ENVIRONEWS - isebindia.comisebindia.com/environews/oct_03.pdf · I Government College, University...

ENVIRONEWS, OCTOBER 2003 1

ENVIRENVIRENVIRENVIRENVIRONEWSONEWSONEWSONEWSONEWSINTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL BOTANISTS

NewsletterLUCKNOW (INDIA) VOL 9 No 4 OCTOBER, 2003

l Informative news, views and popular articles/write-ups on current environmental researches/issues are invited for publicationin ENVIRONEWS.

l Environews is published quarterly on the first of January/April/July/October; and is supplied free to all members of ISEB.l Environews is also supplied in exchange for scientific literature published by reputed organisations.l All correspondence should be addressed to : The Secretary, International Society of Environmental Botanists, National

Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow-226 001 (India).

IN THIS ISSUE

ISEB Executive ................. 01

Letters ............................... 02

News Flash ....................... 03

Peer Review? What? And Why?by S.V. Kuupa ................... 04

Plastics Recycling and theneed for Bio-polymers, byAlmitra H. Patel ............... 06

Biotechnology : Past, Presentand Futureby Lalji Singh ................... 08

News and Views ............... 09

Books ................................ 11

Forthcoming Conferencesand Seminars .................... 11

Killing the High end KillerSunita Narain ................... 12

ISEB Executive CouncilISEB Executive CouncilISEB Executive CouncilISEB Executive CouncilISEB Executive CouncilA meeting of the Executive Council of International Society of Environmental Botanists was held at the National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow onSeptember 12, 2003. Dr. P. Pushpangadan, President ISEB & Director NBRI presidedover the meeting and conducted the proceedings.

At the outset, Dr. K.J. Ahmad, Secretary ISEB presented his report in which hebriefed the members about the ongoing activities of the Society and steps being takento further improve its working and increase its reach at the global level. Dr. PrakashChandra, the Treasurer, in his report, sought members’ cooperation in putting financialstatus of the Society on a sound and firm footing, as there was severe resource crunch.Dr. R.D. Tripathi, Convener Publications Committee (Proceedings ICPEP-2), informedthe members that reviewing and editorial work of the publication is proceeding at abrisk pace and the manuscript of the publication was expected to be press ready bythe end of December 2003.

Prof. C. K. Varshney’s suggestion to celebrate World Wetland Day in February2003 in collaboration with Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India wasaccepted by E.C. Professors H. N. Verma and C. K. Varshney gave several practicalsuggestions for overcoming current resource crunch faced by the society and foraugmenting its financial resources in a well-planned way. Introduction of electronicversion of Environews for overseas members/readers was one of the suggestions thatwere welcomed by the members and accepted by the E.C.

The E.C. considered a proposal to start a research journal, but in view of theunsatisfactory financial status of the Society, the matter was deferred and will beconsidered only when ISEB’s financial position improves.

Dr. P. Pushpangadan, President ISEB, summing up the discussions and elaboratingthe decisions taken by the E.C., gave some useful suggestions for future growth anddevelopment of the Society.

Besides President ISEB, the following Executive Councillors and invitees werepresent at the meeting: Professors H.N. Verma, C.K. Varshney; Drs. Prakash Chandra,S.C. Sharma, K.J. Ahmad, R.D. Tripathi, Kanti Srivastava, Kamla Kulshreshtha, AnjumFarooqui, Amit Pal and Mukta Singh.

K. J. AhmadSecretary ISEB

2 ENVIRONEWS, OCTOBER 2003

LETTERSLETTERSLETTERSLETTERSLETTERS

Thank you for the July 2003 issue of ENVIRONEWS. It iswonderful to see that the newsletter is getting published anddistributed well before time; congratulations to you and the entireeditorial/production team.

Through the newsletter I also wish to bring to the notice ofISEB members that the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. ofIndia, New Delhi has recently released a publication entitled“Innovative Environmental Biotechnologies; From Research toApplication”. This deals with many aspects of successfullycompleted and ongoing projects on the general theme ofbioremediation. All those interested can obtain a copy of thesame by writing to Dr. S. Natesh or Dr. (Mrs.) Suman Govil, editorsof this publication at their DBT address. Those interested ininitiating such projects can also obtain proforma/applicationprocedure, guidelines and other details for submitting projectsby writing to Dr. Govil.

Dr. L.M.S. Palni,

Senior Scientific Adviser-Biotechnology & Project DirectorState Biotechnology Programme, Govt. of Uttaranchal, T.D.C.

Building, P.O. Haldi, Pantnagar,(U.S. Nagar) 263146, Uttaranchal.

The International Society of Environmental Botanists at theNational Botanical Research Institute Lucknow in its July 2003issue of Environews (Vol 9 No 3) has an article on the remarkableability of the Chinese Brake Fern (Pteris vittata) to take up and bio-accumulate huge quantities of arsenic in non-toxic form. Thearticle was written by Dr Nandita Singh (a Scientist at NBRILucknow) and Dr Lena Q Ma (Prof at Soil and Water ScienceDept, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA).

Given this tendency, there appears to be an opportunity forlow-cost relatively maintenance-free arsenic removal fromdrinking, irrigation and fishery water by the method followed forcampus waste-water treatment at the Indira Gandhi Institute ofDevelopment Research (IGIDR) at Borivli, Mumbai. Here, an openconcrete tank with some weep-holes in the side walls is sunkabout 2 meters into the ground at a low point in the garden, towhich sewage and sullage water from nearby quarters flows bygravity in pipes. The area around the tank is densely planted withcanna flowers, drip-irrigated with this polluted water flowing outthrough perforated pipes. The water flows down through the soilpast the canna roots, which act as fixed-film bioreactors that purifythe percolating water entering the collection tank through theweep-holes. This water is odour free (and probably pathogen-free) and is used for watering the garden.

A similar concept can be used for arsenic removal fromwater by planting a suitably calculated area with Chinese brakefern (Pteris vittata) watered in distributive fashion by the arsenic-contaminated source. It is highly likely that the output water thatseeps into the concrete tank through the weep-holes will containsignificantly less arsenic than the input source. The residencetime will depend on the nature of the soil. This seems ideal forisolated hamlets remote from technology or replenishment of

conventional arsenic-removal media supplies. But it will not be agood idea for bioremediation if the Chinese brake fern is browsedby any local livestock or wildlife, since fencing is costly and itsmaintenance imperfect. Care will be necessary to explain tovillagers how to regularly harvest ferns to ensure continuinguptake, and how to dispose of their harvested fronds orits ash (immobilize by mixing ash in burnt-clay bricks or concreteblocks?).

Mrs Almitra H. PatelMember

Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste Management50 Kothnur, Bagalur Road, Bangalore 560077

Thanks for the Environews. It is an informative issue and I aminterested in the article entitled “Chinese Brake Fern - a potentialphytomediator of arsenic contaminated soil and water” by NanditaSing and Lena Q. Ma. Is it possible to get this article by e-mail?

I would like to be member of International Society ofEnvironmental Botanists Lucknow. Please send me an applicationform. I would also like to exchange publications of EcologicalSociety (ECOS), Nepal with your Society. I congratulate you foryour contributions and activities.

Prof. P.K. JhaHead, Central Department of Botany

Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.

The electronic version of the newsletter is very impressive. Carryon. You are doing a great service. Best wishes.

Prof. P.K. SethScientist-in-Director’s Grade

& CEO, Biotech Park LucknowIndustrial Toxicology Research Centre

P.O. Box 80, M.G. Marg, Lucknow-226001

I am grateful to you for keeping my name on the mailing list ofyour esteemed newsletter, ‘Environews’, which I have been gettingregularly. This publication is also very useful for our scienceteachers and students of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School,Lucknow.

R.K. Gupta, I.A.S. (Retd.)Honorary Secretary & Director

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow-226010

Kindly send to me a sample copy of Environews, a valuablejournal being published under your kind control. I will bepersonally obliged for this favour.

Dr. Abdul WahidEnvironment Researh Laboratory, Department of Botany,

Government College, University of Lahore, Pakistan.

I am visiting Poland under the Scientists Exchange Programmesponsored jointly by the Indian National Science Academy andthe Polish Academy of Sciences. At present I am working in theDepartment of Biophysics and Cell Biology of the SilesianUniversity at Katowice with an eminent group of workers trying tounderstand the dynamics of the cambial cell ends growth inwoody plants and the changes in orientation of cell ends during


their intrusive growth. Evidences seem tosuggest the possibility of a new mechanismfor apical intrusive growth of cells of thevascular cambium, which is dependentmore on a variety of pressures in the tissuethan on the local chemical influences.

I will also work in the PlantConservation Biology Centre at Warsawand in the Department of General Botanyof the Wroclaw University. I amlikely todeliver lectures in a few universities andparticipate in three conferences.

I shall be in Vienna, Austria for abouta week and return to India in November.Unfortunately, I will not make it to attendthe forthcoming Executive meeting of ISEB.I send my best regards to members of ISEBand readers of Environews.

Prof. Muhammad IqbalHead, Department of Botany,

Hamdard University, New DelhiVisiting Scientist: Silesian University,

Katowice, Poland

I returned today from South Africa, whereI attended a meeting at Durban. It was veryinteresting visit not only from the scientificpoint of view, but also for the fact that I hadthe opportunity of visiting a country whereso many ethnic groups live together. I amsending you a copy of my letter to Prof.Krupa seeking information about ourmanuscript entitled “Aquatic Vegetation asIndicator of the Sustainability of FreshWater Systems: Interactions with the LandSurface”, which I had submitted forpublication in the Proceedings of ICPEP-2. I will appreciate some information aboutthe status of this manuscript.

Prof. Osvaldo A. FernandezCERZOS-CONICET

Casilla de Correo 738, 800-Bahia Blanca (Argentina)

I am sorry for not being able to get backto you all these days. We have been reallyoverwhelmed by the responses that wehave been getting from various people fromall over India and abroad. These findingsare only the tip of the iceberg, ourcampaign for regulations for clean waterand pesticide will continue and we willlook forward to your support to carry onthis campaign.

Sunita NarainDirector,

Centre for Science & Environment,41 Tughalakabad Institutional Area,

New Delhi-110062

NEWS FLASHNEWS FLASHNEWS FLASHNEWS FLASHNEWS FLASH

Prof. M. Iqbal Head, Department ofBotany, Hamdard University, New Delhiand a Life member of ISEB has been electedVice-President of the Academy ofEnvironmental Biology, Lucknow for theterm 2003 – 2006.

Dr. R.D. Tripathi, Scientist, NBRI andMember of E.C. of ISEB attended one dayConsultative Workshop on State ofEnvironment, Uttar Pradesh, sponsored bythe World Bank on 27th August 2003 atHotel Taj, Lucknow.

Dr. Amit Pal one of the Editors ofEnvironews has been elected JointSecretary of the Academy ofEnvironmental Biology, Lucknow for thesecond consecutive term (2003 – 2006).

BIOTECH PARK IN LUCKNOWA prestigious state-of-the-artBiotechnology Park is being set up inLucknow under the aegis of Departmentof Biotechnology, government of India. TheHon’ble Atal Behari Vajpayee PrimeMinister of India laid the park’s foundationstone on 21 May 2003. It is coming up ata fast pace on 8 acres of land on theoutskirts of the city, in the salubrioussurroundings of Remote SensingApplications Centre, Kursi Road.

The park will have industrialmodules, bio-business center and traininglaboratories. The Biotech Park would focuson the following areas of intensive growth:Health Care, Agriculture, Environment,Industrial Application and Energy.

The Biotechnology Park is beingplanned, organized and developed by itsChief Executive Officer, Dr. P.K. Seth, whois the former Director of IndustrialToxicology Research Centre. Dr. Seth isone of the founders of International Societyof Environmental Botanists. Dr. Mrs.Manju Sharma, Secretary, Department ofBiotechnology conceptualized andnurtured the idea of setting up this park inLucknow, which had been declared as the‘Biotechnology City of India” during 89th

Session of the Indian Science Congress.

NBRI LAUNCHES PROJECT FORMANAGEMENT OF MUNICIPAL

SOLID WASTEEco-education Division of the NationalBotanical Research Institute, in associationwith the Lucknow Municipal Corporation,and the National Cadet Corps, haslaunched a pilot project on communitybased municipal solid-waste managementin Lucknow city. Under the project,housewives, for proper disposal, willcapacitate one city ward to segregatehousehold solid waste into biodegradableand degradable parts. Solid waste will befurther used for generation of electricity.City Mayor Dr. S.C. Rai is taking personalinterest in the scientific management ofmunicipal waste. About 300 NCC cadetsare involved in this programme.

MASHELKAR GETS AHILYA NATIONAL AWARD

Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, Director General ofIndia’s Council of Scientific & IndustrialResearch (CSIR) has been awarded the‘Ahilya Rashtriya Puraskar’ for the year2003. The award is in recognition to hispioneering contribution to nation buildingthrough Science & Technology. Theaward, which comprises a citation, Rs.100,000/- is given to one whose work hasmade a major impact on the nation.

WELCOME LIFE MEMBERISEB family extends a warm welcometo Mr. Jatinder Chadha, ResearchFellow (Environment), Punjab StateCouncil for Science & Technology,Chandigarh, who has joinedInternational Society of EnvironmentalBotanists as a Life member.


PEER REVIEW? WHAT? AND WHY?(A COMMENTARY)

SAGAR V. KRUPA

Since attending ICPEP-2 (InternationalConference on Plants and EnvironmentalPollution) in Lucknow, India in 2002, I havebeen asked on several occasions aboutthe “Peer Review” process associated withthe Conference papers, prior to theiracceptance and publication. Some fromthe developing countries felt that theirreputation and stature were beingchallenged, while others believed that itwas an unnecessary irritation.

I have served for some 20 years as anAssociate Editor of the journal“Environmental Pollution” and I am alsothe Chief Editor for the Book Series“Developments in EnvironmentalScience.” Elsevier Science of Amsterdam,Netherlands, publishes both. I also act asa peer reviewer for manuscripts from some10 different international journals. Thus,when Dr. K. J. Ahmad (Secretary, ISEB)invited me to write this article regardingthe aforementioned subject, I readilyagreed.

A “peer” is defined as “a person ofequal standing.” Scientific recognition,reputation and respect among others areintimately associated with peer opinion.Peer reviews are used in, 1. Selecting anemployee, determining promotions, 2.Awarding funding (grant) for a particularcause, 3. Assessing the quality of teachingin a classroom and 5. Determining themerits of a particular work for publication.There are other examples as well.

Peer review can be conducted inseveral different ways. They include: 1.Seeking the opinions of individuals in apopulation, as in human epidemiologicalresearch, 2. Using a panel of experts toselect which research proposal should befunded or writing an authoritativedocument that has wide implications, 3.Using student opinions, coupled withthose of the peer colleagues in determiningthe quality of teaching by an individual ina classroom and 4. Using two or moreexperts in assessing the quality of amanuscript for its publication in a journal.No doubt, there are still other ways of

conducting peer reviews, as in humanmedicine and in Biotechnology.

Peer review is a mechanism forpreserving the originality, authenticity,validity and quality of a particular work. Itis also a way to prevent “plagiarism”.Certainly some of those issues have led tocontroversy. Nevertheless, peer review isthe standard and widely accepted methodfor evaluating the quality of paperssubmitted for publication, even inelectronic publishing.

Peer reviews have their ownproblems. In some cases there can be aconflict of interest or a pre-determinedscientific view on the part of a reviewerthat may influence his or her review. Manypeer review processes require the reviewerto disclose such information a priori, sothat such individuals are not included inthe overall process. Failure to disclosesuch information can frequently lead todisservice and penalties. Another sourceof the problem can be, when the Editor ofa journal who serves as an adjudicator errsin selecting the reviewers.

Although many peer reviewers arededicated and take their task very seriously,others do not. At least in some USUniversities, there are no institutionalrewards for the time spent in peer reviews.That makes it difficult for young facultymembers seeking promotion. I was quiteimpressed by a young scientist whoexpressed his profound apologies to mefor his inability to perform a review,because he was too involved at that timein collecting field data for a publication(one of the requirements for his promotion),but given another opportunity, wouldenjoy the effort and would welcome it.What an honest response? Another youngfaculty member produced a 5-page reviewon a 10- page manuscript. The mostimpressive aspect of that review was, everyone of the comments was directed atmaking the paper better. How can theauthors of the paper get any moreunsolicited help?

In contrast, some potential reviewers

never respond to a request a priori forassistance, in spite of repeated queries.However, once agreed, the reviewershould provide his or her commentsexpediently. There are reviewers whoneither provide their comments nor returnthe copy of the manuscript after agreeingto do the review. That is a total disserviceto the authors and to the scientificcommunity. As such things happen, namesof the individuals involved are removedfrom future consideration for requestinghelp. As one of my colleagues put it, peerreview preserves the quality of science andyou owe it to your colleagues to be helpfulto them. Otherwise, you are doing adisservice to your profession. There havebeen suggestions by members of somescientific societies to penalize delinquentpeer reviewers by delaying theirpublications and rewarding others, whoare diligent and prompt in theirobligations, by expediting their papers afteracceptance. As a person (speaking formyself) who faces those issues every day,what a refreshing thought for futureconsideration?

All international journals requiremanuscripts to be reviewed by twoanonymous peers. For example, Editorsmaintain a directory of scientists and theirareas of specialization for use in theprocess. If the comments from the initialtwo peer reviewers are contradictory intheir nature (happens about 20% of thetime), then a third peer reviewer isrequested to help, but without providingthe benefit of the comments from the firsttwo. It is important to realize that theidentities of the peer reviewers are notdisclosed to the authors and is a part ofthe confidentiality of the process topromote scientific integrity.

If the initial two reviewers recommendthe paper for publication, but havequestions and suggest revisions, then theauthors should respond to those byproviding an itemized listing of theirresponses to the Editor in submitting theirfinal or revised version. The Editor always


examines the author’s responses to seewhether they are satisfactory beforeaccepting a paper.

Some authors do not readily acceptpeer review comments. Once I was forcedinto a debate with an author, whoessentially informed me that I did not knowthe subject matter of his paper. The authorused data on carbon monoxideconcentrations at traffic intersections todiscuss carbon dioxide emissions in globalclimate change.

Peer reviewers are requested toprovide constructive, unbiased, butcandid comments regarding: (1)Appropriateness of the manuscript contentto the mission of the journal, (2)

Relevance of the study, (3) Rigor andsoundness of the science, (4) Importanceof the results in advancing the science, (5)Appropriateness of the methods used andthe conclusions reached in addressing theobjectives. There are still other criteria.

Many authors seek to publish theirpapers in the most appropriate and leadingjournals in their field. Different journalsimplement peer reviews with differentdegrees of rigor. Top international journalshave manuscript rejection rates of 40-60%of the total number submitted by theauthors. That is reflected in the quality ofpapers published and the established

reputation of the journal. An experiencedscientist can assess the quality of apublication even without reading it, bysimply looking to see where it is published.A manuscript rejected by one journal mayappear in another journal that has lessrigorous standards or because a differentset of peer reviewers were used, whoperhaps examined the paper lessrigorously. For example, strictly based onscientific reasons, I once rejected a papertwice. At first it was sent to me by onejournal and after my rejection,coincidentally it was sent to me again somemonths later by another journal. After thesecond rejection, the paper subsequentlyappeared in a journal that I seldom consult.Thus, without doubt there is a hierarchicalorder of quality among journals.

It is not uncommon that a paperwritten by a reputed scientist can besubjected to serious questions from peerreviewers. In such cases, to sustain theirreputation, although it might take extratime and effort, the authors generally re-submit their paper for consideration,responding to all of the peer comments,

Some journals also allow re-submission of a paper for the second timeafter major or significant revisions, for are-evaluation by the original peerreviewers. Such a process must be

approved a priori by the journal Editor.However, that practice is not very common(perhaps 5%) and some journals, do notallow a re-submission.

Publishers themselves use what isknown as the “impact factor” to assess thequality of their journals. For example,according to the Institute for ScientificInformation (ISI), the impact factor of ajournal is calculated by dividing thenumber of current year citations to thesource items published in that journalduring the previous two years. In thatcontext, for example, Elsevier Sciencepublishes each year, a listing of the mostdown loaded articles in their journals.

In summary, peer review is usually aconstructive process that assures thequality of a work. To be challenged by yourpeers can only improve the contents ofyour work and its merit. In a sense, everytrue democracy in the world has a peerreview of its political and socio-economicstatus by its eligible populous. At theappropriate time, an elected leader isevaluated for his or her performance to bereelected to office or to be rejected.

Prof. Sagar V. Krupa is the Professor ofPlant Pathology at the, University of

Minnesota Twin City Campus,

St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.

EARTH HITS ‘2,000-YEAR WARMING PEAK’

The Earth appears to have been warmer since 1980 than at any time in the last 18 centuries, according to the studies carriedout by Prof. Philip Jones of University of East Anglia and Prof. Michael Mann of the University of Virginia. They reconstructed theglobal climate from data derived from ice cores, vegetation, and other records. They believe their research provides unequivocalconfirmation that humans are affecting the climate. But sceptics still insist that any human contribution is likely to be too small toexplain what is happening. Their study supports recent findings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Afterstudying temperature data from up to 1,000 years ago, the panel said the late 20th century had been the warmest period onrecord. To test the strength of claims by some scientists that the world had in fact been warmer before 1000 AD, Professors Jonesand Mann sought to reconstruct the global climate over the last two millennia.

The researchers examined the trunks of ancient trees from different regions to compile a record of local conditions - thethickness of the trees’ annual growth rings is determined by the climate. They also studied cores drilled from the icecaps ofGreenland and Antarctica, examining the trapped air bubbles for information about the climate prevailing at the time the iceformed. A third source of information was historical records, especially from the Netherlands, Switzerland and China. The authorswere unable to find enough information to work out what the southern hemisphere’s climate had been, but are satisfied theirconclusion that the northern half of the planet is in the warmest period of the last 2,000 years is sound. While some parts of theEarth may have been warmer than they are now, they say, average temperatures were cooler. They say the Earth has warmed byat least 0.2C in the last 20 years or so - the amount by which it has warmed or cooled over the space of a century in the past.

It just shows how dramatic the warming has been in recent years. We can’t explain it in any other way - it’s a response to abuild-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some scientists believe the recent temperature increases are explained by solarradiation, with emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases too small to account for the changes observed. Otherssay the historical record proves the climate fluctuates naturally, with human influence irrelevant to global trends. To the argumentthat northern Britain was warm enough 1,000 years ago for vineyards to flourish, the authors say there are far more now.

They also reinterpret the fact that the river Thames used to freeze over more often, saying the design of the original LondonBridge affected the river and made it freeze more easily. We can’t say the whole world was once warmer than it is now just becauseEurope was warmer. We have to aggregate the records together, as we’ve done. We’d like more records, especially from the tropics,but we have enough information to say the world is now warmer than it’s been for 2,000 years. -BBC News Online


PLASTICS RECYCLING AND THE NEED FOR BIO-POLYMERS

ALMITRA H. PATEL

Indians have a remarkably smallecological footprint compared to citizensin advanced countries. Non-biodegradable waste in large Indian citiesaverages just 50 – 100 gm per capita perday, compared to 1-2 kg in the West. Sadly,this is often disparaged as “backwardness”or under-development, rather thanrecognizing and appreciating the naturalconservation culture of Indians, who willrepair and use appliances and cars foryears, hand down clothing to relatives orservants, waste no food, and even savepaper and string for re-use. However, thesheer abundance of thin-film plastics hasbroken this habit. The sheer availability ofnot just carry bags, but bread wrappers,packaging of fresh foods and provisionslike rice, dal etc, shrink-wrap, micro-packsof cosmetics and pan parag etc is farbeyond the need or capacity of families tore-use them. So they get thrown away,and this has overwhelmed the ability ofcities to handle this waste. Only low-gauge low-value plastic is a problem, asmilk pouches etc are rarely thrown away;they still find their way directly to waste-buyers.

Organic waste has been a valuableresource for centuries, returning nutrientsand micronutrients to the soil in asustainable cycle. For this reason, thecomposting of biodegradable municipalwaste is now mandatory for every urbanlocal body under the MSW Rules 2000.But thin-film plastic packaging is creatinga major problem.

In 1993 it was estimated that 1.5-2%by weight of municipal waste reaching thedumpsites and compost plants is thin-filmplastic. Some recent estimates are as highas 7-9%. What is worse is, that regardlessof the weight content in waste, by volumethin plastics are equal to or even more thanthe volume of compost produced. Thecapital cost and operating cost ofmachinery to separate out plastics fromprocessed waste currently makes thecompost unaffordable high-priced forfarmers.

Almost all plastics are in factrecyclable, but are not recycled in practice.Why not? We need to study this, and see

whether, where and how biodegradableplastics can substitute the non-recycleditems.

RECYCLING GIVEN LEGAL BACKINGWaste picking is a well-established

urban-survival tactic in mega-cities that actas magnets for the poorest, and recyclingis a flourishing business in the informalsector in India. It supports up to 0.5 % ofthe population in million-plus cities, andsaves the city 10-15% of its total waste-management costs through reduction inwaste volumes handled. Yet small-scalecottage industry recycling is still a mostly-unauthorized twilight activity as recyclersoften operate behind closed windows anddoors and avoid registration.

WHAT IS RECYCLED?

i) Thin-film plasticToday, India’s landscapes are littered

with so much thin plastic that many citizensdesire a total ban on its use, with someinitial success that fades with time. Since afew hundred carry-bags are required tomake a kilo of saleable scrap, it is simplynot economical for waste-pickers to collectsuch ultra-thin waste, even if it is 20 micronor more, so it remains in the garbage inincreasing quantities.

This will change as soon as higherprices for waste-pickers are possible, sayRs 5 per kg to a rag picker. This mayhappen because the year 2002 has seenan exciting new use for such waste. TheKK Process chops thin-film road-waste intotiny flakes, and its customized dosingmachine can introduce this light fluffuniformly into viscous bitumen in hot-mixplants. Tests at Bangalore and the IndianRoad Research Centre proved that resultantroads will have as much as three timesbetter life and resistance to both heat, cold,rutting and cracking.

ii) PET bottlesGlobalisation has flooded Indian cities

with packaging that is theoreticallyrecyclable but is not in practice recycled.PET bottles for soft drinks and mineralwater are the biggest problem, as they endup in gutters and block surface and

underground drains, causing flooding inlow-lying areas and enormous economicloss annually, especially to the poorest thatnormally live in the worst-affected areas.The US and EU have stringent laws for take-back of such wastes, so they dump theirPET waste almost free in India for recyclingmainly by IOC’s Futura Industries atChennai. They recycle this and post-producer waste from PET bottle factories,leaving our own post-consumer wasteuncollected and unrecycled, because wehave no laws at present to prevent suchwaste dumping into the country.

WHAT IS NOT RECYCLED?

i) TetrapaksThese popular and convenient multi-

film juice cartons, made of cardboard-plastic-film-metal-foil combinations arehard to recycle conventionally.Worldwide, Tetrapaks are converted intoa hardboard product in very manycountries.

Presently there is no recycling marketfor Tetrapaks. There are already machineswhich pulp and strip the paper portion ofthe LDPE films for recycling them, but thefoil layer interferes with recycling of eitherthe paper or the plastic layers. It is worthexploring whether metallised biopolymerfilms can substitute for the existing layers,to make the whole multi-film product morerecyclable. This application should betechnically easy, because the bio-polymeris sandwiched between other layers andis not exposed to liquids or light.

ii) Multi-film packaging, metallisedBOPP

Metallised-film packaging for biscuits,chips and namkeens are a similar majorproblem waste. The problem is madeworse by hundreds of products packagedin tiny 5-10-gram pouches, mostlymetallised or heavily printed, that arephysically impossible to collect at all. Iftrials prove that BOPP (like unrecyclableCoke-Pepsi labels) or metallised BOPP canalso improve the tackiness and durabilityof asphalt roads, a better street price maymake them worth collecting. Micro-packaging sachets are the most needed


and most promising mass market forbiopolymers. This is technically a difficultapplication that requires research,because these sachets are invariably hungup for display and exposed to light andperhaps rain. Their shelf life is also fairlylong, posing a challenge to biopolymerdesigners.

iii) StyrofoamEPS or Expanded Poly-Styrene is

rarely recycled in India, mainly becauseso much of this ends up as dispersed bulkywaste thrown out from homes or officesthat buy equipment packaged in this.Worldwide, the foamed polystyrenepackaging for TVs, computers, washingmachines etc is being replaced by pulpshapes, or ingeniously folded cardboardshapes, or bubble-plastic, or, literally,packets of biodegradable popcorn. Thisis in response to a ban on the use ofpolystyrene packaging in 20 US States, withEurope following. If biopolymers can befoamed, this is a worthwhile niche worthexploring.

iv) Use-and-throw CateringConsumables

Tea-and-coffee cups, ice cream andyoghurt cups etc are made of HIPS (highimpact poly-styrene), which is recyclable.

The problem here is not therecyclability, but the sheer bulkiness ofscattered cups, which again are not wortha rag picker’s effort to collect and sell. Theproblem is even worse for railway meals,where all such cups get thrown out of thewindows all along the tracks. This is anapplication that badly needsbiodegradable plastics. It is technicallyvery easy, as the products are exposed tolight and liquids for a very brief period. It isalso important to promote or even requirethe use of biopolymer disposables attourist spots, in sanctuaries etc.

v) e-Waste from the ElectronicsIndustry

Recycling mobile phones, computerhardware and the control panels inequipment like washing machines is anextremely complex recycling issue, andtechnically very difficult, because of thetremendous range of equipment involvedand the huge number of different materialsthat are made into the composites whichgo into a single piece of equipment, oreven a single chip. Currently, most e-Wasteis burnt in bulk to recover the trace

quantities of gold, silver, platinum, copperetc present in different components. Inthe process, the PVC coating on very thinconnecting wires gets burnt too, formingdeadly dioxins. Non-chlorinatedsubstitutes for PVC insulating coatings doexist, but are not used because they aresomewhat costlier than PVC. In spite ofthis, their use should be made mandatoryin order to improve the eco-friendlyrecyclables of the products, which usesuch micro-wires.

Biopolymers could be explored if anyexist that have good insulating properties,are cost-effective, and can be disintegratedin acidic or alkaline media to recover thecopper wires without burning.

WHERE NOT TO USE BIO-POLYMERS !A moneymaking racket is going on in

cities like Pune, where degradable bagsare required to be used for biomedicalwaste management. Since this is destinedfor almost immediate incineration, it istotally meaningless to insist on or requirethe use of either degradable orbiodegradable bags. The bags only needto be chlorine-free like the usual LDPE orHDPE bags. Such unethical commercialexploitation needs to be put a stop to,otherwise it will give biopolymers ingeneral a bad name.

On the technical front, some researchis currently going on to make PVCsdegradable through the blending ofbiopolymer components. This isdisastrous, and the question needs to beasked, Why PVC items need to be madedegradable. PVCs and similar chlorine orhalogen containing polymers, when incontact with organics in soil, generatedioxins in situ. This will get accelerated ifthe PVC is broken down over time intominute fragments. Presently there is hardlyany PVC to be found in general municipalwaste because (like milk pouches) it fetchesa high price from waste-buyers(kabadiwalas) and is very extensivelyrecycled.

ECO-LABELLING NEEDS REFORMIndia launched ‘Ecomark’ as a

voluntary eco-labelling scheme from 1992onwards for up to 14 industry categoriesto encourage industry to adopt eco-friendlyproduction methods and consumers topursue sustainable consumption patterns.Unfortunately, not a single Indian or foreignindustry has “volunteered” to sign up.

There is need for streamlining andreforming the whole Ecomark procedure.Once it catches on, biopolymers can finda place in the packaging of Ecomarkproducts, because their packaging aspectsalso figure in the granting of the Ecomark.

NEW LEGISLATIONIndia urgently needs policy concepts

and legal requirements like those in theEU countries and USA to prevent its citiesfrom drowning in non-biodegradablewaste. There is need for new legislationand market strategies in the Indian contextto promote product stewardship, producerresponsibility and waste minimization.Many lessons can be drawn and adaptedfrom similar legislation around the world.It is only a matter of time before India isrequired to adopt waste minimization andeco-friendly packaging rules. So there is aneed to study the US, EU and other worldlegislation on biopolymers and draftsuitable legislation for consideration by ourlawmakers from now.

Mrs. Almitra H Patel is a Member,Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste

Management, 50 Kothnur, Bagalur Rd,Bangalore 560077

IRELAND IMPOSES PUNITIVETAX ON PLASTIC BAG

Ireland which has drawnenvironmentalists praise for its taxingcrackdown on plastic bags,announced plans to introducepunitive fees on three other keyresources of litter namely, chewinggum packets, receipts from cashmachines and polystyrene packingfrom fast food chains.

Last year, Ireland imposed a 15Euro cent (17 U.S cent) surcharge onevery plastic bag provided by grocerystores and other shops. As a result, theuse of the once-free bags hasplummeted, and they no longer lingeras wind blown litter or Irish sheets andrural hedgerows. The money collectedhas gone to an Environmental Fundthat plans to spend 35 million Euros(US $ 40 million) this year on recyclingcenters. It is proposed to remove gum,polystyrene packaging and cash-machine receipts by the same punitivetax.

Environment Nepal


BIOTECHNOLOGY : PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

LALJI SINGH

In our present day world, personalizedmedicine, individual genomes on CD,drugs without side-effects, organreplacement with biologically synthesizedcells look to be some of the importantpossibilities in the near future, given therevolutionary advances being made in thefield of Biotechnology. The knowledge ofbiotechnology goes as far back as thebeginning of human civilization and hasbeen progressively practiced ever since.Most pronounced activities involving theuse of biotechnology until the close of theNineteenth Century were fermentation,curd making, and brewing. In theTwentieth Century, the mankind witnessedthe most spectacular advances over thepast millennium - elucidation of themechanism of heredity. This selectknowledge allowed numerousmanipulations for intelligent breeding ofplants and animals for survival in thecompetitive environment, for bettermentof the mankind.

Some of the important milestoneswhich have formed the bases for furtheradvances in biotechnology in theTwentieth Century include Mendel’stheory of evolution in 1865, discovery ofchromosomes (1882), verification ofMendel’s laws (1990), genetic mutations(1927), transformation of one strain toanother (1928), DNA-heredity material(1944), X-ray diffraction data DNA (1952),discovery of the double-helical structureof DNA by James Watson and Francis Crick(1953), DNA-a double helix, geneticengineering (1973), DNA Fingerprintingfor identifying individuals (1984), firstphysical map of human genome (1987),first cloning of a sheep named Dolly(1997), the first genetically-engineeredprimate (2000), and completion of the firstsequence of the entire human genome(2000).

Human genome sequenceinformation would lead to discovery ofnew targets, which could be used fordiscovering and designing of drugs. U.S.Food & Drug Administration has approved348 biomedicines so far and 370 are indevelopment phase.

Among the new challenges, we havethe important task of finding out thefunctions of most of the genes. There were40,000 protein-coding genes and thefunctions of only 1,500 genes were knownso far. More than 98 per cent of DNA inhuman genome was non-coding and thescientists regarded a major part of it as junk.The answer to puzzling question that whyare we so different from one another liesprobably in the non-coding DNA.Therefore, it is very important tounderstand functioning of the remaininggenes. It is much known today that theinteraction of gene with the environmentmakes people behave differently. It isenvironment that is responsible forcriminal tendency of a person.

We also know today that identicaltwins behave differently in differentenvironments. It is our importantexperience that it is technology that drivesscience and not the other way round.Technological breakthroughs holdanswers for most of our problems. Theexploits of micro-array technology,proteomics, functional and comparativegenomics based on bioinformatics andstructural biology such as X-rayCrystallography and the Transgenic GeneKnock-out technology.

These facilities are available at theCentre for Cellular and Molecular BiologyHyderabad (CCMB), which are on par withthe international standards.

To make use of the knowledge in theseareas for drug discovery, there was a needto set up transgenic animal models forhuman diseases. The imported animalmodels are very expensive. In India, thereare some institutes of science such asCCMB that have these models and arebeing used by pharma companies fortesting purposes. To ensure that suchfacilities are adequately available in thecountry it is important to set up ResourceCentres which may be sponsored by thegovernment or the private sector and sharethem by networking. Individual companiescould send their proposals that could bescreened by funding agencies. Theselected proposals could be provided

grants and the Resource Centres asked toprovide all facilities for which paymentmight be made by the government fromthe grants.

One of the major developmentsawaited in the near future is in the area ofpersonalized medicine based onindividual genotype. At present, patientssuffering from the same disease are put onsame medication. The current therapeuticapproach elicits response from some whileothers remain unresponsive, which isattributed to inherent difference in theirgenetic make-up.

In some cases, the medicine couldbe fatal. Therefore, the physician finds itimportant to know the genotype beforeprescribing the medicine.

For a country like India with a largesection of the population facing economicchallenge, such hi-tech medicine wouldcarry much significance if it could be madeaffordable to the masses rather than to theaffluent sections alone.

Advances in basic research in plantand animal sciences would yieldinformation about the genes that controllife processes. Advances in medicinewould help understand the genetic controlof health and disease. Further progress inbioinformatics would result in the creationof large databases, which would requirecomplex software programming forstructural analysis and recognition ofpatterns.

There are immense possibilities aheadin medicine and health, agriculture, foodtechnology, industrial technology thatwould tackle complex problems of humanand animal diseases and disorders, worldfood security, and, thus, redefine thehuman comfort.

Dr. Lalji Singh is the Director ofCentre for Cellular &

Molecular Biology, Hyderabad.

(The article, reproduced from AIBANewsletter, is based on a talk deliveredby the author at a meeting of the All IndiaBiotech Association – Southern Chapterat Hyderabad)


NEWS AND VIEWSNEWS AND VIEWSNEWS AND VIEWSNEWS AND VIEWSNEWS AND VIEWS

BACTERIA TO RECYCLE OLD TYRES

Motorists in U.K. discard 50 milliontyres every year, 18 million of which aredumped in landfill sites. The rest areburned as fuel by power stations,recovered for use as retread tyres or grounddown to produce absorbent playgroundsurface. Potentially recyclable material hasbeen going to waste in landfills that canbe processed to yield as fuel oil. Butrelatively low price of refined crude meansthat, till recently, it made little economicsense to devise and commercialize tyre-derived products.

Under a new European Uniondirective, by the end of 2003 it will beillegal to dump tyres in landfill sites. Effortsare now being made to fundenvironmentally friendly ways of gettingrid of used tyres. Scientists of NapierUniversity in Edinburgh are developing aprocess that will use bacteria to converttyres into reusable rubber. They plan toextract high-quality rubber from old tyres,which could then be used to make newtyres or other rubber products.

Rubber gains its strength through aprocess called vulcanization, which addssulphur to rubber molecules. The bacteriawhich is found naturally on former coalmining and oil production sites, can devulcanize the rubber tyres by eating thesulphur. A tyre is made of 85 per centrubber, 12 per cent steel and 3 per centfabric. The ‘Napier process’ involvesgrinding the old tyres down and removingthe metal and fibre before the resultingrubber chunks are added to a tank ofliquid containing the bacteria. The bacteriaacts on the rubber chunks at a molecularlevel and the resulting liquid rubber canbe processed into new rubber productsincluding quality tyres. The hightemperatures, used in the manufacturingprocess, and then kill the bacteria in theliquid rubber.

London Press Service

FLY ASH: RESOURCE MATERIAL OFTHE MILLENNIUM

Smoke belching chimneys add anenvironmental hazard through the fly ashthey produce. Apart from atmosphericpollution, it is a big headache for thesettlements around such industries. Thefine debris of fly ash has to be domed atsome place.

Researches carried out by leadingscientific institutions of India indicate thatfly ash is a wonder resource material. Someof the uses it has been successfully put toinclude: embankment for road, flyover,bridge and rail, as filler material for lowlying areas, as an additive for making highweight concrete, as a substitute for woodand granite, multiple uses in agricultureand forestry, for making ceramic tiles.

Amongst many uses the best perhaps,is making fly ash bricks as a reliablesubstitute for conventional bricks.Machines are now available that churn outuniform compact, fire resistant and lightweight fly ash bricks. Cellular concreteblocks using 40 to 60% fly ash as a cementreplacement are already in vogue inHyderabad. The technology helps insaving cement up to 50% on such blocks.These light weight, strong blocks areeconomical and eco-friendly.

Some organizations are activelyinvolved in promoting the use of fly ash toenrich the soils, augmenting the crop yield,increase forest productivity andreclamation of arid lands. The increaseduse of fly ash has paved a way forconverting an environment pollutant in toan eco-friendly multipurpose resourcematerial.

Hindustan Times

PREGNANT WOMEN EXPOSED TOWORLD TRADE CENTRE POLLUTION

MAY HAVE HAD SMALLER BABIES

Efforts are going on to track the healtheffects from air pollution caused by theattack on World Trade Centre in U.S.A. on11 September 2001. Some reports havefound respiratory problems and post-

traumatic disorders in people whosurvived the attacks. Preliminary researchsuggests that it may have resulted indelivering smaller babies among pregnantmothers who were in or near thecollapsing towers. The pregnant womenexposed to dirt and soot faced double therisk of delivering babies who were up toabout a half-pound smaller than babiesborn to non-exposed women. While theduration of the exposure was relativelyshort, the intensity of exposure to airpollutants was extraordinarily high. Thestudy appears in a recent issue of Journalof the American Medical Association.

Follow-up studies are planned to seeif the children face heightened risks ofhealth problems, as they get older.

Lindsey Tanner (Associated Press)

BIO-FUEL

W ith the concerns about thedepleting levels of petroleum as well asrising air pollution, the world is fast movingtowards alternative fuels. Brazil has alreadyconverted wholesale to ethanol, andsoybean oil and palm oil are blended inU.S.A. and Malaysia respectively.

Since January 2003 nine states inIndia have introduced ethanol-blendedpetrol, which brings down costs, by 75paise per litre. As an additive, ethanolhelps petrol burn efficiently. A petrol-ethanol blend can reduce carbonmonoxide and hydrocarbon emissions by35-55 per cent. Ethanol is produced fromvarious raw materials such as molasses (inIndia) or cane juice (in Brazil). Ethanol hasthe potential to reduce volatile organiccompounds by 27 per cent, nitrogenoxides by 5 per cent and particulate matteremissions by as much as 41 per cent.

However, when it comes to diesel,ethanol has its limitations and cannot beblended. Solutions come in the form ofbiodiesel that blends various natural oilsinto diesel to obtain the same effects asethanol.

Daimler Chrysler in association withCSIR has launched a programme forbiodiesel extracted from Jatropha plants


cultivated on eroded soils. Indian Railwayshave grand plans to grow Jatropha on theirown land.

According to a study at HohenheimUniversity in Germany, biodiesel wouldbe the most cost effective and sustainablefuel source for India. Biodiesel beingsulphur free will help reduce soot emissionby up to 50 per cent and will give 3-4 percent better fuel consumption. Accordingto an estimate, two tonnes of Jatropha seedper hectare would be cultivated with 25-30 per cent yield, which roughly translatesinto 500-750 kg of biodiesel per hectare.In India, we can fulfill all our dieselrequirements just by cultivating Jatrophaon barren land.

Hindustan Times

CHEAPER HYDROGEN FUELFROM BIOMASS

A major roadblock to widespreaduse of hydrogen-powered electricvehicles, which emit water vapor as a by-product and could cut greenhouse gasemissions substantially, is the cost andtrouble associated with producing asuitable supply of hydrogen. Recently,scientists developed a technique toharness the fuel from biomass, but thecatalyst required for the reaction was tooexpensive to be commercially viable. Theresearchers have discovered a differentcatalyst that works just as well – at a fractionof the cost.

Scientists at the University ofWisconsin-Madison, tested more than 300materials in search of one that couldcatalyze the reaction of hydrocarbonsderived from biomass to form hydrogen -a process known as aqueous-phasereforming (APR) - as well as a platinum-based catalyst does. The APR process canbe used on the small scale to produce fuelfor portable devices such as cars, batteriesand military equipment.

But it could also be scaled up as ahydrogen source for industrialapplications, such as the production offertilizers or the removal of sulfur frompetroleum products.

Sarah Graham in New Scientist

POLLUTION AFFECTS HEALTHAND ECONOMY

PM10 (particles with a diameter of lessthan 10 micrometers) cause 700,000premature deaths each year in developingcountries, 500,000 new cases of chronicbronchitis globally each year.

According to World Bank estimates,China lost between 3.5% and 7.7% of itspotential economic output as a result ofthe health effects of pollution on thecountry’s workforce in the late 1990s.Similarly, according to a M.I.T. estimate,Mexico City could see economic benefitsof $ 2 billion a year, if concentrations ofparticulate matter in the air are reducedjust by 10%.

OZONE DAMAGES LUNGS

It has been known that exposure toozone can have acute effects on health.The relationship between highconcentrations and the number of patientsadmitted to the hospitals is welldocumented. Ozone is a highly reactivegas that causes, among other effects,irritation of the airways and lung tissue.

But it appears from researches carriedout in USA that the serious effects can resultfrom long-term exposure even at lowconcentrations. Young apes that havebeen exposed alternately to peakconcentrations and normal levels havebeen shown to develop the samesymptoms as in human asthmatics.Moreover their lungs did not developproperly, the number of airway branchingremaining at nine instead of the normalthirteen.

Tests have been carried out byAmerican scientists on children andteenagers, who were exposed to varyingconcentrations of ozone while growing up.These studies suggest that over a period oftime, ozone permanently and irrevocablyalters the lungs. Exposed children developlungs that are functionally smaller andstiffer than they should be and have lesionsand scars similar to those found in tobacco

smokers. They bear many of the hallmarksof asthma, handicaps that they may wellcarry for their entire lives.

Acid News

AIR POLLUTION CAUSES HEAT WAVE

Air pollution may have been thecause of death for thousands of Frenchpeople who died in a heat wave that struckEurope this August, several hundreds orthousands could have been affected, maybe between 1,000 and 3,000, accordingto President of France’s Counseil NationalDe l’air, an air quality agency attached tothe Environment Ministry Hit by the hottestweather in some 60 years, France recordedaround 11,400 more deaths than usual inthe first two weeks of August.

Elderly persons have been the worstaffected, with many struck down byhyperthermia and dehydration astemperatures rose over 40 degrees Celsius(104 Fahrenheit).

A recent study suggests that pollutionmay also have been a key cause of death,as searing temperatures and a lack of windleft a cloud of smog hanging over Paris.The European Union has also recognizedhigh ozone levels as a health concern in astudy published before the heat wave.

Kerstin Gehmilch (Reuters)

ORANGE JUICE PREVENTS ULCER

In a study of 7,000 Americans,researchers found that the lower the levelof Vitamin C in a person’s blood, morelikely that he will be infected by the bacteriaHelicobacter pylori which is linked toulcers and stomach cancer. Theresearchers do not know whether a lowVitamin level is the cause or the effect of H.pylori infection but they recommend thatit would be prudent for people who testpositive for the bug to increase theirVitamin C intake.

TIME Magazine (U.S.A.)

FACTOIDS• During 1990s, 2.4% of world’s forest

destroyed

• World’s population to reach 8 billionby 2025

• By 2025, 50% of world’s populationto face water shortages

• In 1981, fossil fuels generated 86%of energy; today it’s 81%


BOOKSBioenergy-Vision for the New MillenniumBy R. Ramamurthy, Satish Kastury & WeyneH. Smith - 2000Science Publishers Inc. (U.S.A.),ISBN 1-57808-141-6, Price: US $ 49.50AAAS Atlas of Population and EnvironmentBy Paul Harrison and Fred Pearce - 2001The University of California Press,ISBN 0-520-23081-7, Price: $ 65.00Biodiversity and ConservationBy Gabriel Melchias - 2001Science Publishers Inc. (U.S.A.),ISBN 1-57808-146-7 , Price: US $39.50Bioindicator and Biomarkers ofEnvironmental Pollution and Risk AssessmentBy Kaiser Jamil - 2001Science Publishers Inc. (U.S.A.),ISBN 1-57808-162-9, Price: US $ 63.00The Illustrated Encyclopedia of TreesBy David More & John White - 2002Timber Press, Portland, Ill. (U.S.A.),ISBN 0-88 192-5209, Price: US $ 79.95Use of Biomarkers for Environmental QualityAssessmentEdited by Laurent Lagadic et. al - 2002Science Publishers Inc. (U.S.A.),ISBN 1-57808-095-9, Price: US $ 85.00Biological Invasions – EconomicEnvironmental Costs of Alien Plant, Animaland Microbe SpeciesEdited by D. Pimentel - 2002CRC Press, Atlanta, GA (U.S.A.),ISBN 0-8493-0836-4, Price: US $ 129.95The Evolution of PlantsBy K.J. Willis & J.C. Mcalwain - 2002Oxford University Press, U.K.,ISBN 019-850065-3, Price: US $ 45.00Chromosome BotanyBy A. Sharma & S. Sen - 2002Publisher Intercept Ltd. Hampshire,U.K.,ISBN 1-898298-89-0, Price: £ 35.00The Names of PlantsBy D. Gledhill - 2002ISBN0521-52340-0, Price: US $ 25.00Natural Wetlands for Waste-waterTreatment in Cold ClimatesEdited by U.Mander & P. Jenssen - 2002WIT Press, C/o. Computational Mechanics Inc.25 Bridge ST, Bellerica, MAISBN1-85312-859-7, Price: US $ 139.00 WeedEcology in Natural and Agricultural SystemsBy B.D. Bood, S.D. Murphy &C.J. Swanton - 2003Oxford University Press, New York,ISBN 0-85199-528-4, Price: US $ 60.00Introduction to Bioinformatics: A Theoretical& Practical ApproachEdited by S.A. Krawetz & D.D. Womble - 2003Humana Press NJ, U.S.A.,ISBN 1-588 29-064-6, Price: US $ 135.00

CONFERENCESNational Symposium on Recent Trendsin Biology and BiotechnologyOctober 9 – 11, 2003, Shivaji University,Kolhapur, MaharashtraContact : Prof. S. G. Nanaware

Organizing SecretaryDepartment of Zoology,Shivaji University, Kolhapur– 416 004, India

Phone : +91 – 231- 2690 571 ext.2547 (O), 2528754 (R).

Fax : +91 – 231- 2691 533E-mail : [email protected] Symposium on EmergingTrends in Indian Medicinal PlantsOctober 10-12, 2003, Lucknow, India.Contact : Dr. S.A. Siddiqui

Organizing SecretaryPhone: 0522 - 236 8064

E-mail : [email protected] interaction research inunani medicine to identify areas ofcollaborationOctober 22 – 23, 2003, HamdardUniversity, New DelhiContact : Dr. Zainul Abidin,

Department ofBiotechnology, HamdardUniversity, Hamdard Nagar,New Delhi – 110 062, India.

International Scientific Conference onWater-related DiseasesNovember 1-8, 2003, Abuja (Nigeria)Contact : [email protected]

http://www.gcowd.comWastewater hygienisation in ConstructedWetlands, Ponds and Related SystemsNovember 6-7, 2003, Leipzig-Halle,GermanyContact : www.ufz.de/spb/phytoE-mail : [email protected] Conference on EnvironmentalEducation - Environmental Educationand Civil SocietyNovember 7-9, 2003, New Delhi, IndiaContact : Dr. Desh Bandhu

U-112, 3rd Floor, VidhataHouse, Vikas Marg,Shakarpur, Delhi-110092,India

E-mail : [email protected] : iesgiobal.orgNational Seminar on Biodiversity,Conservation and CommercialExploitations of Medicinal PlantsNovember 8-10, 2003, Hyderabad, India

Contact : Prof. K. Janardhan ReddyOrganizing SecretaryDepartment of Botany,Osmania University,Hyderabad-500007, India.

E-mail : [email protected] (Regional Air Pollution inDeveloping Countries) Workshop: AirPollution in Asia Assesing impacts onagricultural and forest productivityDecember 9 - 12 2003, Pathumthani,(Nr. Bangkok) ThailandContact : Elnora M. de la Rosa

SEI Bangkok OfficeAsian Institute of Technology,P.O. Box 4, Klong LuangPathumthani 12120, Thailand.

E-mail : [email protected],Fax : +66(0)2516 2125National Symposium on Plant Biology &Biodiversity in Changing EnvironmentDecember 29-31, 2003, New Delhi, IndiaContact : Prof. Muhammed Iqbal

ConvenorDepartment of Botany,Hamdard University,Hamdard Nagar,New Delhi – 110 062, India.

E-mail : [email protected] : www.jamiahamdard/seminar.org91st Indian Science CongressJanuary 3 - 7, 2004, Punjab University,ChandigarhContact : Dr. B. P. Chaterjee

The General Secretary (HQ)Indian Science CongressAssociation, 14, Dr. BireshGuha Street, Kolkata – 700017, India

Phone : +91-33-2240255Fax : +91-33-22402551Email : [email protected] : www.sciencecongress.orgInternational Conference on The GreatHimalayasJanuary 12-15, 2004, Kathmandu, NepalContact : Dr. Subodh Sharma

Organizing SecretaryDepartment of Biological andEnvironmental Sciences,Kathmandu University,Dhulikhel, Nepal.

E-mail : [email protected],Fax : 00977-11-661443:Tel : 00977-11-661399URL : www.geocities.com/sharmaku

http://www.aehms.org


INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OFENVIRONMENTAL BOTANISTS

(National Botanical Research Institute,Lucknow-226001, India)

President :Dr. P. Pushpangadan

Vice Presidents :Dr. S.C. Sharma

Prof. C.K. VarshneyProf. H.N. Verma

Secretary :Dr. K.J. Ahmad

Joint Secretaries :Dr. Mrs. Kamla Kulshreshtha

Dr. Mrs. Seshu Lavania

Treasurer :Dr. Prakash Chandra

Executive Editor :Dr. H.M. Behl

Members of the Executive :Dr. Mrs. Madhoolika Agrawal

Dr. Ms. Shashi DhawanDr. Mrs. Anjum Farooqui

Prof. M. IqbalProf. Shashi Kant

Prof. N.K. MehrotraDr. L.M.S. PalniProf. S.H. RazaDr. R.D. TripathiProf. C.L. Verma

Prof. Mohd. Yunus

Advisors :Prof. J.N.B. Bell

Prof. Richard F.E. CrangProf. S.V. Krupa

Prof. Sir Ghillean T. PranceDr. P.V. SaneDr. B.P. Singh

Awareness Programme Committee :Ms. Kanti Srivastava (Convener)

Printed and Published byDr. K.J. Ahmad

for International Societyof Environmental Botanists,

National Botanical Research Institute,Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow-226001, India

Executive Editor :Dr. H.M. Behl

Editors :Dr. Mrs. Kamla Kulshreshtha

Dr. Amit PalNational Botanical Research Institute

Lucknow, India.

Tel. 2205831-35 Extn. 223, Fax : 2205836E-mail : [email protected] P

rinte

d at

Pra

kash

Pac

kage

rs, 2

57-G

olag

anj,

Luck

now

Tel

. : 2

2210

11, 2

2224

23

This issue of Environews is sponsored by

Prof. Kirk Smith at East-West CentreHawaii, who monitored kitchen smoke inGujarat villages in 1980s with a hand, heldsmoke monitor revealed that women wereexposed to total suspended particulates ofabout 7000 microgrammes per cubic meter(µg/cum) in each cooking period (comparethis to annual standards for outdoor air at140 µg/cum). Worse, how the exposure tobenzo(a)pyrene – the carcinogen incigarette smoke and found in biomasssmoke – was equivalent to smoking 10packets of cigarettes in a day.

What did this do to women’s health?What were the options of cooking on stoves?Using either fuel wood, or twigs, dry leaves,crop residues or cow dung.

In the 1990s as pollution from vehiclesincreased, the impact of tiny particulates,in a cooking cycle, than the inhabitants ofthe most polluted city in the world – a 24-hour concentration measured inside homescan be above 2000 µg/cum. Compare thisto the standard for air pollution: 60 µg/cumdaily average.

Today, the WHO estimates that thereare over 1.6 million premature deaths eachyears from cook stove pollution. Some400,000 to 550,000 women and under-fivechildren die prematurely each year in Indiabecause of this deadly smoke.

The burden of disease from cook stovescomes right after dirty water and lack ofsanitation (which contribute over 10 per centof the disease burden and malnutrition, over22% of the disease burden in India).

In other words, by providing access toclean water, sanitation, food and ventilatedhomes, we could wipe out over half thedisease and premature deaths in the country.

Deadly smoke swirls indoors. What areneeded quite simply, are a well-designatedstove and a chimney.

The burden of disease from cook stovescomes right after dirty water and lack ofsanitation (which contribute over 10 percent of the disease burden and malnutrition,over 22% of the disease burden in India). Inother words, by providing access to cleanwater, sanitation, food and ventilatedhomes, we could wipe out over half thedisease and premature deaths in the country.Deadly smoke swirls indoors. What areneeded quite simply, are a well-designatedstove and a chimney.

We will have to invest in many options– from biomass gasification throughgenerating electricity in rural areas to manymore designs of chulahs that work. Afterall, this is not a programme about a low-end technology called chulah. This is aprogramme about stopping the century’sthird largest killer of human beings.

In the 1990s, as pollution from vehiclesincreased, the impact of tiny, respirableparticulates was better understood. Whatalso became clear is that women areexposed to more toxic tiny particulates, ina cooking cycle, than the inhabitants of themost polluted city in the world - a 24-hourconcentration measured inside homes canbe above 2000 µg/cum. Compare this tothe standard for ambient air pollution: 60µg/cum daily average.

Dr. Sunita Narain is the Director,Centre for Science & Environment, NewDelhi and Editor of Down to Earth. Thisarticle is reproduced from a ‘Down to Earth’editorial.

KILLING THE HIGH END KILLERSUNITA NARAIN

ENVIRONEWS - isebindia.comisebindia.com/environews/oct_03.pdf · I Government College, University...

Documents

Transcript of ENVIRONEWS - isebindia.comisebindia.com/environews/oct_03.pdf · I Government College, University...