The Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers presented its report on ‘Insecticides and Pesticides – Promotion and Development including Safe Usage – Licensing Regime for Insecticides’ on December 19, 2023. Pesticides are broadly of four types: insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and bio-pesticides. Herbicides kill/control the growth of weeds, and have the …
weed killer ban: On July 11, the European Union's Court of First Instance at Luxembourg struck down an authorisation for the use of the pesticide paraquat issued by the Commission of European Communities (CEC). The court criticised CEC for poor health and safety assessments as it allowed the toxic chemical …
An international consortium of scientists recently emphasised on the irreversible harm that toxic chemicals can cause to foetuses and infants. The consensus was reached at the International Conference on Foetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity held in May at the north Atlantic Faroe Islands. Over 200 experts came out with the
Some farmers in China are taking advantage of confusing rules to falsely label food The word "wholesome" doesn't exactly spring to mind when describing Chinese exports these days. But for years now, Chinese farmers have fed soaring global demand for organic foods. China's organic exports totaled $350 million in 2005 …
pesticides have so far been touted as protectors of plants. For the first time, a new research says some of them may actually be harming the very crops they are supposed to protect. Reason: many of them cut off the communication between crops and nitrogen fixing bacteria and are a …
Afghanistan is once again under pressure from the us government to implement a controversial counter-narcotics plan for eradication of its poppy fields. As per the us plan, Afghanistan should spray poppy fields with a crop-killing herbicide, much as is done with coca in Colombia, and develop new sources of income …
for 18 years now, scientists have discussed the reasons for the global decimation of amphibian populations. The cause list has been expanding: from pesticides, to new diseases, to climate change that exacerbates both. But there is little confusion on what's driving nature's hardiest, most adaptive creatures to the brink. Mounting …
A solid phase extraction and gas chromatography with negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry in scan mode (GC-NCI-MS) method was developed to identify and quantify for the first time low levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) in plasma samples of less than 100 ?l from wild birds. The method detection limits ranged …
flyash, the notorious waste product of coal-based thermal power plants, known for its ill effects on agricultural land, may now come as an aid for the farming community. Scientists of Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, have developed flyash-based herbal pesticide with turmeric, neem, eucalyptus, pepper and chilli dust and found them …
cell phone Ban: In a ruling on May 7, 2007, the Supreme Court of the State of New York supported the department of education's (DOE's) ban on the use of cell phones in schools. Eight parents had sued the city calling the ban "irrational and unsafe'. They claimed it intruded …
Pesticide Sector comprises many processing units which adopt different technologies, equipments, unit process and unit operations for manufacturing various products. The manufacturing processes lead to generation of a wide spectrum of air pollutants, mainly inorganic hazardous air pollutants. Some of these pollutants are toxic, responsible for damage of materials and …
Vulture conservation in India is in a state of flux. The only point that researchers agree on is that it is absolutely vital but there is no consensus on how to go about it. There is a dispute regarding vulture censuses, the causes for their decline and even the measures …
function open_new_popwin() { newwd=window.open('photo/photo_gallery.htm','','height=570,width=550,scrollbars=yes'); newwd.moveTo(250,75); } Clipped Wings In Uttar Pradesh's Etawah and Mainpuri regions, a newly-married couple is shown a pair of sarus cranes (Grus antigone). The elegant birds which mate for life are revered by people here. Sighting a pair of the cranes bodes well for marital bliss, …
Major recommendations of Ganguly panel: >> Maximum residue limit (MRL) of 1 ppb for an individual pesticide >> MRL to apply initially to eight pesticides, including HCH, DDT, chlorpyriphos, malathion and endosulfan, for three years >> Data on consumption pattern of soft drinks to be generated >> Consumption data on …
the 2007 Union budget has brushed representations for tax reliefs from the pesticide industry. While environmental groups are relieved, pesticide manufacturers have criticised the government's position. In a pre-budget memorandum, pesticide manufacturers had demanded that excise duty be reduced from the existing 16 per cent to 8 per cent and …
tackling pests could just get easier. Helicoverpa Armigera Nuclear Polyhedral virus (hanpv), a microbial insecticide, has so far failed to tackle the Helicoverpa armigera or bollworm, a pest that attacks cotton, redgram, tomato, chillies and other horticultural crops. A new study has, however, found a method to make hanpv effective …
On February 15, 2007, the Supreme Court refused to grant interim relief to the Kerala government, which had challenged a high court order quashing a ban on the sale of cola products in the state. A bench comprising justices A R Lakshman and Altmas Kabir issued notices to Indian cola …
on february 13, 2007, Dow Chemical Co was fined us $325,000 by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (sec) on bribery charges against one of its Indian subsidiaries, De-Nocil. Dow wholly owns De-Nocil, which was rechristened Dow AgroSciences India Pvt Ltd on January 13, 2005. According to sec, De-Nocil …
