ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio USA

The good news and the bad news: Let’s hear the bad news first. No Sam Raimi and no Toby Maguire and of course no Spiderman 4. All rumors of Matt Damon being Spidey 4 are also gone down the drains. The good news, The Amazing Spider-Man is to be released soon and the super bad news is USA will be the last…like Tintin.

Based on paper presentation made during Indian National Science Congress Sciences (INSA)’s Society Programme and a position paper on ‘Hazardous Metals and Minerals Pollution in India: Sources Toxicity and Management.

New Delhi, Nov 18, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio / PIB India) While anthropogenic activities are the major source of heavy metal pollution, natural sources contribute significantly to the burden of arsenic and fluoride. Apart from industries, road runoff is also an important source.

The toxic elements enter the body mainly through water, food and air. Cosmetics, dental products, some drugs, particularly Ayurveda and Unani drugs also contribute. More research is needed to assess the extent to which these products affect human health. Public awareness should be created. There should be monitoring and control over the concentration of heavy metals in cosmetics.

The existence of metals in nano form or otherwise should be determined. Toxicity of metals bearing nano particles is a domain where systematic research needs to be carried out to establish or negate toxic factors.

Susceptibility to toxicity is influenced by age, physiological status, nutrition status and genetic factors. More research is needed to study these interactions, particularly since malnutrition is rampant in India. Where specific interactions are known: e.g. lead and calcium, fluoride and calcium, populations exposed to these toxic substances (factory workers, communities living near the factories) should receive periodic health check-up and nutritional support.

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By A.N.Khan

The author is National Award winning Scientist and Former Assistant Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur.

New Delhi, Sep 19, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio / PIB India) United Nations Organization has declared 2011, as the ‘International Year of Chemistry”.  It is  to honour the completion of 100 years of awarding the Nobel prize in chemistry to Marie Curie (1867 - 1934) who  discovered a new radio-active element called polonium. She was often ill due to her excessive exposure to radioactive rays and died at the age of 61 due to Leukemia.  The year is to remember great scientists who sacrificed their lives for the service of the mankind through science.

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Deputy Director (M & C), Press Information Bureau, New DelhiNew Delhi, July 15, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) is the nodal agency coordinating and implementing the Indian Polar (Arctic, Antarctic and southern Ocean) Program. It is the only institute in the country that has the capability to archive & process ice cores from Polar Regions. India has successfully launched 30 scientific expeditions to Antarctica and 5 expeditions each to Arctic and Southern Ocean till now. In the year 2010-11, NCAOR accomplished the first ever Indian expedition to South Pole. Apart From Maitri in Antarctica, India now has a research Base – Himadri – in Arctic. The first phase of the construction of new research base in eastern Antarctica, Bharati, is complete and station is likely to be commissioned in 2012-13. The process for acquisitions of a new Ice Breaker Polar research Vessel is in advanced stage.

New Delhi, July 7, 2011 (Washington Bangla Radio / PIB India) The Antarctic Continent is the coldest region on the earth. Most of  the land here is buried underneath masses of ice and snow. Indian scientists are studying the ice core to unravel history of geographical features of the continent and to learn various aspects of climate change due to environmental variations, volcanic activity, signs of life etc. Two main studies being done are Ice Core Study and Lake’s Study.