Study on birth defects of babies of survivors ‘suppressed’: Activists

A study on birth defects of babies born to the survivors of 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, which claimed lives of over 20,000 people and maimed over one lakh others, has been ‘suppressed’ denying the unfortunate children their legal right to compensation, alleged activists working for the cause of the victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster.

Rachna Dhingra, an activist who has been working for the causes of the gas tragedy survivors for the past two and half decades said the Bhopalbased National Institute for Research on Environmental Health (NIREH), one of the permanent institutes of

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), conducted a study on the effect of the toxic gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory here on December twothree, 1984, on the survivors, in 2016.

The study has found that defects in babies of gasexposed mothers to be seven times higher compared to those nonexposed mothers, she said, quoting a reply to an RTI query on the findings of the study.

The scientific advisory committee had approved the design and methodology of the study which came out with its findings in 2016, according to Ms Dhingra.

But, the study never saw the light of the day.

“The scientific advisory committee has noted the findings of the study as a matter of concern. But, the committee decided not to publish the findings of the study under the pretext that it needed a follow up study”, Ms Dhingra told this newspaper on Monday.

“It has been five years now since the study came out with its findings, but the follow up study is yet to get a nod by the authorities concerned”, she said and alleged that the follow up study idea was nothing but a move to suppress the findings of the study.