Talking heads

While medics call for more research, government officials dismiss the finding saying "private studies are not enough"

Popular poisons

Toxic pesticides that contaminate the soil and enter the food chain need to be replaced with non-toxic ones. But research in this area is still …

Losing the poets

What can we do to save the birds and ourselves from the chemical menace?

Indian scenario

A crippling lack of data prevents researchers from reaching conclusions

Chemical catastrophe

Pesticides can render birds sterile. Migratory birds can lose sense of direction. The recent history of the world is full of many such examples ess

The Silent killer

Pesticides kill insects. Then, they poison animals and birds. Humans are hardly out of reach

White gold rush

Despite several government programmes, cotton cultivation is riddled with problems

Deadly concoctions

Farmers are not fully aware of the consequences of using chemical pesticides

Molecules of death

Dioxins, which are by-products of industrial processes, are not volatile and are extremely persistent chemicals. They bioaccumulate up the food …

Needed: People's participation

Communities and state governments have to play a more important role

Hassan: Holding on

MRC's operations are still going on in this Karnataka district, but their fate is uncertain

Kolar: The dilemma continues

Although the MRC's work is still going on, the community remains has not been educated to continue with it

Kheda: Forgotten glory

This is where it all started. And now, there is no sign of past successes

Hardwar: Not without help

The malaria control operations have been successful only because of help from a large public sector corporation

Chennai: beginning of a new policy

New bye-laws might help in dealing with malaria

Pondichery: The gnats live on

Even the memory of initial success of bioenvironmental approach has been wiped off

Goa: Back to square one

For mysterious reasons, the state government is highly sceptical of the MRC's work

Wash out

In the guise of making washing easy, detergents are directing a chemical fusillade at the environment in the absence of regulation, discovers …

Something for parents to chew on

A few questions

Rules and renegades

Pesticide regulations in India are lax. The industry has exploited the loopholes to corrupt the system. And the government has turned a blind eye …

Don’t touch

Half the toys tested have unsafe phthalate levels

‘PESTICIDES’ IN DRUGS

Sharad Pawar’s provision for protecting test data in the Pesticides Bill could spill over into trade agreements and hit the drugs industry, too

A free ride

India and China, largest toy producer, do not regulate phthalates  

Free the air of mercury

Newly launched Minamata Convention weak on mercury released by thermal power plants