India a mercury hotspot
at a time when most countries are phasing out mercury, India has donned the dubious mantle of the world’s toxic capi tal. Its import of elemental mercury doubled from 254 tonnes in 1996 to 531 tonnes in 2002, making it the biggest consumer of the hazardous element across the globe.
The shocking fact was brought to light by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (cse) at its recently held ‘Conference on Mercury Pollution in India’. “Mercury contamination is spiralling in India, with high levels of the substance being detected in groundwater and fish. Whereas the import of elemental mercury has doubled over the past seven years, that of organomercury compounds has increa sed 1,500 times,” disclosed Chandra Bhushan, the associate director of cse’s industry and environment unit. Worse still, most of this mercury remains unregulated, posing a threat to human health as well as the environment, he added while speaking during the meet.
The highly toxic element serves as a raw material for various industrial sectors in India. One of its most common applications is in mercury-cell based chlor alkali plants. Apart from this, it is used in pesticides, batteries, electrical and electronic gadgets, thermometers, dental amalgam fillings, paints, etc. Another major source is coal utilised in thermal power plants. Indian coal contains 0.01-1.1 parts per million of mercury and burning it leads to the release of the element. According to cse estimates, close to 75 tonnes of mercury is discharged annually due to this process.
When all this mercury is released into the environment, it causes serious health problems. In this regard, J S Chopra, professor emeritus, department of neurology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, made a significant observation at the conference. He pointed out that even according to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level of mercury for humans. Mercury is a known neurotoxicant. Exposure to it can cause a rash of complications: from irritability, and speech and visual impairment, to hypospermia, kidney failure and Alzheimer’s disease.
Despite these known risks, India has displaced the us as the ‘world leader’ in mercury consumption. The total mercury use in the us stood at 346 tonnes in 1997-1998, while India’s was 245 tonnes. But us Geological Survey reports indicate that usa is weaning itself off the toxic element. India, on the contrary, is headed in the opposite direction, its consumption level skyrocketing to 1,386 tonnes in 2002-2003.
The Union ministry of commerce and industry’s latest figures pertaining to the import of mercury and its compounds make this trend abundantly clear (see table). The data has been collated by the Kolkata-based Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics. There has been a growth in the inflow of mercury-based products, too. For instance, the number of mercury vapour lamps recorded an alarming rise