Sign the petition to protest Dow Chemical partnering with the 2012 London Olympics
Praised as the most sustainable of all Olympic Games, London 2012 risks its reputation by going into partnership with chemical giant Dow. The company is responsible for one of worst industrial accidents in the world and is still refusing to clean up its toxic legacy after 27 years of an on-going environmental disaster in Bhopal.
During the night 2-3 December 1984 the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India leaked 42 tonnes of methyl isocyanate and other toxic chemicals, leading to the deaths of an estimated 7,000 - 10,000 people, according to Amnesty International. In addition, ongoing contamination at the sites pollutes ground water which, unknowingly people used for drinking and cooking in the years that followed.
Last year, an Indian court convicted seven people for their part in the disaster. The then chairman of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, has remained in the US and refuses to face trial. Amnesty International say the case against him is 'unlikely to conclude' and is another example of a foriegn company commiting an abuse of human rights and avoiding facing justice.
Earlier this year Dow were awarded the exclusive sponsorship deal to wrap in the Olympic Stadium in 336 advertisement panels brandishing their logo.
The London Olympics Organising Committee (LOCOG) is committed to hosting a sustainable Olympics, but for many people including politicians, athletes and celebrities, the partnership with DOW is travesty.
On hearing that Dow Chemical, which now own Union Carbide, were sponsors of the London 2012 Olympics, Lorrain Close, a nurse from London who lived and worked in the Bhopal community following the disaster was so appalled that she set up a petition calling for London Olympics Committee to drop Dow as partners for the games.
Take Action: Sign the petition to urge the London Olympics Organising Committee to drop Dow Chemical as partners for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
To find out more and how you can help go to The Bhopal Medical Appeal
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