On December 3, 1984, over 40 tons of lethal Methyl Isocyanate gas (MIC gas) leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India. Immediately, in the coming days after the disaster, thousands were killed. Union Carbide has never taken responsibility for cleaning up their former plant. Solar evaporation ponds, which the plant used for disposal of hazardous waste, has since mixed with Bhopal's local aquifers, contaminating its drinking water until the present day. This water contamination is affecting thousands of people in Bhopal, including many children who were not even born when the disaster occurred. In 2001, Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide. Immediately they said that they did not inherit any of Union Carbide's liability when the transaction was made, however, a company can not buy the assets of a company, with out also buying its liability, therefore Dow Chemical is now responsible for cleaning up the Bhopal site.