TOY makers use phthalates to make plastic toys supple and chewy. But the chemical also happens to be very toxic and its use in the Indian toy industry remains unregulated. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has finally drafted standards for phthalates in toys and childcare products so that their …
EXPOSURE to organic pollutants can disrupt the formation of nervous system in a foetus. This in turn may lead to neural tube defects. The disease affects over 320,000 infants worldwide every year. Earlier studies have linked organic pollutants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), from indoor coal stoves, smoking and vehicle …
About a year ago, this magazine carried a story on how lethal toys could be. I was struck by a paragraph that described how children could be ingesting chemicals when chewing a toy meant for teething children. That scary feeling came back while reading What’s gotten into us? Staying healthy …
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 …
IN 2004, residents of West Virginia, US, accused a chemical manufacturing company of contaminating drinking water supply in the region with a fluorinated organic compound. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are man-made chemicals used to produce teflon, found in countless household products like non-stick cookware, pizza and popcorn boxes. The accumulation of PFC …
Ajay and Pooja Naik lament the day they took their child for a special vaccination programme. Soon after Yathartha’s birth last year, Ajay learned that a government hospital in Indore in Madhya Pradesh was offering vaccines against many diseases, including polio, H1N1 and hepatitis, for free. What he did not …
The Supreme Court, on February 8, ordered the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to reconstitute independent scientific panels looking into the harmful effects of chemicals and toxins in carbonated beverages and other food items. The court was hearing a petition on the harmful effects of chemical additives …
Erika, who is a photographer, and myself, headed out in a boat from Fourchon, US state Louisi ana’s southernmost port. We had four co-travellers: Jonathan Henderson from non-profit Gulf Restoration Network, his friend Randy, who is a cameraman, and Craig, our fishing captain and guide. It was August 16, the …
THE air is full of volatile chemicals ranging from fragrances to toxins like carbon monoxide. A robot that could sniff out the toxin would be useful in mines and industrial units. Scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a sniffer robot using frog eggs. The researchers used oocytes, or …
PAINTERS and those working in the construction industry are at a risk of developing bladder cancer, according to a report that reviewed the case studies of 3,000 painters with bladder cancer. Bladder cancer is the ninth most common form of cancer that claims 130,000 lives a year worldwide, according to …
FOR the past five years Hyderabad has been trying to clean the Hussain Sagar Lake, separating the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The efforts suffered yet another blow on June 20 when the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) denied permission to dredge the mouths of …
The Bhopal question has one more angle: why was there so much public and media outrage over this 25-year-old issue? Why did the national media focus on this story, which till now had been consigned to the backrooms where only noisy environmental activists live? Many things, I believe, have contributed …
Cycling to work may seem the healthy option, but a study has shown that people riding in cities inhale tens of millions of toxic nanoparticles with every breath, at least five times more than drivers or pedestrians. The research showed that urban concentrations of nanoparticles, which measure just a few …
book>> Our toxic world, A guide to hazardous substances in our everyday lives • Script Aniruddha Sen Gupta • Illustrations Priya Kurian • Toxics Link and Sage • Rs 395 The Sachdevas are a typical West Delhi middle-class family. Mohanlal is an inspector of boilers in factories. Rajeshwari looks after …
What are the anthropogenic factors leading to the increase of dioxin in the environment? The biggest source of dioxin is the pulp and paper and petrochemical industries, and incinerators. The pulp and paper industry uses bleaching agents like chlorine which are major contributors of dioxin. Are the incidences of abnormalities …
