Bhopal Methyl Isocyanate Affected Population and Cancer Susceptibility: Where Do We Stand Now?

Chinnu Sugavanam Senthilkumar

doi:10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.10.5323

Abstract

Bhopal Methyl Isocyanate Affected Population and Cancer Susceptibility: Where Do We Stand Now?

Highlights

Further to our recent publications on cancer morbidity of Methyl isocyanate (MIC) exposed long-term survivors and their offspring and carcinogenesis of MIC in this journal (Senthilkumar et al, 2011; 2012), my attention was drawn to express my views to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the need to validate MIC in cancer etiology, in particular, to cancer risk prediction in the present and future generations of the affected population
ICMR followed-up MIC exposed population for 10 years till 1994. After completion of this first phase study ICMR declared that the effects of MIC are short-term and never persist in affected population (ICMR, 2004)
ICMR findings were criticized by scientific experts due to self-selected sample, the lack of complete evidence regarding health effects of the exposure, and many other limitations led to the controversy

Summary

Introduction

Further to our recent publications on cancer morbidity of Methyl isocyanate (MIC) exposed long-term survivors and their offspring and carcinogenesis of MIC in this journal (Senthilkumar et al, 2011; 2012), my attention was drawn to express my views to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the need to validate MIC in cancer etiology, in particular, to cancer risk prediction in the present and future generations of the affected population. Increased cancer morbidity (Senthilkumar et al, 2011), genetic instability (Malla et al, 2011), pregnancy loss and delayed development in male progenies (Sarangi et al, 2010) were recently reported exposure-effects in the MIC affected population after 27 years.

Results

Conclusion