Zeroing in on persistent pollutants

Paints and refrigerants have chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are difficult to remove …

Beyond The Billion

If post-Independence leaders of India had ensured full literacy, a solution would have been in sight for a lot of problems. Population, for one. …

Pollution pays

Whenever the issue of how to end pollution is raised, it hits a block: technology. Take the case of air pollution: among other things, the issue …

A lost name, a vanishing ecosystem

In the Kannada language, the word kere means a man-made or natural water tank, and the word for the numeral nine is ombhatthu , pronounced …

Will liberalisation destroy the environment?

Get eight economists to discuss an issue and you'll get nine opinions. Down to Earth did precisely that. Eight noted economists were invited, …

The waste-to-energy plant violates emission norms by not using environment-friendly technologies

Since 2009, the residents of Sukhdev Vihar, a residential colony in Delhi, have been fighting against a waste-to-energy plant operated by Jindal …

Investment terror

Since the 1990s developing nations have been on a treaty spree, signing a vast number of bilateral and regional investment treaties to attract …

India's groundwater is flooded with fluoride

Fluoride is an acute toxin, with a rating slightly higher than lead. It is, in fact, one of the most bone-seeking elements known to human beings. …

How carcinogenic is your CAR?

Do you want a country full of cars? Cars cause cancer. Scientists can even measure the cancer potency levels of the cars we ride. The so-called …

The new obesity

A growing number of people are unable to shed those extra pounds despite strict diet regimes and long hours of workout. Evidence shows that the …

Secretive tribunals, hidden damages

Canadian academic Gus Van Harten is well known for his efforts to reform the global investment treaty regime through his research papers, …

India’s many investment treaties make it vulnerable

Senior international lawyer Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, who heads the investment programme of the International Institute on Sustainable …

Home they brought the poison

book>> Our toxic world, A guide to hazardous substances in our everyday lives • Script Aniruddha Sen Gupta • Illustrations Priya …

Talking heads

While medics call for more research, government officials dismiss the finding saying "private studies are not enough"

The street fight

Three years have passed since the day we released our first study on pesticides. The government reduced excise duty on soft drinks in this year's …

Wash out

In the guise of making washing easy, detergents are directing a chemical fusillade at the environment in the absence of regulation, discovers …

Molecules of death

Dioxins, which are by-products of industrial processes, are not volatile and are extremely persistent chemicals. They bioaccumulate up the food …

Nanotechnology can make plant-based food preservatives more effective

The formulation can arrest the growth of microbes at lower concentration’ It can also restrict toxin production by preventing the microbe …

After the People met

The Union ministry of home affairs wants to know: what is the Meghalaya government going to do about the 'People's Budget'?

Fungal toxins are widespread in European wheat – threatening human health and the economy

It is likely that changes in farming practices, climate change, and the dwindling effectiveness of fungicides are all contributing factors

Home truths

Most popular paints in India contain high quantities of lead, a toxin especially dangerous to children. The Centre for Science and Environment&…

Toxic Alert

In large doses, cadmium is carcinogenic. A study now shows that even chronic exposure to the heavy metal in low doses causes breast cancer. …

Wheels of pollution

No one is tracking the substantial amount of lead that escapes into the environment from car tyres

Biocontrol Backfires

South American cane toads introduced into Australia to check sugarcane pests have become a menace

Another Kasaragod

Like Kerala’s Kasaragod, neighbouring Dakshina Kannada is bearing the brunt of spraying of endosulfan. While Kasaragod grabbed media …