Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
Five widely used organophosphate-based pesticides have been added to the list of 17 harmful pesticides by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). As a result, international trade in these pesticides will be strictly monitored. These pesticides are methamidophos, methyl parathion, monocrotophos, parathion and …
The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal Pollution Control Board to consider all aspects of the manufacture and sale of fireworks and pass an order fixing the sound level of fireworks in the state. Burrabazar Fireworks Dealers' Association had filed a writ petition challenging the recent imposition of …
residents of the coastal port town of Koko in mid-western Nigeria are complaining of strange deaths and illnesses which, they suspect, have resulted from the poisonous chemicals that were secretly shipped to the port as part of 3,500 tonnes of toxic waste about 10 years ago. The radioactive waste including …
in the wake of a large number of complaints over the quality of blood supplied by the government and private blood banks for transfusion, a ban will be issued on professional blood donation from January 1 next year. The proposed ban is a follow up to a Supreme Court direction …
houseflies are a greater menace than earlier believed. A team of microbiologists led by Peter Grubel at St Elizabeth's Medical Centre, Boston, has found that houseflies spread a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori that causes ulcers. They transport the bacterium on their skins and intestinal tracts, and pass it from one …
the uk has more cases of asthma than any other country in Europe and is among the worst affected in the world. According to a report by the uk 's National Asthma Campaign, at least one in seven children aged under 16, and one in 25 adults suffer from asthma, …
more than 16,000 Japanese handicapped women were sterilised forcefully between 1949 and 1995. A health and welfare official admitted that these sterilisations had the approval of the Japanese government. These admissions came after 17 citizens' groups that represent women or the handicapped demanded that the ministry investigate cases of involuntary …
studies in the us show that special proteins can prevent rejection of transplanted organs in monkeys without the need of immune suppressant drugs. If the same technique applies to human, patients would not have to take long-term drugs to avoid rejection of the foreign tissue. A brief course of protein …
two anti-obesity drugs are to be withdrawn from worldwide sale amid growing evidence that they may caused heart abnormalities. The us Food and Drug Administration has said that there is "new evidence about significant side-effects'. This will mean that appetite suppressants, Adifax and Ponderax, will no longer be available in …
emergency contraception is a safe and effective method to protect women from induced abortions, according to American researchers. At present, steroid hormone pills and copper releasing intrauterine devices ( iud s) are the two emergency contraceptives mainly used by people. Among the steroidal preparations, high dose oestrogens, oestrogen-progesten combinations and …
two refrigerants being used to help protect the Earth's ozone layer may lead to liver damage in people, reveals a study. A team of researchers led by Perrine Hoet at the Catholic University of Lounin, Brussels, has confirmed cases of toxic effects in workers exposed to halogenated hydrochlorofluorocarbons, hcfc -123 …
a dangerous bacterium that can pose serious threats to human life has developed resistance to antibiotics. The bacteria, called staphylococcus, can drain through intravenous lines or get into surgical wounds and destroy skin and bones, poison blood and lead to other complications. Earlier, penicillin, an antibiotic, was able to prevent …
A recent study has confirmed the link between pollution and heart attacks. Researchers at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, say one in 50 heart attacks reported at hospitals in London may be caused by outdoor pollution. Nearly 6,000 heart attacks can be avoided every year in the UK if …
Children under five years of age should not be admitted into schools as it may lead to behavioural changes that are harmful in the long term. A team of researchers led by Michael Weitzman at the Rochester University, UK, examined 1,000 children aged eight months to four years. By the …
Increased number of hepatitis :' has been noticed in children at the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The disease is detected rarely as people become immune to hepatitis A over a period of time. Studies revealed that all the children belonged to upper class families, and …
genes play a more important role than the environment in determining mental abilities of humans, even at a mature age, say researchers from the us , the uk and Sweden. Most behavioural scientists are surprised with the findings since it had generally been accepted that an individual's experience in different …
After a journey of 10 months and about 700 million km, the US spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor successfully eased into a wide orbit of Mars about 300 km over the north pole of the planet in the early hours of September 12. The craft will map the planet's surface for …
according to a study conducted by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, many cities in Rajasthan including the state capital, Jaipur are facing severe noise pollution. Even the
among the organisms that lead to opportunistic infections in humans, Candida albicans, a yeast-like organism, is the most common fungus. Oppor-tunistic infections are caused by organisms that live very close to humans and become active only if they detect weakness in the body such as lowering of the immune surveillance. …
