Editing Bhopal disaster (section)

===Long-term health effects===
Some data about the health effects are still not available. The [[Indian Council of Medical Research]] (ICMR) was forbidden to publish health effect data until 1994.<ref name="Eckerman2005" />

A total of 36 wards were marked by the authorities as being "gas affected", affecting a population of 520,000. Of these, 200,000 were below 15 years of age, and 3,000 were pregnant women. The official immediate death toll was 2,259, and in 1991, 3,928 deaths had been officially certified.<ref name="Eckerman2001-p23-24"/> The Sambhavna clinic "estimates 8,000 deaths during the first weeks, and another 8,000 since then".<ref name="Eckerman2001-p23-24">{{cite book |last=Eckerman |first=Ingrid |title=Chemical industry and public health. Bhopal as an example |year=2001 |publisher=Nordic School of Public Health |location=Gothenburg, Sweden |url=http://www.lakareformiljon.org/images/stories/dokument/2009/bhopal_gas_disaster.pdf |access-date=10 June 2010 |archive-date=30 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030030142/http://www.lakareformiljon.org/images/stories/dokument/2009/bhopal_gas_disaster.pdf |url-status=live |pages=23–24}}<br>{{citation |title=The Bhopal Gas Tragedy 1984- ? A report from the Sambhavna Trust |location=Bhopal, India |date=1998 |work=Bhopal People's Health and Documentation Clinic }}<!-- Given as the source by Eckerman --></ref><ref name="Eckerman2005" />

The [[government of Madhya Pradesh]] confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release.<ref name="rehabilitation1"/>

Later, the affected area was expanded to include 700,000 citizens. A government [[affidavit]] in 2006 stated the leak caused 558,125 injuries including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries.<ref name="first3" />

A [[cohort (statistics)|cohort]] of 80,021 exposed people was registered, along with a control group, a cohort of 15,931 people from areas not exposed to MIC.{{sfnp|Eckerman|2005|loc=8.2.4 Centre for Rehabilitation Studies|p=3}} Nearly every year since 1986, they have answered the same questionnaire. It shows [[mortality rate|excess mortality]] and [[Disease#Morbidity|morbidity]] in the exposed group. [[Bias]] and [[confounding factor]]s cannot be excluded from the study. Because of migration and other factors, 75% of the cohort is lost, as the ones who move out are not followed.<ref name=Eckerman2005 /><ref>{{cite journal |author=Sharma DC |journal=The Lancet |title=Bhopal study represents 'missed opportunity' |year=2013 |volume=382 |issue=9908 |page=1870 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(13)62562-3|pmid=24325010 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A number of clinical studies are performed. The quality varies, but the different reports support each other.<ref name="Eckerman2005" /> Studied and reported long-term health effects are:
* Eyes: Chronic [[conjunctivitis]], scars on cornea, [[Corneal opacity|corneal opacities]], [[Cataract|early cataracts]]
* [[Respiratory tract]]s: Obstructive and/or restrictive disease, [[pulmonary fibrosis]], aggravation of [[tuberculosis]] and chronic [[bronchitis]]
* Neurological system: Impairment of memory, [[Fine motor skill|finer motor skills]], numbness, etc.
* Psychological problems: [[Post-traumatic stress disorder|Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)]]
* Children's health: [[Prenatal development|Peri]]- and [[Infant|neonatal]] death rates increased. Failure to grow, intellectual impairment, etc.

Missing or insufficient fields for research are female reproduction, chromosomal aberrations, cancer, immune deficiency, neurological sequelae, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and children born after the disaster.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} Late cases that might never be highlighted are respiratory insufficiency, cardiac insufficiency (cor pulmonale), cancer and tuberculosis.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} Bhopal now has high rates of birth defects and records a [[miscarriage]] rate 7x higher than the national average.<ref name="really well informed" />

A 2014 report in ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' quotes a "spokesperson for the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which runs free health clinics for survivors" as saying "An estimated 120,000 to 150,000 survivors still struggle with serious medical conditions including nerve damage, growth problems, gynaecological disorders, respiratory issues, birth defects, and elevated rates of cancer and tuberculosis."<ref>{{Cite news
| last = Masi
| first = Alex
| author2 = Sanjay Verma
| author3 = Maddie Oatman
| title = Photos: Living in the Shadow of the Bhopal Chemical Disaster: Thirty years after the Union Carbide leak killed thousands, residents are still dealing with contaminated water, toxic waste, and lingering diseases
| work = [[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]
| access-date = 7 June 2014
| date = 2 June 2014
| url = https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/06/photos-bhopal-india-union-carbide-sanjay-verma-pesticides-explosion
| archive-date = 7 June 2014
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140607044948/http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/06/photos-bhopal-india-union-carbide-sanjay-verma-pesticides-explosion
| url-status = live
}}</ref>