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 …
Compact fluorescent lamps have emerged as a viable option to sharply reduce the energy demand for lighting. They are now manufactured by the millions, and the production base is bound to expand as official agencies and State governments scale up plans to replace existing lamps with CFLs. Besides saving power, …
NEW DELHI: High levels of mercury found in fish could prove detrimental to health, according to a new study carried out by the non-government organisation Toxics Link in association with Disha. The survey was carried out on fish collected from Kolkata and other locations in West Bengal during 2007-08. The …
After coming out with report on how trans fats in vegetable oils were serious health risk, the Centre for Science and Environment says the energy-saving CFL bulbs also leads to a serious health hazard as the disposal of mercury involved in its manufacturing is not being regulated. The CSE has …
Mercury is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants, both in its elemental form and in chemical combination. When mercury is released into the environment it gets transformed into methyl mercury through microbial action. The methylation of mercury is a key step in the entrance of mercury into food chains. …
The EU offers a solution to disposal and recycling of CFLs. Under its Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive of 2005, it is the responsibility of the manufacturer to collect and recycle the spent bulbs. Collection of these bulbs can take place at the point of sale or at e-waste …
Industry reluctant, regulators lax The only hiccup in implementing a wide scale, cfl -based energy-saving programme in India is mercury, a small but essential component of the lamp. Mercury is a proven neurotoxin. Inhaling mercury vapours can severely damage the respiratory tract. Sore throat, coughing, pain or tightness in the …
The current, continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) has included blood mercury (BHg) and fish/shellfish consumption since it began in 1999. NHANES 1999
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries, GOI, has declared 2008-09 as Food safety and Quality Year. Food safety implies absence or safe levels of various of kinds of contaminants. Sources of food contamination include harmful chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives, colouring agents, additives, adulterants etc. Food contamination leads of life-threatening …
Technical guidelines for environmentally sound mercury management in flouroscent lamp sector by the CPCB. These guidelines are applicable, in principle, to other mercury-bearing lamps, as well. Mercury-bearing lamps (fluorescent, compact fluorescent, mercury vapor, sodium vapor and metal multi-vapors and mixed) use mercury as a vital component for their functioning. Mercury …
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are about 75% more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs and last 10 times longer, and thus have quickly become a modern-day environmental icon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 290 million CFLs were sold in 2007. But CFLs do have one dim …
In India, mining is one of the main economic activities since time immemorial, giving rise to a long historical tradition of artisanal mining. As modern mining rose during the colonial occupation, artisanal mining activities began to be overlooked and this great tradition became obscure. This invisibility, added with confusion with …
energy-starved Sri Lanka has levied a tax on incandescent bulbs of over 40 watts and soon plans to ban the import and manufacture of bulbs of 75 watts and above. The target is to completely ban the se bulb by 2010. Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (sea) hopes the move …
Kalpakkam to monitor the seasonal variation in mercury (Hg) concentration. The Hg level (dissolved + acid leachable) ranged from 3 to 50 ppb for surface and 1.5 to 47.9 ppb for bottom-water samples, yielding an annual average concentration of 20.42
The water inflow in the Indus River system has dropped to an alarming level of 281,000 cusecs per day from 500,000 recorded last week, and Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has asked the provinces to submit revised water requisitions by Wednesday, sources said on Monday. The authority would start providing …
Exposure to toxic methylmercury (MeHg) through fish consumption is a large problem worldwide, and it has led to governmental recommendations of reduced fish consumption and blacklisting of mercury-contaminated fish. The elimination kinetics of MeHg varies greatly among individuals. Knowledge about the reasons for such variation is of importance for improving …
Health Canada, a drug and health regulatory body, has once again said some Ayurvedic products may contain high levels of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury and arsenic. Saying these medicines may pose serious health risks, the Canadian regulator has asked people to exercise caution while purchasing them. The move …
