Union Carbide Corporation ( UCC ) is an American chemical company. UCC is a wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) of Dow Chemical Company . Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume commodities and others are specialty products meeting the needs of smaller markets. Markets served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. The company is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average .
41-733: Founded in 1917 as the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation , from a merger with National Carbon Company , the company's researchers developed an economical way to make ethylene from natural gas liquids, such as ethane and propane , giving birth to the modern petrochemical industry . The company divested consumer products businesses Eveready and Energizer batteries, Glad bags and wraps, Simoniz car wax and Prestone antifreeze . The company divested other businesses before being acquired by Dow including electronic chemicals, polyurethane intermediates, industrial gases (Linde) and carbon products. The Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation
82-514: A large scale. The company introduced the first D cell battery in 1898. The existing National Carbon Company grew significantly in 1899. The firm "incorporated under New Jersey laws January 16, 1899 as a consolidation of the following companies engaged in the manufacture of lighting carbons, carbon brushes for generators and motors, carbon batteries, carbon diaphragms and back plates for telephones, carbons for electrolytic purposes and kindred products. The company supplied approximately 75% of
123-655: A manufacturer making both batteries and lighting products. In 1917, Union Carbide acquired National Carbon Company. From 1917 until 1921 Eveready used the trademark "DAYLO" for their flashlights and on their batteries. The American Chemical Society designated the development of the Columbia dry cell battery as a National Historic Chemical Landmark on September 27, 2005. The commemorative plaques at Energizer in Cleveland and at Energizer headquarters in St. Louis read: In 1896
164-571: A newly-built complex known as the Union Carbide Corporate Center . 270 Park Avenue later became the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase . The building was demolished and replaced with a new 1,200-foot-tall (370 m) tower serving as the consolidated headquarters for JPMorgan Chase. At 700 feet (210 m) tall, the Union Carbide Building was the tallest building in the world ever voluntarily demolished at
205-442: A possible 'runaway reaction'. Around midnight on 3 December 1984, gas was accidentally released from the plant, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals. The Government of Madhya Pradesh confirmed a total of 16,000 deaths related to the gas release. It left an estimated 40,000 individuals permanently disabled, maimed, or suffering from serious illness, making it the world's worst industrial disaster . Following
246-611: A valve failure after a buildup of pressure in a storage tank containing 500 pounds of the chemical. A company spokesman insisted that the aldicarb oxime leak "never was a threat to the community." Union Carbide's operations in Australia commenced in 1957, when it purchased the plant of the Australian-owned company Timbrol Ltd. The Timbrol factory was on the shore of Homebush Bay in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes . Homebush Bay
287-533: Is King City along U.S. Route 101 . The New Idria Mercury Mine was named in honor of the world's then second largest quicksilver mine in what was then Idria , Austria , now Idrija, Slovenia ; ( Slovene pronunciation [ĭdrija], California English pronunciation [īdria].) The town grew to support the mining operations, but the mine closed in the 1970s. The town is currently an abandoned ghost town with more than 100 standing buildings, though vandalism has contributed to their deterioration in recent years. According to
328-528: Is essentially a minieral region..." On May 30, 1974, the town and surrounding 2,000 acres were auctioned by Wershow Auctioneers, in So. San Francisco. The town has since become a ghost town. The United States Postal Service operated a post office, going by the name Idria , with the ZIP Code 95027. The post office closed on January 2, 1974. New Idria is a California Historical Landmark (#324) and home of
369-628: Is fenced-off. The New Idria Mercury Mine was initially investigated in the 1990s by the EPA , for possible inclusion on the EPA's National Priorities List, but the site did not rank high enough at that time to be listed. A site reassessment was begun in 2002, and an expanded site assessment begun in 2009, which was concluded in October 2010. In March 2011, the EPA proposed New Idria to its National Priority List. Elevated levels of mercury were found downstream of
410-465: Is normally produced using a base chemical, methyl isocyanate (MIC). Initially this plant imported MIC, but in 1979 the company decided to manufacture the ingredients on their own. They built a MIC unit within the Bhopal plant. This plant was located next to a very densely populated neighborhood, and heavily trafficked railway station. Locating it near this densely populated area was a direct violation of
451-581: Is on the Parramatta River which flows into Sydney Harbour . Tibrol produced phenol , the insecticides chlorobenzene / chlorophenol / DDT , and the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T . Union Carbide continued the production of the 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T until 1976 and chlorobenzene/chlorophenol/DDT until 1983. Union Carbide also commenced the production of bisphenol A in 1960 and phenol formaldehyde resins in 1964. Union Carbide reclaimed land on neighboring properties by depositing spent lime and ash into
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#1732782525118492-986: The Boulton Carbon Company , the National Carbon Company, the Carbon Products Division of Union Carbide , the UCAR Carbon Company, UCAR International, and is now known as GrafTech International. A division spun off in 2017, NeoGraf Solutions, LLC, retains the original National Carbon factory in Lakewood, Ohio. Notable offspring from the company include KEMET Laboratories (capacitor technologies), Cytec Industries ', Engineered Materials group (carbon fiber products), Energizer Holdings (batteries), and National Specialty Products (carbon and graphite specialty products). New Idria, California New Idria
533-486: The Eveready Battery Company , which it purchased in 1914. National Carbon was acquired in 1917 by Union Carbide . In 1894 the company began marketing Leclanché wet cells . At the same time, E. M. Jewett, was working in the company's Lakewood plant on the west side of Cleveland, under the direction of George Little. Jewett became interested in dry cells and, in his free time, conducted experiments in
574-696: The New Almaden mines in the vicinity of San Jose , about 82 miles (132 km) northwest, being the first. The discovery of mercury ore at New Idria came soon after the discovery of gold in the Sierra foothills, which began the California gold rush . At that time, mercury was important in extracting gold from gold ore. Before the New Idria and New Almaden Quicksilver Mines, the mercury came almost exclusively from Europe. The New Idria Mining Company
615-482: The US Geological Survey , both Idria (primary) and New Idria (variant) are recognized for federal use in describing the community. The community was established to support the mine, which mainly extracted mercury, since cinnabar was abundant in the local rock formations. Mercury mining at the location began in 1854. At one time, the New Idria mines were America's second most productive mines, with
656-616: The 1975 Bhopal Development Plan. This development plan posed that hazardous industries such as the MIC plant be located in a different part of the city that was further away, and downwind, from more densely populated areas. According to one of the authors of the Bhopal Development Plan, "Union Carbide India Limited's" initial application for a permit was rejected, yet the company was able to gain approval from centralized governing authorities. In 1982, Carbide's auditors had warned of
697-505: The Bhopal disaster, a faulty valve at the UC plant in Institute, West Virginia caused a large cloud of gas that injured six employees and caused almost 200 nearby residents to seek medical treatment for respiratory and skin irritation. Union Carbide blamed the leak of aldicarb oxime (made from MIC but does not contain any MIC itself), the main ingredient in the popular farm pesticide Temik , on
738-441: The National Carbon Company (corporate predecessor of Energizer) developed the six-inch, 1.5 volt Columbia battery, the first sealed dry cell successfully manufactured for the mass market. The Columbia, a carbon-zinc battery with an acidic electrolyte, was a significant improvement over previous batteries, meeting consumer demand for a maintenance-free, durable, no-spill, inexpensive electrochemical power source. Finding immediate use in
779-550: The US carbon market in the world. In 1906, National Carbon Company, which had been supplying Conrad Hubert 's American Electrical Novelty & Manufacturing Company (maker of Ever Ready flashlights and batteries ) with materials for batteries, bought half interest in the company for $ 200,000. The name was changed to The American Ever Ready Company and the trademark was shortened to Eveready . In 1914, The American Ever Ready Company became part of National Carbon Company, forming
820-555: The accident was an act of sabotage by a plant worker. The plant site has not yet been cleaned up. Hazardous chemicals can still be found in the now abandoned site. Warren Anderson , CEO at the time of the disaster, refused to answer to homicide charges and remained a fugitive from India's courts. The U.S. denied several extradition requests. Anderson died on 29 September 2014 in Florida. Seven UCC employees were convicted of criminal negligence in 2010 and fined $ 2,000 each. The year after
861-662: The adjacent marshes in Homebush Bay . This practice, which had been approved by the Maritime Services Board, ceased in 1970. Union Carbide ceased operations in Australia in 1985. In 1987, the New South Wales Pollution Control Commission ordered Union Carbide to remediate the site. This work, which cost Union Carbide $ 30 million, was conducted between 1988 and 1993. The work involved excavation and encapsulation of
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#1732782525118902-539: The company set up a chemicals division which manufactured ethylene glycol for use as automotive antifreeze . The company continued to acquire related chemical producers, including the Bakelite Corporation in 1939. The company changed its name to "Union Carbide Corporation" in 1957 and was often referred to as Carbide. It operated Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1947 to 1984. During the Cold War ,
943-580: The company was active in the field of rocket propulsion research and development for aerospace and guided missile applications, particularly in the field of chemicals and plastics, solid rocket motors , and storable liquid fuels . R&D and engineering were conducted at the Technical Center in South Charleston, West Virginia . The Aerospace Materials Department was part of the company's Carbon Products Division. Ucar batteries
984-559: The contaminated soil. In 2004, the New South Wales Minister for Planning granted consent for additional remediation of the former Union Carbide site to proceed, including parts of Homebush Bay. Approximately 900,000 tons of soil were excavated from the site, 190,000 tons of soil from the adjacent Allied Feeds site, and approximately 50,000 tons of sediment from the bay. Remediation of the Allied Feeds Site
1025-401: The early 1960s, Union Carbide Corporation began mining a newly identified outcrop of chrysotile asbestos fibers near King City and New Idria, California . These fibers were sold under the brand name "Calidria", a combination of "Cal" and "Idria", and sold in large quantities for a wide variety of purposes, including additives for joint compound or drywall accessory products. Union Carbide sold
1066-521: The incident, organizations representing the victims in Bhopal filed a U.S. $ 10 billion injury claim against Union Carbide. Additionally, the Government of India filed its own $ 3.3 billion claim against the company. Union Carbide's response was an offer in the range of $ 300-$ 350 million. In 1989 the company paid $ 470 million to the Indian government as a final settlement. Broken down, the total cost of
1107-481: The laboratory. He developed a paper-lined, 1.5 volt cylindrical dry cell which he showed to Lawrence, who gave Jewett and Little approval to begin manufacturing dry cells. The trademark "Columbia" was proposed by Nelson C. Cotabish, a sales manager at NCC. In 1896 the company marketed the first battery intended for widespread consumer use: the sealed, six-inch, 1.5 volt Columbia. NCC was the first company to successfully manufacture and distribute sealed dry cell batteries on
1148-475: The mine to its employees under the name KCAC ("King City Asbestos Mine") in the 1980s, but it only operated for a few more years. Union Carbide India Limited , owned by Union Carbide (50.9%) and Indian investors (49.1%), operated a pesticide plant in Bhopal , the capital of Madhya Pradesh . This plant was opened in 1969. The pesticides and herbicides they produced were created from a insecticide carbaryl , which
1189-482: The purchase of Carbide in 1999 for $ 8.89 billion in stock. The deal was consummated in 2001 and valued at $ 11.6 billion. The Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster took place between 1927 and 1932 in a West Virginia tunnel project led by Union Carbide. During the construction of the tunnel, workers found the mineral silica and were asked to mine it for use in electroprocessing steel. The workers were not given masks or breathing equipment to use while mining, despite best practices at
1230-400: The rapidly expanding telephone and automobile industries, the Columbia launched the modern battery industry by serving as the basis for all dry cells for the next sixty years. In 1940, the company supplied highly purified carbon for the role as nuclear graphite in nuclear fission experiments carried out by Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard . Over the years, the company has had many names:
1271-535: The settlement to Union Carbide's expenses was 43 cents per share, an amount criticized by some for its comparison to the annual report post-settlement declaring earnings per share. In that 1988 report, Union Carbide claimed to have had its best year yet, citing a record $ 4.88 earnings per share (this figure included the 43 cents per share charge from the Bhopal settlement). After the settlement, Union Carbide’s parent company divested its entire stake in UCIL. Carbide insists
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1312-592: The time. National Carbon Company The National Carbon Company was a dominant American manufacturer of batteries and lighting products in the early 20th century. It was founded in 1886 by the former Brush Electric Company executive W. H. Lawrence , in association with Myron T. Herrick , James Parmelee , and Webb Hayes , son of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes , in Cleveland , Ohio . In 1890, National Carbon merged with Thomson-Houston, Standard Carbon, and Faraday Carbon. In 1906 it invested in what became
1353-477: The time. Due to silica dust exposure, many workers developed silicosis , a debilitating lung disease. According to a marker on site, there were 109 admitted deaths. A congressional hearing placed the death toll at 476, but a book published by epidemiologist Martin Cherniack, and as stated by the U.S. National Park Service, estimated the death toll to be 764, making it America's deadliest industrial disaster. In
1394-491: The town become known as Idria. The New Idria Quicksilver Mining Company closed in 1972. In an 1871 report to the United States House of Representatives , the surveyor general of California, Sherman Day , noted "...that the country about the mine is a series of rough and precipitous mountains and hills, intersected by deep canons; that the greater portion of it is barren and unsuited for agricultural purposes; it
1435-611: The town, as well as significant levels of mercury and other heavy metals found within tailings piles on the site. The region has a long history of mining, with asbestos and chromium being mined in addition to mercury; the EPA's 2004 Risk Assessment for the nearby Clear Creek Management Area identified 86 separate abandoned mines in the vicinity. The natural rock formations in the area have been shedding asbestos-rich debris into stream valleys for millions of years The average New Idria rock contains 5-15% by volume short fiber asbestos. The 2010 edition of Rand McNally 's The Road Atlas labels
1476-443: The world's first Gould Rotary Furnace, which revolutionized ore processing technology worldwide. On July 30, 2010, a fire destroyed 13 buildings on the north side of town. In 2011, New Idria was re-listed as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site, owing to unchecked mercury run-off and contamination. As of June, 2012, the entire section of the former town site on the south side of New Idria/Clear Creek road
1517-458: Was Carbide's industrial and consumer zinc chloride battery business. The business, including Eveready and Energizer alkaline batteries , was sold to Ralston Purina in 1986, following a hostile takeover attempt. After the Bhopal disaster , Union Carbide was the subject of repeated takeover attempts. In order to pay off its debt, Carbide sold many of its most familiar brands such as Glad Trashbags and Eveready Batteries. Dow Chemical announced
1558-789: Was an unincorporated town in San Benito County, California . It was named after the New Idria Mercury Mine , which closed in 1972, resulting in a ghost town . The area is inside Area code 831 . It is included in the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District and the Panoche Elementary School District. San Benito Mountain , elevation 5,241 feet (1,597 m), is located 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southeast. The nearest city
1599-834: Was completed in August 2009, Homebush Bay sediments in August 2010, and the Union Carbide site in March 2011. The cost of the remediation work was $ 35M for the Allied Feeds site, and $ 100 million for Union Carbide site and Homebush Bay sediments. The former Union Carbide headquarters building, at 270 Park Avenue in New York City, was a 52-story modernist office building designed by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1960. The company relocated its headquarters to Danbury, Connecticut in 1983, to
1640-790: Was formed on November 1, 1917, from the merger of the Union Carbide Company founded in 1898, the National Carbon Company founded in 1886, Linde Air Products Company , a maker of liquid oxygen at Buffalo confiscated from Gesellschaft für Linde's Eismaschinen AG under the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917 , and the Prest-O-Lite company, manufacturer of calcium carbide in Indianapolis . In 1920,
1681-484: Was formed soon after the discovery of cinnabar (quicksilver ore) in the southern Diablo Range of central California in 1854. The town of New Idria began around 1857 and about 300 men were employed at the mine by 1861. The first school opened in 1867 and the New Idria Post Office opened in 1869, with Edward A. Morse as the first postmaster. In 1894, the New Idria Post Office dropped the word "New" and