Hazardous Chemical: Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) In December of 1984 in Bhopal India there was an extremely large chemical leak (Schlager, 2008). The chemical was called methyl isocyanate (MIC) and was used as an intermediate to create a pesticide, or a substance that is used for killing organisms called Seven. Seven, which kills several different types of bugs and is used specifically in Asia but globally as well, is also an insecticide, or a beneficial chemical that kills insects (Living With Bugs, 2004). Methyl isocyanate is a highly reactive and poisonous substance, also known as a toxin, in either gas or liquid form that is volatile and colorless with a sharp odor. As well as being used in pesticides, it is also detected in cigarette smoke.
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The methyl isocyanate (MIC), which killed over 3,000 people starts out with just being methylamine which is a type of gas. That methylamine reacts with phosgene, a poisonous substance that if consumed within the body may cause structural or functional disturbances, to produce MIC or C2H3NO. The MIC then reacts with 1-naphthol, a fluorescent and organic compound, which then forms the insecticide carbaryl being the primary ingredient in the pesticide Seven. Seven is used to dispose of bugs like tics, Japanese beetles, and worms that can cause health problems and kill off necessary crops. Pesticides are a neurotoxin, or a chemical that disrupts the nervous system of organisms, and in this case are type of chemical agent that stops the neurons from firing to the brain stopping the control of the body and the brain (General Information, 2015). There are two different disruptions that a neurotoxin can cause. These are presynaptic and postsynaptic disruptions. Presynaptic cells are where a neurotransmitter sends a signal and postsynaptic cells are where that signal is received in your body as shown in the picture above. Also in the picture
The methyl isocyanate (MIC), which killed over 3,000 people starts out with just being methylamine which is a type of gas. That methylamine reacts with phosgene, a poisonous substance that if consumed within the body may cause structural or functional disturbances, to produce MIC or C2H3NO. The MIC then reacts with 1-naphthol, a fluorescent and organic compound, which then forms the insecticide carbaryl being the primary ingredient in the pesticide Seven. Seven is used to dispose of bugs like tics, Japanese beetles, and worms that can cause health problems and kill off necessary crops. Pesticides are a neurotoxin, or a chemical that disrupts the nervous system of organisms, and in this case are type of chemical agent that stops the neurons from firing to the brain stopping the control of the body and the brain (General Information, 2015). There are two different disruptions that a neurotoxin can cause. These are presynaptic and postsynaptic disruptions. Presynaptic cells are where a neurotransmitter sends a signal and postsynaptic cells are where that signal is received in your body as shown in the picture above. Also in the picture