The Zero Mercury Working Group (ZMWG) has been investigating mercury-added skin lightening products (SLPs) for several years, primarily due to their health risks, their illegality under many national laws, and the prohibition by the Minamata Convention on Mercury against the manufacture and trade of mercury-added SLPs, which generally became effective …
The use of Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (“CFLs”) is on the rise in Pakistan by reason of exacerbating energy crises. The CFLs contain small amount of mercury and by reason thereof the CFLs must be disposed off in the landfills without breakage, once its life span expires so as to …
The growing convergence of information, communication and entertainment has given a new impetus to the Electronics Hardware Sector which comprises mainly of four sub-sectors namely : * Industrial Electronics * Computers and peripherals ; * Communication and Broadcast Equipment ; * Strategic Electronics and Components. In India the demand for …
IT is a neurotoxin that accumulates in marine organisms and can have serious implications on human health. The toxin, monomethylmercury, is of particular concern to people whose traditional diet consists of seafood. But the source of monomethylmercury in oceans has remained uncertain. It was till now suspected that industries were …
That old computer stashed away in a corner of your home and a battery exceeding its expiry date lying around casually seem harmless enough, but this e-waste, as it is called, generated in every household and office, is in fact a source of contamination. The hazards of e-waste emanate largely …
Bioremediation is an invaluable tool box for wider application in the realm of environmental protection. Bioremediation approach is currently applied to contain contaminants in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments including air. These technologies have become attractive alternatives to conventional cleanup technologies due to relatively low capital costs and their …
Methylmercury cycling in the Pacific Ocean has garnered significant attention in recent years, especially with regard to rising mercury emissions from Asia. Uncertainty exists concerning whether increases in anthropogenic emissions over time may have caused increased mercury bioaccumulation in the biota. To address this, we measured total mercury and, for …
This report estimates the usage of Mercury (Hg) containing thermometers and sphygmomanometer in urban (government and private) and rural healthcare (community Health Centre, Primary Health Centre and Sub-centre) settings in India taking into account the “Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS)” recommended usage of these products in heathcare facilities. The breakage …
Many factors such as poverty, ineffective institutions and environmental regulations may prevent developing countries from managing how natural resources are extracted to meet a strong market demand. Extraction for some resources has reached such proportions that evidence is measurable from space. We present recent evidence of the global demand for …
MERCURY levels in the flora and fauna can be linked to the amount of ice cover present. Mercury levels in Alaska have been recorded for 20 years. A new study tracks the amounts of the metal by analysing mercury isotopes. The researchers studied eggs of a sea-bird murre. They found …
Sifting through Delhi’s municipal rubbish every day, Anwarul Shaikh and Rupa Begum often find broken CFL bulbs mixed in kitchen and other domestic waste. The compact fluorescent lamps have replaced incandescent bulbs in garbage mounds in the past couple of years, Rupa said, picking a few up. The glass tube …
MERCURY contamination in Florida’s rivers is turning a bird species homosexual. A study by the University of Florida in the US claimed that exposure to the toxic chemical made male American white ibises mate with other males—a phenomenon unknown in the species. Previous scientific studies focussed on how methylmercury—the most …
Women in many countries use cosmetic products that lighten their skin, in pursuit of “fair-skinned beauty.” Some of the products may be harmless, but others contain potentially hazardous ingredients such as inorganic mercury compounds, hydroquinone, and steroids. These products are often applied to large areas of the skin, left on …
Age-related cataracts (ARCs) are an important cause of blindness in developing countries. Although antioxidants may be part of the body's defense to prevent ARC, environmental contaminants may contribute to their pathogenesis. Elevated exposure to mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) has been reported in fish-eating populations of the lower Tapaj
This new report released by Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland highlights the top six toxic threats to global health.It ranks pollutants according to the number of people estimated to be at risk from each toxin and describes their physical nature, industries that typically cause their release, common human exposure …
IT was when the men in moon suits arrived that it really sank in. There they were, with breathing apparatus and impermeable all-in-ones, gingerly taking away the material that had been sitting for five years in an open-air scrapyard in the middle of the busiest part of town. Vegetables and …
Studies on the removal of mercury (II) - EDTA complex by adsorption on coal and coal flyash blends have been carried out at 30 degree C. The effect of various parameters on the extent of removal of Hg2+-EDTA complex has been determined.
Fish consumption is regarded as the primary pathway of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure for most people in the world. However, in the inland regions of China, most residents eat little fish, but they live in areas contaminated with mercury (Hg). To investigate salient MeHg exposure for the general adult population in …
