Indoor air pollution and women’s health in India: an exploratory analysis

Cooking and heating with solid fuels (wood, charcoal, crop waste, dung, coal etc) generates high levels health damaging pollutants in the home. This study is designed to test whether easy availability of cheap harmful fuels, income stratificatiom within society and awareness regarding negative health impact, causes tuberculosis and asthma, among adult married female respondents, along with profiles of their fuel selection. An empirical exercise, by applying binary logistic model and multivariate regression model, has been carried out using Third National Family Health Survey data conducted in India during 2005–2006. The results of binary logistic model indicate that with easy availability of biomass fuels, respondents are more prone to their usage. Therefore, availability/supply of least polluting cooking fuel may be ensured in reducing the level of IAP to eradicate IAP-related disease affecting most adversely the women. So easy availability and low cost of cleaner cooking fuel should get the priority in the policy criteria of the government.     

Exploring the therapeutic potential of omega-3 fatty acids in depression

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Omega-3 fatty acids have been acknowledged for their number of holdings on an individual’s health. Not only in physical valuation but also in...     

Targeting NLRP3 inflammasome as a chief instigator of obesity,contributing to local adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Inflammasome activity plays a vital role in various non-microbial disease states correlated with prolonged inflammation. NLRP3 inflammasome function...     

Dynamics and quantification of dissolved heavy metals in the Mahanadi river estuarine system,India

Dynamics of heavy metals such as Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Pb, and Cd in surface water of Mahanadi River estuarine systems were studied taking 31 different stations and three different seasons. This study demonstrates that the elemental concentrations are extremely variable and most of them are higher than the World river average. Among the heavy metals, iron is present at highest concentration while cadmium is at the least. The spatial pattern of heavy metals suggests that their anthropogenic sources are possibly from two major fertilizer plants and municipal sewage from three major towns as well as agricultural runoff. The temporal variations for metals like Fe, Cu, and Pb exhibit higher values during the monsoon season, which are related to agricultural runoff. Concentrations of Ni, Pb, and Cd exceed the maximum permissible limits of surface water quality in some polluted stations and pose health risks. Dissolved heavy metals like Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, and Pb exhibit a non-conservative behavior during estuarine mixing, while Zn, Cu, and Co distribution is conservative. Distribution of cadmium in the estuarine region indicates some mobilization which may be due to desorption. The enrichment ratio data suggest that various industrial wastes and municipal wastes contribute most of the dissolved metals in the Mahanadi River. The Mahanadi River transports 18.216 × 10³ t of total heavy metals into the Bay of Bengal and the calculated rate of erosion in the basin is 128.645 kg km^− 2 year^− 1.     

Effect of heavy metals on earthworm activities during vermicomposting of municipal solid waste.

The effect of heavy metals on the activities of earthworm species Eudrillus eugineae was studied during vermicomposting of municipal solid waste (MSW) spiked with heavy metals. The activities of earthworms, in terms of growth and biomass production and number of cocoons produced, were monitored periodically, and the concentration of heavy metals in earthworms and substrates was determined at definite intervals. Laboratory-scale experiments were performed by mixing individual heavy metals in MSW. Copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, and zinc were selected for the study. The study concludes that heavy metals tend to accumulate in the body of earthworms; hence, the inherent concentration of heavy metals in the substrate before vermicomposting must be considered in view of composting of MSW and its application to soil. It was observed that copper and cadmium were toxic for the worms at 1.5 and 0.1 g/kg of the waste, respectively. The studies also suggest that earthworms are susceptible to the free form of heavy metals. Cadmium is the most toxic metal, followed by copper. Based on the investigation and observation, it was also found that earthworms should be separated from castings before the use of castings in soil amendments.     

Enrichment and isolation of endosulfan degrading and detoxifying bacteria

In the present study, degradation of endosulfan by a mixed culture isolated from a pesticide-contaminated soil was studied in batch experiments. After two weeks of incubation, the mixed culture was able to degrade 73% and 81% of alpha and beta endosulfan respectively. Endodiol was identified by GC/MS as degradation intermediate. The toxicity studies of endosulfan before and after degradation were carried out using micronucleus assay on human polymorphonuclear cells. The findings suggested that the metabolism of endosulfan isomers by the mixed culture was accompanied by significant reduction in the toxicity. Studies were also carried out to quantify the degradation potential of the individual species in the mixed bacterial culture. Two cultures identified by 16S rRNA as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Rhodococcus erythropolis were found to be responsible for majority of the degradation by the mixed culture. S. maltophilia showed better degradation efficiency compared to that by R. erythropolis. This is the first report of endosulfan degradation using the above-mentioned organisms.     

L-asparaginase and L-glutaminase activities in submerged rice soil amended with municipal solid waste compost and decomposed cow manure

The field study was conducted to evaluate the effect of municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) as a soil amendment on L-asparaginase (LA) and L-glutaminase (LG) activities. Experiments were conducted during the wet seasons of 1997, 1998 and 1999 on rice grown under a submerged condition, at the Agriculture Experimental Farm, Calcutta University at Baruipur, West Bengal, India. The treatments consisted of control, no input; MSWC, at 60 Kg N ha(- 1); well-decomposed cow manure (DCM), at 60 Kg N ha(- 1); MSWC (30 Kg N ha(- 1)) + Urea (U) (30 Kg N ha(- 1)); DCM (30 Kg N ha(- 1)) + U (30 Kg N ha(- 1)) and Fertilizer, (at 60:30:30 NPK kg ha(- 1)) through urea, single superphosphate and muriate of potash respectively). LA and LG activities alone and their ratio with organic-C (ratio index value, RIV), straw and grain yield were higher in DCM than MSWC-treated soils, due to higher amount of biogenic organic materials like water-soluble organic carbon, carbohydrate and mineralizable nitrogen in the former. The studied parameters were higher when urea was integrated with DCM or MSWC, compared to their single applications. The heavy metals in MSWC did not detrimentally influence the above-measured activities of soil. In the event of long term MSWC application, changes in soil quality parameters should be monitored regularly, since heavy metals once entering into soil persist over a long period.     

Assessment of the impact of pesticide residues on microbiological and biochemical parameters of tea garden soils in India

The main aim of this study was to assess the impact of pesticidal residues on soil microbial and biochemical parameters of the tea garden soils. The microbial biomass carbon (MBC), basal (BSR) and substrate induced respirations (SIR), β -glucosidase activity and fluorescein diacetate hydrolyzing activity (FDHA) of six tea garden soils, along with two adjacent forest soils (control) in West Bengal, India were measured. The biomass and its activities and biochemical parameters were generally lower in the tea garden soils than the control soils. The MBC of the soils ranged from 295.5 to 767.5 μ g g^{? 1}. The BSR and SIR ranged from 1.65 to 3.08 μ g CO₂-C g^{? 1} soil h^{? 1} and 3.08 to 10.76 μ g CO₂-C g^{? 1}h^{? 1} respectively. The β -glucosidase and FDHA of the soils varied from 33.3 and 76.3 μ g para-nitrophenol g^{? 1} soil h^{? 1} and 60.5 to 173.5 μ g fluorescein g^{? 1}h^{? 1}respectively. The tea garden soils contained variable residues of organophosphorus and organochlorine pesticides, which negatively affected the MBC, BSR, SIR, FDHA and β -glucosidase activity. Ethion and chlorpyriphos pesticide residues in all the tea garden soils varied from 5.00 to 527.8 ppb and 17.6 to 478.1 ppb respectively. The α endosulfan, β endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate pesticide residues in the tea garden soils ranged from 7.40 to 81.40 ppb, 8.50 to 256.1 ppb and 55 to 95.9 ppb respectively. Canonical correlation analysis shows that 93% of the total variation was associated with the negative impact of chlorpyriphos, β and α endosulfan and endosulfan sulfate on MBC, BSR and FDHA. At the same time ethion had negative impact on SIR and β -glucosidase. Data demonstrated that the pesticide residues had a strong impact on the microbial and biochemical components of soil quality.     

Why did the project fail to achieve its objectives in some villages? The experience of the Upland Settlement Project (USP) in Bangladesh

By sampling an upland settlement project (USP) village, this study examined why the project failed to achieve the planned objectives in some villages, and what livelihood strategies villagers (planters) have adopted to sustain their livelihoods. The paper uses data obtained by qualitative and quantitative methods. The USP was formulated with the objectives of settling 50 landless and marginal tribal families in a project village and introducing agroforestry and rubber plantations for short- and long-term socioeconomic development of planters, in a participatory manner. There are now only 15 planters in the project village and, although agroforestry has progressed well, only 30 to 40% of poor quality rubber trees remain. Planter participation in project activities was limited to wage labour, indicating that the USP failed to adequately achieve all its proposed objectives. In the face of project failure, planters have adopted diversified strategies to maintain their livelihoods. Several shortcomings caused failure of the project, such as the inability of project staff members to organize planters, failure to create awareness among planters about project benefits, lack of regular project money disbursement, sociocultural ignorance, and lack of social capital among planters. Recommendations are made for securing effective participation of local people to assure successful and sustainable project outcomes. Lessons learned will be helpful in formulating future development programmes in this country and elsewhere.