1984: Bhopal disaster (AP Photo)

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Bhopal in central India falls victim to the worst industrial disaster in history. A leak of methyl isocyanate gas at the Union Carbide pesticide plant causes thousands of people to be exposed to dangerous toxins. Estimates vary on the death toll, with various official figures suggesting anywhere between 2,500 and 15,000 may have died because of the disaster. A government affidavit in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries.