Science and Technology - Briefs

ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES Making waves

Letters - March 15, 2013

A seductive mirage We at Auroville Consulting have closely followed the “crashing down” of solar prices as mentioned in the editorial, “Clouds over solar” (January 16-31, 2013), and would like to share a few observations.

Wake up and smell the air

Our health is not on anybody’s agenda. Or, we just don’t seem to make the connections between the growing burden of disease and the deteriorating condition of our environment. We don’t really believe the science, which tells us each passing day how toxins affect our bodies, leading to high rates of both morbidity and mortality.

India’s Minamata

Saraju Nisha sits at the door of her house, about 500 metres from a mountain of coal mine waste in Chilika Daad village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district. The 60-year-old former miner is in deep pain.

Avoid the din

LIVING in a house on a noisy highway can give you more than a headache. The constant din from the traffic can make you prone to heart attack.

Science and Technology - Briefs

Chemistry From nature’s basket

Heart-friendly

NOT all trans fats are bad for health. At least not the natural ones found in ghee, butter and cheese. Scientists have found that naturally occurring trans fats in milk and meat products obtained from ruminant animals like cows and buffaloes do not increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases the way industrial trans fats do.

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.

Pray before you spray

LOVE to sweeten the air in your room with fresheners? Beware. A study has found that people who use air fresheners or other household cleaning products which contain aerosol propellants, formaldehyde, as little as once a week, experience reduced heart rate variability (HRV)—a condition linked to heart attack and high blood pressure.

Science and Technology - Briefs

Plant sciences Agent orange & its ruby