1984 BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY : AN AUDIT OF ANOMALIES IN THE CRANIOFACIAL REGION OF THE CROSS GENERATION SURVIVORS OF TRAGEDY.

Dr Vidhi Mathur, Dr Sowmya Kasetty, Dr Sudheendra U Shridhar

Abstract


BACKGROUND: 1984 Gas tragedy was a result of the release of Methyl isocyanate from a pesticide plant in Bhopal accounting for death of
millions. The health effects were recorded from the survivors ranging from ocular, respiratory, reproductive system, psychological to genetic
damage. Chromosomal aberrations have also been reported exposed to the gas and experimental studies exposed to methyl isocyanate revealed
changes in developing foetus including reduction in length of mandible. However, cross generational study of the effects of the exposure to methyl
isocyanate have been far and few.
AIM: This study was an attempt to study the prevalence of craniofacial deformities in the first-generation survivors of Bhopal gas tragedy and to
evaluate the possible role of methyl isocyanate in the causation of cross-generational craniofacial anomalies.
MATERIAL & METHODS: The present study was based on a survey of the tragedy survivors comprising of 500 subjects of the first- or secondgeneration
tragedy survivors and 200 subjects of non-exposed areas taken as the control group.
Interpretation and conclusion: The results obtained showed the disastrous chemical nature of MIC, its association with Orofacial clefts, the
prevalence of mental retardation in relation to exposure of MIC and a higher male predilection of these anomalies.


Keywords


Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Craniofacial Anomalies, Cross Generation Effect, Methyl Isocyanate.

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