Humble filter makes a comeback

Gold’s toxic legacy

EVERYONE wants to horde gold these days. But the ever increasing demand of the precious metal seems to have put people living near the gold mines at risk. A study in Karnataka has indicated that even those areas where gold mines have been shut down are heavily contaminated with arsenic.

Arsenic attack on Chittagong

Arsenic control

Double whammy

After killing its lifeline, the Bagmati, Kathmandu valley is extracting its groundwater to the last drop. But the quality of groundwater here is fast deteriorating due to lack of proper sewage disposal system and years of overexploitation, warn analysts.

Nano arsenic mop

MILLIONS in India and Bangladesh are at risk due to arsenic contaminated groundwater. Drinking such water can result in diseases like high blood pressure, abnormal thickening of skin and liver and prostate cancers. The methods to filter arsenic from drinking water are limited and costly. Commonly, alumina (aluminium oxide)-based materials like activated alumina are used to filter the contaminated water.

Renal emergency

P G Jayasingha sat on his bed with a bloated stomach. Both his kidneys had failed and he was unable to pass urine. He could not drink water despite being thirsty. His arms and legs would constantly ache and his eyesight had failed him. That was in February when Down To Earth visited him.

Arsenic eyes rice nutrients

ARSENIC accumulation in rice is something that is largely unexplored. A study has now found that the heavy metal can disrupt amino acid synthesis in the grain, a staple diet for many. This can reduce the levels of essential and non-essential amino acids found mainly in rice which are essential for a healthy life.

Arsenic just got dirtier

IT IS well-known that prolonged exposure to arsenic causes cancer, diabetes and liver damage. Now it has been found that exposure to this colourless, odourless chemical, which is widely present in the environment, may also lead to hypertension.

The new obesity