The leak of toxic gas from Union Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, in 1984 was the worst industrial disaster in history, with the official death toll at nearly 10,000. According to a 1997 report, it has also become a cautionary example of how victims can suffer twice. The vast majority of those injured and the families of those killed waited a decade to get financial compensation, and many remained waiting even longer for money, long-term health care and other help that they deserved.
Poor people who built their houses close to the Union Carbide plant in India were most affected by the gas leak, but many did not keep medical records to prove their injuries. Wealthier residents have bribed doctors to provide false statements of suffering.