Pollution in Delhi

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There is a government body called Delhi Pollution control committee existing in Delhi called DPCC basically established for controlling pollution in this national capital region (DELHI). I being an environment friendly citizen applied for a unit in prime industrial area of New Delhi only after installing and successfully running the required systems for controlling pollution and treatment of Water.Inspite of giving all possible proofs to the department they made our consent application a big issue and keep on demanding huge amount of money from us which due to no other option we keet on giving them the amount whenever demanded from them. Since I had refused them bribe when they had their first visit after the application, they were exploiting us all the time. In the mean time they were providing consents to the people which were not having systems for controlling pollution installed at their polluting units at a nominal bribe of 12000 This procedure of providing consent to operate polluting manufacturing units after getting bribe and not installing pollution control measures is till today\'s date ie.27-06-2008 is kept on followed. I complained this matter to CVC (Central Vigilance Commission ) and CBI but of no use.The member secretary Mrs. Naini Jayaseelan whose office is in secretariat building was continuously abusing me with words I have never heard. She even was torturing me of what kind of science graduation I have attained in front of excise commissioner and then deputy commissioner of DPCC Mrs. Debashree Mukherjee. She was agreeing sometimes and abusing me and my family other time.1)I had applied for a consent only when I had successfully treated water continuously for two years in Gagan Enterprises.2)At the time of installation of the treatment plant , DPCC was not playing any active role in Delhi.3)When I submitted my application form they tried to grammatically figure out mistakes in that because at that time also they were receiving bribes from polluting units.4)Even now there is no need to give you any media briefs for the kind and level of pollution in River Yamuna.5)There are unlimited number of manufacturing units draining immense amount of UNTREATED water in Yamuna existing in Delhi.6)Delhi face the threat of becoming a desert in the near future.7)Ground water is being contaminated by toxic elements released by industrial untreated discharge. The disposal of industrial effluents into the Yamuna flood plain and water channels around Delhi, seepage through sewage dumps, agricultural waste, percolation of liquid wastes and general bad hygiene habits and poor sanitation provisions has led to this pollution.8)Two decades ago Yamuna was a river, but what remains of it now is a sluggish flow laden with plastic, solid waste, untreated industrial water and corpses.9)Japan Bank for International Co-operation extended a soft loan of Rs.700 crore for treating Yamuna. But due to collection of bribes by the DPCC officials proprietors of industrial units are allowed to flush untreated water into sewer.10)The biochemical oxygen demand(BOD),dissolved oxygen(DO) and colon bacillus colonies-three main parameters to gauge water quality-have worsened due to increasing corruption.11)The courts are only concerned about removing encroachments and unauthorized colonies who discharge organic wastes.The untreated inorganic industrial effluents obviously make way into the river even if discharged by automatic machines or labours working in factories because industries are sources of huge bribe collection which fill pockets of Naini Jayaseelan also. This criteria is not dependent on the place of residence of workers.12)There is widespread pollution of Delhi\'s underground water system due to excessive seepage of toxic chemicals like arsenic, mercury and fluorides. This is not surprising when 19 industrial drains empty into the Yamuna flood plain alone.13)The pollutants that have affected the environment due to this uncontrolled seepage are nitrates, potassium, phosphates and heavy metals like cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc.14)People can be exposed to chromium through breathing, eating or drinking and through skin contact with chromium or chromium compounds. The level of chromium in air and water is generally low. In drinking water the level of chromium is usually low as well, but contaminated well water may contain the dangerous chromium(IV); hexavalent chromium.For most people eating food that contains chromium(III) is the main route of chromium uptake, as chromium(III) occurs naturally in many vegetables, fruits, meats, yeasts and grains. Various ways of food preparation and storage may alter the chromium contents of food. When food in stores in steel tanks or cans chromium concentrations may rise. Chromium(III) is an essential nutrient for humans and shortages may cause heart conditions, disruptions of metabolisms and diabetes. But the uptake of too much chromium(III) can cause health effects as well, for instance skin rashes. Chromium(VI) is a danger to human health, mainly for people who work in the steel and textile industry. People who smoke tobacco also have a higher chance of exposure to chromium. Chromium(VI) is known to cause various health effects. When it is a compound in leather products, it can cause allergic reactions, such as skin rash. After breathing it in chromium(VI) can cause nose irritations and nosebleeds.Other health problems that are caused by chromium(VI) are: Skin rashes Upset stomachs and ulcers Respiratory problems Weakened immune systems Kidney and liver damage Alteration of genetic material Lung cancer Death The health hazards associated with exposure to chromium are dependent on its oxidation state. The metal form (chromium as it exists in this product) is of low toxicity. The hexavalent form is toxic. Adverse effects of the hexavalent form on the skin may include ulcerations, dermatitis, and allergic skin reactions. Inhalation of hexavalent chromium compounds can result in ulceration and perforation of the mucous membranes of the nasal septum, irritation of the pharynx and larynx, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchospasms and Respiratory symptoms may include coughing and wheezing, shortness of breath, and nasal itch.15)Nickel is not known to cause any health problems when people are exposed to it at levels above the MCL for relatively short periods of time. Nickel has the potential to cause the following effects from a lifetime exposure at levels above the MCL: decreased body weight; heart and liver damage; skin irritation.16)Exposure occurs from lead\'s presence in air, food, water, soil, dustfall, paint, and other materials. Lead is readily absorbed by the body via the primary routes of entry, inhalation and ingestion. Studies indicate that 10% to 20% of inhaled lead enters the blood stream. In children, approximately 50% of ingested lead is absorbed as compared to 8% to 10% for adults. This is especially significant since much of children\'s lead exposure is caused by their normal habits of mouthing dirty hands, objects and materials.(A growing body of research suggests there may be no safe level of lead ingestion.) Within the body, lead is found in circulating red blood cells, soft tissues(liver and kidney), and bone (where lead is accumulated). Blood lead concentrations are the most reliable indicator of recent lead exposure. Known health effects of lead poisoning include: Anemia. Brain and nervous system damage, which can include permanent mental and motor retardation and in extreme cases, death. Severe kidney injury or failure. Injury to the gastrointestinal system and the heart.Damage to the reproductive system, including: Ovarian and testicular dysfunction. Impaired fetal blood synthesis, premature births, and other delivery complications. Long-term, low level lead exposure causes learning deficits and behavioral problems in children. The major source to children is through contact with the dust or chips from old lead-containing paint. However, significant airborne exposure may occur near manufacturing facilities emitting large amounts of lead. At present, a child with blood lead levels over 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dl) is considered lead-poisoned. Exposure to air containing 1 µg/m3 of lead is associated with a 5 µg/dl increase in blood lead; thus, long-term exposure to air containing over 2 µg/m3 could cause a child to become lead-poisoned. Recent studies suggest that lead may be a factor in high blood pressure and subsequent heart disease in middle-aged white males. Effects on Plants and Animals At common low ambient concentrations lead does not usually pose a threat to plants and animals. However, exposure to high concentrations has adversely affected domestic animals, wildlife, and aquatic life. Areas near major emission sources are most susceptible. In past years, small animals trapped near highways showed high lead levels.Water is polluted with zinc, due to the presence of large quantities of zinc in the wastewater of industrial plants. This wastewater is not purified satisfactory. One of the consequences is that rivers are depositing zinc-polluted sludge on their banks. Zinc may also increase the acidity of waters. Some fish can accumulate zinc in their bodies, when they live in zinc-contaminated waterways. When zinc enters the bodies of these fish it is able to bio magnify up the food chain. Large quantities of zinc can be found in soils. When the soils of farmland are polluted with zinc, animals will absorb concentrations that are damaging to their health. Water-soluble zinc that is located in soils can contaminate groundwater. Zinc cannot only be a threat to cattle, but also to plant species. Plants often have a zinc uptake that their systems cannot handle, due to the accumulation of zinc in soils. On zinc-rich soils only a limited number of plants has a chance of survival. That is why there is not much plant diversity near zinc-disposing factories. Due to the effects upon plants zinc is a serious threat to the productions of farmlands. Despite of this zinc-containing manures are still applied. Finally, zinc can interrupt the activity in soils, as it negatively influences the activity of microorganisms and earthworms. The breakdown of organic matter may seriously slow down because of this.17) Around 1393 mld of sewerage finds its way into river Yamuna through 19 major drains. Out falling into the river carrying 218 mls which includes 48 mgd of industrial effluent.BOD content of this water is 587 mld in all the 5 sewerage zones of Delhi. 64% of total BOD is from domestic sources. 10-15% of nutrients added to the soils through fertilizers eventually find their surface water system. The highest load occurs from the NCT Delhi (about 152 MT/day of BOD load) as compared to the loads of other cities which vary from 1 mt/day) as per Yamuna Action Plan. Everyday about 1880 mld of waste water is discharge into the river from Delhi through 18 drains. More than 95% waster water in Delhi is drained by 5 drains viz. Nazafgarh, Sen Nursing home, and power house drain.18)The 48 km stretch of the Yamuna River in Delhi is heavily polluted by domestic and industrial wastewater.19)Chemical contamination will lead to the spread of many lethal diseases like cancer in the near future.20)There are 28 industrial areas in Delhi. Most of the small and tiny industries do not have individual facilities to treat liquid waste.21)The alarming rise in chemical pollution last year too and consumption by humans is likely to cause a number of diseases. This process is never checked due to money and favour collection by Delhi Pollution Control Committe all the time they visit polluted industries. It is well-known that cadmium contamination causes anaemia, high blood pressure, liver trouble and hepatic and renal disorders. Nickel causes pneumonia, lung and nose cancer, headache nausea and vomiting. Lead may cause gastric problems, kidney diseases and nervous disorders. Zinc is toxic to plants.22)The air pollution has increased in these years also.23)Children have narrower airways than do adults. Thus, irritation or inflammation caused by air pollution that would produce only a slight response in an adult can result in a potentially significant obstruction of the airways in a young child. During exercise, children, like adults, breathe with both their nose and mouth rather than just their noses. When the nose is bypassed during the breathing process, the filtering effects of the nose are lost, therefore allowing more air pollution to be inhaled.24)Sulfur dioxide not only has a bad odor, it can irritate the respiratory system. Exposure to high concentrations for short periods of time can constrict the bronchi and increase mucous flow, making breathing difficult. Children, the elderly, those with chronic lung disease, and asthmatics are especially susceptible to these effects. Sulfur dioxide can also: Immediately irritate the lung and throat at concentrations greater than 6 parts per million (ppm) in many people.Impair the respiratory system\'s defenses against foreign particles and bacteria, when exposed to concentrations less than 6 ppm for longer time periods. Apparently enhance the harmful effects of ozone. (Combinations of the two gases at concentrations occasionally found in the ambient air appear to increase airway resistance to breathing.) Sulfur dioxide tends to have more toxic effects when acidic pollutants, liquid or solid aerosols, and particulates are also present. (In the 1950s and 1960s, thousands of excess deaths occurred in areas where SO2 concentrations exceeded 1 ppm for a few days and other pollutants were also high.) Effects are more pronounced among mouth breathers, e.g., people who are exercising or who have head colds. These effects include: Health problems, such as episodes of bronchitis requiring hospitalization associated with lower-level acid concentrations. Self-reported respiratory conditions, such as chronic cough and difficult breathing, associated with acid aerosol concentrations. (Asthmatic individuals are especially susceptible to these effects. The elderly and those with chronic respiratory conditions may also be affected at lower concentrations than the general population.) Increased respiratory tract infections, associated with longer term, lower-level exposures to SO2 and acid aerosols.Subjective symptoms, such as headaches and nausea, in the absence of pathological abnormalities, due to long-term exposure. Effects on Plants Sulfur dioxide easily injures many plant species and varieties, both native and cultivated. Some of the most sensitive plants include various commercially valuable pines, legumes, red and black oaks, white ash, alfalfa and blackberry. The effects include: Visible injury to the most sensitive plants at exposures as low as 0.12 ppm for 8 hours.Visible injury to many other plant types of intermediate sensitivity at exposures of 0.30 ppm for 8 hours. Positive benefits from low levels, in a very few species growing on sulfur deficient soils. Other Effects Increases in sulfur dioxide concentrations accelerate the corrosion of metals, probably through the formation of acids. (SO2 is a major precursor to acidic deposition.) Sulfur oxides may also damage stone and masonry, paint, various fibers, paper, leather, and electrical components. Increased SO2 also contributes to impaired visibility. Particulate sulfate, much of which is derived from sulfur dioxide emissions, is a major component of the complex total suspended particulate mixture.25)Diesel cars in 2006 represent nearly 20% of new car registrations in Delhi, up from 4% in 1999. While gasoline cars have increased at 8.5% annually, diesel cars have maintained a growth rate of 16.6%. It is shocking to note that diesel cars during the same period have increased by 425 per cent.The share of diesel cars, a mere 4 per cent of the total new car registration in 1999, has climbed to nearly 20 per cent in 2006. While petrol cars have increased at 8.5 per cent annually, diesel cars have maintained a growth rate of 16.6 per annum,\" the release added The cumulative effect is overwhelming the emissions benefits gained by the city\'s earlier phase-out of its 12,000 diesel buses. It is calculated that the 118,631 diesel cars on the city\'s roads are equivalent to adding particulate emissions from nearly 30,000 diesel buses. NOx levels are steadily rising.26)Nine of every twenty residents suffer from lung, liver or genetic disorders due to highly-polluted air in the capital city of 16 million. It has been found that polluted air has also altered immunity and caused blood-related abnormalities among many of the victims. Permissible limits suitable for drinking water is as follows: (mg/l) Cu 0.05 Fe 0.1 NO3 45 F 1.0 Zn 0.05 SO4 200 Ca 75 Mg 30 Mn 200 Hg 0.01 Cd 0.005 As 0.05 Pb 0.01 Cr 0.05 Ni 0.02 Hardness 2mg/l pH 7-8.5 Delhi's drinking water has the levels of manganese, copper, nickel, chromium, iron selenium, lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium highly above the Indian Standards (IS) specification regulated for drinking water thereby more increasing pollution in Delhi.27)There is serious problems with the extremely poor monitoring capacities of government agencies because they collect bribe and so give wrong data which is broadly indicative.28)The way the government, the courts and Mrs. Naini Jayaseelan are proceeding, it is clear that the intention is not to fight pollution.29) I had closed Gagan Enterprises in April 2004 itself.30)DPCC and any environment groups in India only want media attention and no more devoted towards controlling pollution and not forcibly closing polluting units even today.31)If I was right in controlling pollution then the reasons for my application were also righteous, this means I was tortured. If I was wrong in the decision for application, this means DPCC is not acting even today, because consents are being provided to polluting units in New Delhi after getting bribes, Then also Human Right Commission should pay at least some attention to my complaint and do whatever is suitable to the greatest authority in this earth, to become true to your lord.32)There is a difference between long term remedies and short temporary measures for controlling pollution.33)DPCC is not following any of the above procedures because they are able to gather bribe from polluting units which thereby flourish more and thus polluting more, I being surviving in the same system along with maintain huge expenses for pollution control devices also giving bribes.34)The products manufactured in delhi are consumed in other states also.35)The eligibility or intention of owner of any unit is the only criteria which is responsible for the methods that company employ in controlling pollution.36)This factor is not dependent on geographic location of the polluting unit. Simply relocating industries means relocating pollution from the backyard of Delhi\'s elite to wherever human life can be found to be cheaper37) My first claim is that inspite of relocating the polluting units, there should be ban on individuals to open any manufacturing unit whether polluting or not; in any area. If ohchr is ready to send me details of proofs required to show and prove my complaints i can send that through any medium and also through courier.38)As I had already mentioned due to the torture faced by me when I was operating an industry in which all the pollution control measures were installed and successfully being used continuously for treatment and purification of water and air; for not giving bribe too often, I had to face more hassles and torture, I closed that unit in march 200439)Now i have opened an Electronic Goods showroom in September 200440)For no reason DDA officials visited this premises and told me that we are there to encourage youngsters and we don't require small amount of bribe.41)Since they don't use the exact words to demand money and talk like demanding gifts which is much a common way of harassing and collecting bribe in Delhi, and also I was in no mood to give bribe because of fewer resources and also less daily expenditure money I can utilize at any moment of time.42)They(A government organization) are again ready to exploit me and my family by demanding more and more money.43)IF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES DON\'T HAVE ENOUGH LAWS TO PUNISH AND FINE ANYONE WORKING IN THIS CITY,THEY CANT DISCOURAGE AND HARASS THEM BY SENDING INAPPROPRIATE AND INCOMPLETE NOTICES THAT CANNOT BE IMPONDED ON THEM, JUST BECAUSE THEY NEED MORE BRIBE.44)I am explaining below three more(3 i had already explained) of domestic remedies i have tried to exploit as advised by you. 1)Government of Delhi Grievance Cell Complaint No. CMO/PGC/2006/515174 2)Supreme Court Of India Reference No. 1056(Civil Appeal) dt.12-03-2006 3)Hard Copy submitted To Political secretary Of Mrs.Sonia Gandhi Mr.Motilal Vohra (Home Ministry Of India Office) 10 Race Course New Delhi-01 35)45)I am sending you more proof to place my complaint but my demand is another reply in the form of e mail. I have just given one of the examples of domestic remedies which I had already exhausted before complaining to human rights commission Thus I am in no intention to repeat this kind of procedures of domestic remedies because they are of no use in the kind of society, system we are surviving in India.The level of ethics and commitment is almost nil in all government employees of India. I am no longer able to continue to survive remembering that torture and humiliation. Gagan Deep Maggo Reference G/SO 215/1 human rights commission.ANOTHER GOOD METHOD TO DRAW ATTENTIONOF SOME POLITICAL LEADERS WHO AREINDULGED IN POWER,STATUS,& PROSPERITYFROM SOURCES SUCH AS BRIBE(Eg.BJP,INC),DYNASTIC RULE(Eg.INC),COMMUNALISM(Eg.VHP,BJP)GETTING PEOPLE'S INNUMERABLE PROBLEMS LISTED INHER WEBSITE AND DOING NOTHING TO SOLVE THEMIS A WAY OF GAINING POPULARITY FOR ELECTIONS PRECIOUS REPLY EDUCATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IS REALLY IMPORTANT OHCHR GOOD VOLUNTARY ORGANISTION ECOLOGY Blog Directory - Directory, reviews and more. Your one-stop blog spot!Contact MeTwelve Really Important Things you can do to help stop global warming 1. Get active: Talk with your friends, your teachers and your parents. You can all make your voices heard on http://www.pollutionindelhi.wordpress.com/ What's polutionindelhi.wordpress.com?It's your space... and is for setting up networks of like-minded people to help fix climate change and pollution.Write about things you're doing to combat global warming. You can post videos and pictures too. You can even form your own group and make contact with others like yourself. Get your parents and teachers involved! Why not get your school to join as a group? You can also write to your country's politicians telling them that you're worried about climate change and why. If enough people make a fuss, they have to do something. 2. Know what damage you're doing and get to be an expert! It's not much use trying to change something if you're part of the problem or you don't understand what it's all about! Why not start by finding out what your Carbon Footprint is. (My friend Jasmine wrote to suggest this!) What's a Carbon Footprint? You can easily work out what your carbon footprint is with Carbon Control's Carbonator. If you feel you need to find out more about global warming, try some of my links. And watch out: Don't believe all you read or see. Not everybody tells the truth! 3. Why drive when you can walk?! If your family has a car, get them to use it less. Walk to the shops. Walking, running, skipping are all much more fun than sitting in a boring un-cool car. If you need to travel further than you can walk, use a bus, metro or train if you can. 4. Make your own climate!

Turn the heating down in winter. If you're cold, wear more clothes!
Turn the air conditioning down in summer or use a fan.

5. Shop locally: If you can, buy your food from local farm shops and try and avoid imported goods. Or get your family to join a veg box scheme. Trucks and planes bringing in food and stuff from other countries, or from distant parts of your own country, use huge amounts of fuel. 6. Travelling light: Don't travel long distances unless you really have to. Particularly try and avoid using aeroplanes and big, gas-guzzling cars like SUVs. See if your friends and parents could holiday locally 7. Get your parents to change their driving habits... and their car. Cars guzzle fuel, but they use much less if people drive them gently and keep below speed limits. Big SUVs make about six times their own weight in CO2 each year. A small efficient diesel car covering the same distance not only uses much less fuel; it makes two thirds less CO2. 8. Solar energy is free: see if you can get your parents and friends interested in free solar energy -- that's energy from the sun and wind. You can get much of your hot water and heating from the sun and even generate electricity. And it's exciting building all these things. If you live in a windy place, a wind turbine - also called 'windmill'- really is a serious option. More and more people are installing them and more and more companies are producing well-designed, sturdy machines. Generating your own power is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. 9. Eating: Learn to cook! Home cooking is not only fun, it means you don't have to drive to a takeaway or fast food restaurant. Result? Less pollution. If you make a garden, you can grow much of your own food. Did you know that if you eat fewer meat and dairy products, you can reduce greenhouse gas output? (Here's why.) And composting your waste food means it doesn't have to be trucked away to a landfill waste dump where it will cause more pollution including methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. [why doesn't composting make methane?] 10. Reduce, reuse, recycle: Remember your three Rs!

Reduce: the most important. If you don't buy so much stuff in the first place, then you don't need to reuse or recycle it.
Reuse whatever you can (like plastic supermarket bags). If you can't reuse something,
Recycle it!

11. Turn off and shut it!

Turning things off may seem a boring turn-off hee hee!. But leaving lights, heating, air conditioning, computers, TVs and stuff on when you don't need them wastes a lot of energy. Turning them off saves money too!
"Put t' wood in t' 'ole" if it's warm in one room and cold in another. The door helps keep the heat in.
Leaving things on standby (like TVs, computers and stuff) also uses a surprising amount of energy. See more of my cartoons about this!

12. Psst! Don't keep this a secret: the future is DTQsEh?!? What?!? This is one cool secret which no one seems to know about so you really must tell everyone! Don't be put off if you don't know what DTQs are; I didn't either. But they look like the best way to stop global warming and energy shortages. So get your head round DTQs here and then be sure to tell everyone! Way to go... Garbage disposal in the ocean is a very drastic problem. It is affecting the ocean and the rest of the Earth, too.People aroud the world celebrated World Garbage Day on September 20,with negligible emphasis on cleaning of Water. Plastic in the ocean directly affects ocean marine organisms and indirectly affects human health and resources. This year UNEP collected a very intresting data that Over 1 lac sea animals are killed per annum due to toxic wastes plastics only. WHO AND UNEP are only skiled in data colletion. Think what the difference there would have been if I had told you that the casualities are 99786. Absolutely right,A big amount of human resources and money could have been saved. Imagine spending that energy and funds in ocean cleaning. The western organisations only became popular by exploring earth and data collection.They never play any active role in Environment protection. Since they spend most of the time bathing and swimming with each other. Toxic wastes are poisonous materials that are being dumped into the ocean. They harm many plants and animals in the ocean and have a huge impact on our health. 95% of sea birds in the North Sea have Plastics in any form like bags,sheets,materials,scrap etc in their Stomach. It Passes down the food chain and may eventually end up being our seafood. There are nearly 600000 discarded plastics in bottom of north sea. Cars pollute the ocean a lot. Whenever a car gets driven, a lot of smoke that is coming out from the back of the car ends up being in acid rain. Acid rain is pollution mixed with regular rain, and when acid rain gets into the ocean, it pollutes the waters and kills many fish over a period of time.Pollution is major problem in the sunlight zone. The main kind of pollution that occurs in this zone is oil pollution. The two main causes of oil pollution in the ocean are big ships leaking oil or ships carrying oil crashing into things in the ocean.In future never try to visit any seashore or beaches.Take that fact granted in your mind that noone is there to protect you from any kind of skin rashes and infections.Two closely related antimicrobials, triclosan and triclocarban, are at the center of the debacle. Whereas triclosan (TCS) has long captured the attention of toxicologists due to its structural resemblance to dioxin (the Times Beach and Love Canal poison), triclocarban (TCC) has ski-rocketed in 2004 from an unknown and presumably harmless consumer product additive to one of today's top ten pharmaceuticals and personal care products most frequently found in the environment and in U.S. drinking water resources.Now, Biodesign Institute at Arizona State Univesity researcher Rolf Halden and co-workers, in a feat of environmental detective work, have traced back the active ingredients of soaps -- used as long ago as the 1960s -- to their current location, the shallow sediments of New York City's Jamaica Bay and the Chesapeake Bay, the nation's largest estuary."Our group has shown that antimicrobial ingredients used a half a century ago, by our parents and grandparents, are still present today at parts-per-million concentrations in estuarine sediments underlying the brackish waters into which New York City and Baltimore discharge their treated domestic wastewater," said Halden, a new member of the institute's Center for Environmental Biotechnology. "This extreme environmental persistence by itself is a concern, and it is only amplified by recent studies that show both triclosan and triclocarban to function as endocrine disruptors in mammalian cell cultures and in animal models."Aiding in his team's research was another type of contamination: the radioactive fallout from nuclear testing conducted in the second half of the last century. Using the known deposition history and half-lives of two radioactive isotopes, cesium-137 and beryllium-7, Halden and his collaborators Steven Chillrud, Jerry Ritchie and Richard Bopp were able to assign the approximate time at which sediments observed to contain antimicrobial residues had been deposited in the two East Coast locations.By analyzing vertical cores of sediment deposited over time in the two sampling locations on the East Coast, they showed that TCC, and to a lesser extent, TCS, can persist in estuary sediments. TCC was shown to be present at parts per million levels, which could represent unhealthy levels for aquatic life, especially the bottom feeders that are important to commercial fishing industries like shellfish and crabs.In the Chesapeake Bay samples, the group noticed a significant drop in TCC levels that corresponded to a technology upgrade in the nearby wastewater treatment plant back in 1978. However, earlier work by the team had shown that enhanced removal of TCC and TCS in wastewater treatment plants leads to accumulation of the problematic antimicrobial substances in municipal sludge that often is applied on agricultural land for disposal. Lead author Todd Miller concludes that "little is actually degraded during wastewater treatment and more information is needed regarding the long term consequences these chemicals may have on environmentally beneficial microorganisms."Along the way of studying the deposition history of antimicrobials in sediments, the team also discovered a new pathway for the breakdown of antimicrobial additives of consumer products. Deep in the muddy sediments of the Chesapeake Bay, they found evidence for the activity of anaerobic microorganisms that assist in the decontamination of their habitat by pulling chlorine atoms one by one off the carbon backbone of triclocarban, presumably while obtaining energy for their metabolism in the process. "This is good news," said Halden, "but unfortunately the process does not occur in all locations and furthermore it is quite slow. If we continue to use persistent antimicrobial compounds at the current rate, we are outpacing nature's ability to decompose these problematic compounds."While combining bioenergy production and pollutant destruction has its own appeal, Halden sees a simpler solution to combating the pollution his team discovered: limit the use of antimicrobial personal care products to situations where they improve public health and save lives."The irony is that these compounds have no measurable benefit over the use of regular soap and water for hand washing; the contact time simply is too short." Unfortunately this cannot be said for the bottom-dwelling organisms in the sampling locations on the East Coast. "Here," Halden concludes, "the affected organisms are experiencing multi-generational, life-time exposures to our chemical follies."Halden is planning to continue his research on persistent antimicrobials by studying their body burden and associated health effects in susceptible populations including mothers and their babies.The work was funded in part by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.HANOVER, DE -- By producing the only products to score over the 50 percent mark in a survey of business and consumer electronics products, Sony's Vaio notebook and a Sony Ericsson mobile phone and PDA were the most environmentally friendly models on the market -- but the results show just how far the industry as a whole has to come.Greenpeace, which has been releasing a quarterly ranking of electronics manufacturers, released a similar survey during this week's CeBIT conference.The survey, "Searching for Greener Electronics," studied 37 products voluntarily submitted by 14 electronics manufacturers on four sets of criteria: energy efficiency, use of hazardous materials, product lifecycle and innovation / marketing, awarding points on a 1 to 10 scale. Although Sony swept the winners with models in the notebook computer, mobile phone and PDA categories, those products were notable only because they were the sole products to break the 5-point limit.Despite the rather dismal rankings for the bulk of these products, Greenpeace said that its findings do suggest that the industry is taking significant steps toward green electronics. The report's authors find that the industry is moving out in front of existing regulations, like RoHS and WEEE, and that manufacturers and purchasers alike are quickly responding to the demand for toxic-free and energy efficient products, despite years of neglect on both of those fronts.Even though the manufacturing side may be stepping up to the task, Greenpeace found that all the companies in its survey are still not taking a product's entire lifecycle into account -- working as hard on end-of-life concerns like recycling and reuse as they are on minimizing the impacts of production in the first place.The survey looked at four classes of electronics products: Desktop computers, notebook computers, mobile phones and PDAs. Sony's Vaio TZ11 led the notebook category with a score of 5.29, its Sony Ericsson T650i ranked highest in the mobile phone category with a 5.30 score, and the Sony Ericsson P1i led PDAs with 5.10 points. In the desktop category, the Dell Optiplex 755 and HP's dc5750 tied for the lead, scoring 4.71.Overall low rankings notwithstanding, the report does emphasize progress in the quest for greener, cleaner electronics. It singles out the new Apple MacBook Air laptop and Nokia's Evolve phone charger as examples of innovative, toxics-free and energy efficient design.Apple did not submit any products for review in this survey, although it showed significant gains in last year's Greenpeace report cards, moving from last place to the middle of the pack. Also among the companies not submitting products for review was Nintendo, which Greenpeace slammed in the latest report card by starting it off in last place with zero points for failure to disclose its environmental data. Srinagar, Sept 11,2008Night long protests were held in Kashmir to protest against the harassment being meted out to the citizens by the Indian army personnel. The residents of Khunmoh, some 16 kms from summer capital Srinagar took to roads in the midnight to protest against the excesses being committed by the Indian army personnel deployed in the area. The residents said that army personnel have made their lives miserable after one of their vehicles was set ablaze by a strong mob in the area on the very first day of curfew on August 24. "Since then the army personnel are frequently conducting raids on our houses, ransacking the household goods and beating the inmates," said the residents.They said that the army personnel had arrested more than 20 youth of the area and were later released in bad shape. "They have been conducting late night raids and threatening the people of dire consequences in case they did not identify the persons who set their vehicle on fire. They also were angry over the staging of pro-freedom and anti-India rallies in the area," said the residents.The residents staged sit-in dharna on the road in the midnight while carrying torch lights. "We are living under constant fear and threat and don't consider ourselves safe and secure within the four walls of our houses," said one of the protestors.The agitating people demanded action against the army personnel, who are intimidating and harassing them.The area observed complete shutdown on Thursday to protest against the harassment being committed by the army personnel.As the conflict in Kashmir enters its ninth year, central and state authorities have done little to stop the widespread practice of rape by Indian security forces in Kashmir. Indeed, when confronted with the evidence of rape, time and again the authorities have attempted to impugn the integrity of the witnesses, discredit the testimony of physicians or simply deny the charges everything except order a full inquiry and prosecute those responsible for rape.According to the Kashmiri-Canadian Council, more than 9,000 Kashmiri women have been raped. Rape is used by the Indian security forces to attack Kashmiri women and supress the movement for self independence.Through rape, the security forces are aiming to punish and humiliate the Innocent environment-friendly Muslim community.Total Killings * 89,742 Custodial Killings 6,771 Civilians Arrested 110,100 Structures Arsoned / Destroyed 104,866 Women Widowed 22,240 Children Orphaned 106,353 Women gang-raped / Molested 9,579 "In the month of Ramadan, besides being physically tortured, Kashmiris are prevented from taking their early morning meal before starting their day of fast. They were also prevented from participating in the late evening prayers. A reign of terror was let loose in Srinagar where people were ordered out of their homes at morning mealtime."For more than half a century Kashmir, or Paradise on Earth as it is called, has suffered due to the extremely brutal Indian occupation.Since 1988 over 80 000 civilians including women and children have died at the hands of the Indian army and paramilitary forces. Their crime? They want India to end the brutal occupation of Kashmir, their homeland. 1)If your o/s does'nt have calculator. Press CTRL L or go to the "Location" input box Type javascript:eval( ) and press ENTERFor example, to add 1 and 3 type:Javascript:eval( 1 3 )And press ENTER 2) Make your own iconsIt's shockingly easy to create your own icons in Windows XP. Let's do it: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Paint. On the Image menu, click Attributes. Type 32 for both the Width and Height of the document, and make sure that Pixels is selected under Units. Click OK to create a new 32x32-pixel document: the size of an icon.Now add type, color, or do whatever you'd like to your image. I like to shrink photos (headshots work best) to 32x32 and simply paste them into my Paint document. When you're finished, open the File menu and click Save As. Use the dialog box to choose where you want to save your file, then give it a name followed by ".ico" (without the quotes), and click Save. (The extension ".ico" tells Windows that it's an icon file.) You just created an icon! Now you can change any shortcut or folder to your own icon%u2014just browse to it on your hard drive.3)Don't just maximize your windows%u2014go full screenWhen you need a really big window, don't just maximize it: go full screen! To view a window full screen, hold down the Ctrl key and double-click the window's title bar%u2014or when the window is active, press the F11 key at the top of your keyboard%u2014to get the biggest window possible.4)Arrange windows on your desktopYou can display any two windows side by side on the desktop by first clicking a window's button on the Taskbar. Next, press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click the second window that you want to open, then click Tile Vertically. This works great when you want to view two Microsoft Word or Microsoft Internet Explorer windows at the same time.5)Windows: Display the Start menu Windows D: Minimize or restore all windows Windows E: Display Windows Explorer Windows F: Display Search for files Windows Ctrl F: Display Search for computer Windows F1: Display Help and Support Center Windows R: Display Run dialog box Windows break: Display System Properties dialog box Windows shift M: Undo minimize all windows Windows L: Lock the workstation Windows U: Open Utility Manager Windows Q: Quick switching of users (Powertoys only) Windows Q: Hold Windows Key, then tap Q to scroll thru the different users on your PC 6)To convert a FAT partition to NTFS, perform the following steps. Click Start, click Programs, and then click Command Prompt. In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type cmd and then click OK. At the command prompt, type CONVERT [driveletter]: /FS:NTFS. Convert.exe will attempt to convert the partition to NTFS.

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