Behind the Poison Cloud

Library Journal

After a clear description of the Bhopal disasterthe massive gas leak from a chemical factory in India that killed thousands and harmed many moreEverest assigns blame. And he finds plenty. Union Carbide comes in for the major share because of its design of the factory and shortage of safety devices and procedures. But he also attacks the relations between India and its industrial supplier-nations; local authorities who held UC in ``awe''; the media, for failing to report fully the damage inflicted; a force he calls ``imperial domination''; and, it seems, just about anyone trying to modernize the behemoth that is India. Everest's account of the accident and its aftermathincluding Union Carbide's responsibilityis persuasive. The rest reads like wild-swinging polemics. Daniel La Rossa, Connetquot P.L., Bohemia, N.Y.