carbon tetrachloride and other persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals.

Human rights, legal, environmental health and other experts are demanding that Dow Chemical, the current owner of Union Carbide, be held accountable for this atrocity. Many events worldwide are taking place to coincide with the 20th anniversary, including the release of a major human rights report exposing Dow Chemical and the Indian government's failure to comply with their obligations to stop the ongoing contamination. Other events include: the opening of a free medical clinic in Bhopal; teach-ins and vigils at over 40 U.S. colleges nationwide; the release of four documentaries about Bhopal; a new Environmental Health Fund book entitled Trespass Against Us: Dow Chemical and the Toxic Century (advance copies available upon request); and a shareholder resolution calling on Dow to resolve its liabilities.

WHAT: Press Teleconference: New Testimony from Bhopal on Eve of 20th Anniversary

WHEN: Wednesday, December 1, 2004 -- 1:00 PM EST (10:00 AM PST, 11:30 PM in Bhopal)

HOW: Call 1-800-351-4892 Password: Bhopal
If calling from outside the U.S. please call Shayna Samuels for the dial-in number.

WHO: Irene Zubaida Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
Rep. Frank Pallone, New Jersey, author of a Congressional resolution on Bhopal
Rajan Sharma, Esq., primary attorney representing the Bhopal survivors since 1999
Rachna Dingra, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, with the latest from Bhopal
Gary Cohen, Executive Director, Environmental Health Fund
Ryan Bodanyi, Coordinator, Students for Bhopal

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