Chemicals provide important benefits to society and play a vital role in the global economy, but they also carry risks for the environment and human health, with greater risks to vulnerable social groups. Chemicals can contaminate soil, air and water and can damage biodiversity, and human exposure to chemicals is …
After trekking nearly two hours through dense jungle, Brazilian environmental special forces burst into a clearing where the trees had been sawn and a muddy crater dug: an illegal gold mine on indigenous land in the heart of the Amazon. The miners and gold were already gone, scattered by the …
Scientists say tube-shaped microbots may be an effective and economical way to clean up our water. Vast swarms of miniature robots are coming — and they might be the answer to scrubbing our waters clean of lead. “Microbots” smaller than the width of a human hair could be highly effective …
Kodaikkanal, India, suffered mercury contamination due to emissions and waste from a thermometer factory. Kodai Lake is situated to the north of the factory. The present study determined mercury in waters, sediment and fish samples and compared the values with those from two other lakes, Berijam and Kukkal. Total mercury …
A cross-sectional epidemiological survey of 255 individuals (130 current permanent employees, 64 contract workers, 55 ex-employees and 6 scrap dealers) coupled with a retrospective cohort study of the occupational health of 290 employees (all permanent employees who ever worked in the factory over a span of 15 years) was conducted …
This brochure summarizes the interim results of UNDP’s work in protecting human health and the environment from mercury in support of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, illustrates linkages with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and charts the way forward. UNDP currently supports 42 countries with a GEF mercury portfolio of $22 …
CHENNAI: With Hindustan Unilever and the workers of its erstwhile thermometer factory in Kodaikanal finally reaching an agreement, the focus has now shifted to the other major concern – cleaning up mercury from the factory site. Going by the draft guidance document for assessment and remediation of contaminated sites in …
A month after it hobbled the Obama administration’s signature regulation on climate change, the Supreme Court declined Thursday to block a different air-pollution rule that seeks to cut toxic emissions from the nation’s power plants. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. rejected a request to stay the Mercury and Air …
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) affects the tropospheric concentrations of many trace gases. Here we investigate the ENSO influence on mercury concentrations measured in the upper troposphere during Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrumented Container flights and at ground at Cape Point, South …
There is a high sediment mercury levels in Artic which is more prone for pollution in the region, a recent study has revealed. The study was conducted on 'Kongsfjorden', one of the Fjord located at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, by a group of researchers from Kottayam Kerala' School of Environmental Sciences affiliated …
HA NOI (VNS) — Many industrial zones nationwide failed to operate their waste treatment systems properly and have dumped large amounts of industrial waste with high levels of toxic chemicals into the environment, according to Dr Le Trinh, from Viet Nam Environmental Science and Development Institute. Trinh said industrial waste …
Draft Scheme for Control Mechanism of Mercury contained Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) as per the Hon'ble National Green Tribunal Order dated 01.12.2015 in OA No. 188/2014 in the matter of Toxics Links Vs. Union of India and others. In OA No. 188/2014, an affidavit dated 04.01.2016 on behalf of the …
BOGOTA – The Colombian national ombudsman’s office said that even as the Andean nation suffers a drought, illegal mining activity annually contaminates 13 billion liters (3.4 billion gallons) of water with substances such as mercury and cyanide. Inspectors found those and other toxins in water in rural areas of Bolivar, …
Long-term exposure to fine particles (particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm; PM2.5) has been consistently linked to heart and lung disease. Recently, there has been increased interest in examining the effects of air pollution on the nervous system, with evidence showing potentially harmful effects on neurodegeneration. The researchers objective was to …
Workers at coal-based power plants in Delhi are suffering from asthma, bronchitis, or TB; industries account for 11 per cent of Delhi’s air pollution. or 34-year-old Mahesh Raja the easiest way to keep respiratory problems at bay is to eat a piece of “jaggery”. He picked up this remedy while …
Seasonal variation in the distribution of heavy metals in surface waters of Pulicat lake, Tamil Nadu, India was assessed from January 2011 to December 2012. Variation of heavy metals was maximum during summer and minimum during monsoon. The heavy metals investigated were nickel, copper, zinc, chromium, cadmium, mercury, lead and …
Researchers have discovered a compound that can reverse environmental mercury (a heavy metal) poisoning by converting it from a highly toxic, volatile and soluble organic form (as a pollutant) into a comparatively safe, inert and stable form that renders it harmless and insoluble. The finding is published in an international …
From 2017, thermal power plants across India will have to cut particulate matter emissions by as much as 40 per cent and reduce their water consumption by nearly a third according to this notification by the Union Ministry Of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & …
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Notification on Environmental Protection, 22/12/2015. Comments were received from different stakeholders including general public on the draft notification on Standards for Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) issued in April, 2015 under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Standards for TPPs were finalized also considering the …
Due to a lack of regulation, the use of mercury reached an alarming level in Bangladesh increasing health risks and environment pollution, said experts at a workshop yesterday. The speakers emphasised raising awareness about a stop to the use of the harmful liquid metal and its proper management at the …
A U.S. appeals court said on Tuesday Obama administration regulations limiting emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants can remain in effect while the government revises the rules in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling. In a brief order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia …
