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| Arsenic
invasion |
| Arsenic
poisoning through drinking water has for a long time been associated with West Bengal.
However, researchers today are of the opinion that the phenomena could be more widespread.
Latest reports from Ballia in Uttar Pradesh indicate that millions more might be at risk
of arsenic poisoning |
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| Sixty-one year old Dinanath
Singh of Ekawana Rajpur village in Ballia district, Uttar Pradesh, suffers from skin
cancer. His left foot has a lacerating wound from which blood and pus continuously ooze.
His body is covered with black and white spots (lesions). Two fingers of his left hand had
to be amputated after they had developed ulcers. His blood report showed 34.40 parts per
billion (ppb) of arsenic, as against the reference limit of mere one to four ppb.
"Presence of such high levels of arsenic in blood is an indication of chronic exposure," remarked Neena Khanna, a
professor in the dermatology department of |
 |
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, where
Dinanath sought medical advice.
Almost every house in the village has the same nightmare to relate. All the 100-odd
villagers suffer from skin lesions (known as melanosis — the first stage of
arsenicosis (arsenic poisoning). In some, skin of the palms and feet has turned rough, dry
and thick (keratosis) and few others suffer from breathlessness. And that’s not all.
Arsenic seems to have pervaded far and wide, with several villages in the neighbourhood
also reeling under similar alarming health consequences.
 |
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Clear vision
It is possible to control the spread of
trachoma—a disease that results in blindness—by adopting sustainable sanitation
measures. Trachoma, a conjunctival infection, is caused by Chlamydia
trachomatis and is responsible for 15 per cent of all blindness worldwide...
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| BRIEFS |
|
Hello…anyone
listening?
Be careful the next time you say hello in your mobile phone. You might be exposing
yourself to the risk of cancer or brain cell damage or Alzheimer’s disease...
|
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| CAMPAIGN |
|
Health for
All
Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), a campaign launched recently,
aims at checking unethical and exploitative medical practices in India. Its activities
include policy-level interventions for right to healthcare, primary healthcare,
women’s health issues, child health and malnutrition, privatisation of health
services, indigenous medicine, folk healing traditions and mental health issues...
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| BOOKS |
|
Since 1981, when acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS) was first reported in the US, the disease has spread widely, affecting almost all
the countries world over...
More... |
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| PRODUCT WATCH |
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Pesti cola:
Everything is official about it now
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