Hydrochemistry of Wet Atmospheric Precipitation Over an Urban Area in Northern Indo-Gangetic Plains

Rain water samples were collected to study the chemical composition of wet atmospheric precipitation (first event) over the Lucknow city in the northern Indo-gangetic alluvial plains. The samples were collected in the month of July, 2005 from different sites. The wet precipitation samples were analyzed for pH, EC, major ions (, Cl⁻, , , , F⁻, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, ) and heavy metals (As, Cd, Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Hg, Pb, Se, Sn, Ti, V, Zn). The pH values of wet precipitation samples ranged between 6.5 and 8.7. The analysis of linear regression applied to the set of studied variables and computation of neutralization factors showed that neutralization occurred in precipitation samples and Ca²⁺ had the maximum neutralization capacity. It was found that Cl⁻, , Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ in the precipitation samples originated mainly from crustal/anthropogenic sources in the region. On an average Fe, and Al accounted for >72% of the total concentration of trace metals in the wet precipitation samples followed by Zn (>10%). Enrichment factors calculated for heavy metals over reference background level in seawater and Earth’s crust showed relatively higher enrichment of Zn. The principal component analysis (PCA) identified the possible sources of ionic species and heavy metals in the wet precipitation samples.     

Haematological changes in fluorotic adults and children in fluoride endemic regions of Gaya district,Bihar, India

Groundwater used for drinking and cooking was analysed for fluoride (F), and health surveys were conducted in Bodh Gaya, Amas and Bankebazaar blocks of the Gaya district, Bihar, India. Amas and Bankebazaar blocks were F endemic areas with mean F = 2.36 ± 0.23 mg/L (N = 27). Bodh Gaya was considered as control area with mean F = 0.59 ± 0.03 mg/L (N = 11). Health survey showed that more than 50 % of adults and more than 55 % of children had complaints of gastro-intestinal (GI) disturbances in the F endemic areas, while less than 20 % of adults and less than 10 % of children complained of GI problems in the control areas. Haematological analyses were conducted on age- and sex-matched fluorotic subjects (N = 93) of F endemic areas, and non-fluorotic subjects (N = 52) of control area showed lowered haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration in the fluorotic subjects, suggesting the occurrence of anaemia in the fluorotic subjects.     

Study on assessment of slope stability and mixed disposal of overburden in voids of Singrauli Coalfield

The mining industry can be considered the backbone of the Indian economy as well as facilitating the power that drives most of the other industries in the company. The overburden and waste rocks produced during coal mining are major concerns in regard to the amount of land that is required for their disposal, as well as the stability of dumps for these materials, which are of increasing height. Land reclamation issues are also a concern. In this work the adverse impacts caused by the dumping of overburden on land and acidic mine water on water bodies is discussed. Remote sensing tools were used along with the laboratory experimentation to assess the various impacts. This study also shows that silt released from waste dumps, can affected the angle of repose of the overburden dump slope. The angle of repose of the overburden materials varies with particle size composition. Thus, use of in‐pit crushers in large opencast mining operations can effectively reduce the area locked under the waste dumps. The acid neutralization potential of fly ash and overburden for the treatment of acid water was tested in the laboratory by using fly ash and waste rock materials on acidic coalfield water. The results are encouraging, and fly ash may prove to be a good acid neutralizer when used in conjunction of coal overburden material.     

Effect of excess fluoride ingestion on human thyroid function in Gaya region,Bihar, India

Fluoride (F) is mainly ingested through drinking water and food. In addition to producing dental and skeletal fluorosis, excess fluoride may affect the functioning of many organs including the thyroid gland. The present study investigated the thyroid function of subjects with dental fluorosis from F-endemic areas of Gaya region, Bihar, India and compared it with control individuals from Bodh Gaya. The mean F concentration in groundwater of F-endemic area was 2.82 ± 0.18 mg/L (range 0.62–7.2 mg/L), while that of control area was 0.49 ± 0.04 mg/L (range 0.21–0.76 mg/L). Abnormal levels of T3, T4, and TSH were found in the study subjects from both control and F-endemic areas.     

Paternal factors in recurrent pregnancy loss: an insight through analysis of non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism in human testis-specific chaperone HSPA2 gene

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Heat shock protein A2 (HSPA2) is a testis-specific molecular chaperone of the 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) family and reported to play a key role...     

Variation of Aulacoseira granulata as an eco-pollution indicator in subtropical large river Ganga in India: a multivariate analytical approach

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Aulacoseira granulata (Ehrenberg) Simonsen 1979 are considered as the eco-variable species which varies in density and diversity along with their...     

Synergy of Sentinel-2A and Near-proximal sensor data for deriving biochemical parameters of paddy at different growth stages

Environment, Development and Sustainability - The biochemical parameters (i.e. chlorophyll and nitrogen content) of crops are essential to evaluate the health status and to monitor crop growth. The...