In addition to abundant and cheap labor, corporations like Union Carbide have taken advantage of lax regulations and environmental laws in places like India to produce most of their truly dangerous substances more cheaply and less safely. The United States, prodded by the rising environmental movement of the '60s and 70s, began to pass stricter, more enforceable laws and regulations to prevent leaks such as the one at Bhopal. These regulations were costly to comply with, and it was that cost that made many corporations look elsewhere for places to produce their products. Less developed Third World countries like India, eager for the jobs and revenue that come with chemical plants, welcome foreign companies with open arms, or, more precisely, with cheap labor and minimal environmental and safety regulations. A prime example of this process is the asbestos production business.
Asbestos is a highly toxic product.
The inhalation of asbestos fibers is dangerous even on a casual basis. Asbestosis, a disease that eats away at the lungs of its victims, results in a long, slow and painful death and is the normal penalty for asbestos exposure. The combined weight of safety regulations and lawsuits at one point drove Johns Manville, the major asbestos producer, to bankruptcy. Johns Manville has opened a plant in India. Without regulations, those workers in India are in severe danger of permanent damage.