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Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Arsenic, fluoride, uranium contamination threaten drinking water safety in Bihar
1 2 Patna: Groundwater quality in Bihar remains a concern despite the implementation of the 'Har Ghar Jal-Nal Yojna' and other measures initiated by the state govt. More than 30,000 rural wards continue to face the risk of "unsafe" drinking water, leaving large sections of the population vulnerable to serious health hazards. The Bihar Economic Survey Report (2024-25), tabled in the state assembly earlier this year, revealed that around 26% of rural wards in 31 of the state's 38 districts have groundwater contaminated with arsenic, fluoride and iron beyond permissible limits. The findings were based on an analysis of water samples by the state's public health engineering department (PHED). Experts attribute the deterioration in groundwater quality to multiple factors like rapid industrial growth and urbanisation leading to the discharge of untreated industrial and municipal waste, excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture, over-extraction of groundwater for irrigation and the growing impact of climate change. Arsenic: Excessive and prolonged ingestion of inorganic arsenic through drinking water is causing arsenicosis, a progressive and debilitating disease marked by skin lesions, pigmentation and patches on the palms and soles. It can culminate in fatal illnesses such as skin and internal cancers. Long-term exposure may also result in cardiovascular and diabetic complications. Arsenic contamination has been detected in groundwater across 20 districts, including Araria, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Katihar, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Madhepura, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Saran, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Supaul and West Champaran. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Europe Travel Hack That Saves You Hundreds on Trips! Undo Fluoride: High fluoride levels in drinking water are harmful to health. Former deputy director general of the Geological Survey of India, Binod Kumar, said, "Long-term intake of groundwater with excessive fluoride concentrations often leads to waterborne fluorosis, such as dental and skeletal fluorosis. Children may get mottled teeth." Concentrations exceeding the permissible limit of 15 mg/L have been reported in parts of Banka, Gaya, Jamui, Nalanda, Nawada and Sheikhpura districts. Uranium: Groundwater samples from Siwan district have been found to contain uranium concentrations above 30 ppb, according to Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) analysis. Former Bihar State Pollution Control Board chairman Ashok Kumar Ghosh said radioactive uranium has also been detected in Saran, Bhabhua, Khagaria, Madhepura, Nawada, Sheikhpura, Purnea, Kishanganj and Begusarai. "High exposure may cause bone toxicity, impaired renal function and cancer," he said. Iron: Elevated iron content in groundwater has been observed in 33 districts, including Araria, Banka, Begusarai, Bhabhua, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, East Champaran, Gaya, Gopalganj, Jamui, Katihar, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Lakhisarai, Madhepura, Madhubani, Munger, Muzaffarpur, Nalanda, Nawada, Patna, Rohtas, Saharsa, Samastipur, Saran, Sheikhpura, Sheohar, Sitamarhi, Siwan, Supaul, Vaishali and West Champaran. High iron levels can cause anaesthetic effects and promote the growth of iron bacteria. Nitrate: Elevated nitrate levels in groundwater pose risks such as methemoglobinemia, or "blue baby syndrome", in infants. "Adults can tolerate slightly higher concentrations," said Patna University geology teacher Bhavuk Sharma. Out of 800 groundwater samples analysed by the CGWB, 20 had nitrate concentrations exceeding the permissible limit of 45 mg/L with some reaching as high as 119 mg/L. Higher nitrate levels were found in Arwal, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Katihar, Madhepura, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Saharsa, Samastipur, Sheohar and Sitamarhi. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Study finds widespread lead poisoning among children and pregnant women in Bihar
Patna: Across Bihar's towns and villages, an invisible danger is endangering the lives of children and pregnant women. A recent study has found that nearly 90% of children and 80% of pregnant women in the state have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood, far above the safety threshold defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The scale of contamination paints a scary picture of an invisible epidemic, one that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Conducted by a team led by former Bihar State Pollution Control Board chairman Ashok Kumar Ghosh, the study revealed that one in five children tested had blood lead levels (BLL) above 10 micrograms per decilitre (µg/dL), twice the WHO's threshold for medical intervention. The same ratio applied to pregnant women. "This is a warning bell. Our children are being quietly poisoned," Ghosh said. The findings, published in the July 2025 issue of the international journal 'Environmental Monitoring and Assessment', placed Bihar among the worst-hit regions globally for childhood lead exposure. For comparison, fewer than 3% of children under six in the United States have BLLs above 5 µg/dL and less than 0.4% exceed 10 µg/dL. In parts of Bihar, however, almost half of the children exceeded that alarming mark. The study, conducted at Patna's Mahavir Cancer Institute and Research Centre, was a collaborative effort involving Germany's Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, along with Pure Earth and Viral Strategies in New York. Researchers randomly selected 150 children and several pregnant women in eight districts – Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Nawada, West Champaran, Bhagalpur, Vaishali and Purnia. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Elevated lead levels were found in all districts, but Patna, Gaya and Nawada emerged as the most severely affected. In Patna and Gaya, nearly one in two children had BLLs of 10 µg/dL or higher. The data exposed a disturbing truth – lead poisoning is not limited to isolated incidents, but is woven into the daily lives of thousands. Historically, lead poisoning has been one of the oldest recorded occupational diseases. Some scientists even believe chronic lead exposure played a role in the collapse of the Roman Empire. Yet, despite this ancient history, the danger persists in modern India. A 2019 report by UNICEF and Pure Earth estimated that 275 million Indian children are exposed to blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL, figures that remain virtually unchanged today. The causes are as diverse as they are insidious. According to the study, one of the major sources of lead contamination in Bihar is proximity to industrial activity. Nearly half of the children surveyed live within 1km of industries known to use or process lead. These include battery recycling, metal smelting and paint manufacturing – activities that can contaminate local soil and dust, putting nearby families at constant risk. But the threat does not end there. Exposure often begins at home. Children can come into contact with lead brought back on the clothes or tools of parents employed in lead-related industries. Everyday items – from cookware to drinking water – can become vectors of exposure. The study found that 77% of households relied on hand pumps for their water supply and 28% on municipal sources, both of which can be contaminated through ageing pipes or fixtures containing lead. In nearly every home surveyed, metal cookware was used (96%) with plastic or ceramic options virtually absent. Researchers also highlighted a particularly troubling source – adulterated spices. Brightly coloured powders, especially turmeric and red chilli, are sometimes laced with lead-based pigments to improve appearance. "We found a clear and statistically significant link between children's BLLs and lead concentrations in household spices," said one of the study authors. Even more worrying, 87% of households purchase loose spices from local markets, while just 1% buy from recognised national brands. This lack of regulation leaves ample room for dangerous adulteration to go unchecked. In response, the study calls for urgent and far-reaching action. First and foremost, it urges the state govt to integrate routine blood lead level monitoring into paediatric healthcare, allowing early detection and treatment. Secondly, it recommends stronger oversight and testing of consumer products, drinking water, and food items, particularly loose spices and herbal remedies. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that 815 million children have blood lead levels above 5 µg/dL – 99% of them in low and middle-income countries. India remains one of the worst-affected, both in terms of scale and impact.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Study reveals high lead levels in breast milk in six Bihar districts
Patna: A new study by Patna's Mahavir Cancer Sansthan and Research Centre (MCSRC) has found high levels of lead in the breast milk of women in six districts of Bihar. The same team had earlier detected arsenic in breast milk as well. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Health experts involved in the study said lead poisoning through breast milk poses a serious risk to children's mental development and can cause other health issues. They warned that exposure to lead in newborns can result in premature birth, low birth weight, slow growth, anaemia and damage to the brain, bones and muscles. According to MCSRC scientist Abhinav Srivastava, lead was found in 92% of breast milk samples, with the highest level reaching 1,309 micrograms per litre (µg/L). Lead was also present in the blood of 87% of the women with a maximum reading of 677.2 µg/L. The study found that contaminated soil can pass lead into food items such as vegetables and grains, which eventually enters the human body and breast milk. The team found that wheat, rice and potatoes – common staple foods – are likely sources of lead exposure. This, they said, can cause reduced IQ, memory problems and poor mental growth in children. Ashok Kumar Ghosh, a senior scientist in the team, said, "Initially we studied arsenic contamination in drinking water in the districts located along the Ganga river. Following this, we decided to examine breast milk and found lead poisoning alongside arsenic, both of which are fatal to breast-feeding children." The lead exposure study was carried out in Samastipur, Darbhanga, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger and Nalanda. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A total of 327 women aged between 17 and 40 years were included in the study. The results showed that 80% of them were at high risk of lead exposure. Among 88 women tested for blood lead levels, only 17% had values below the permissible limit of 50 µg/L. The rest had higher levels. In breast milk, only 8% of samples were within the safe limit of 5 µg/L while 92% crossed it. In urine samples, 62% of mothers and 62% of children had lead levels above safe limits, with one mother's urine containing 4,168 µg/L of lead. The study's GIS mapping showed differences in lead exposure between areas. It pointed to contaminated food crops as the main route of lead entering the body. The contamination may be natural, from the soil, but other sources were also observed. These include adulterated turmeric, some Ayurvedic medicines, whitening creams and the widespread use of pesticides in farming. The findings raise concerns about the health of mothers and children in rural Bihar where toxic metals are entering homes through food and water. Experts have called for urgent steps to identify sources of contamination and protect women and children from further exposure.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Environmentalist raise concern about increasing plastic waste in urban areas
1 2 3 P atna: With the state progressing on the path of economic development, rapid urbanisation, marked by population growth, has also given rise to a serious environmental concern. While air and water pollution are nowhere to go, environmentalists, ahead of World Environment Day, observed on June 5, have raised concern about an increase in plastic waste at an alarming rate in the state. Bihar State Pollution Control Board's former chairman Ashok Kumar Ghosh said India's per capita plastic consumption has grown to approximately 11kg per year, and this is expected to rise further with increasing industrialisation and consumerism. This year's theme 'Beat the plastic pollution' assumes significance with environmentalists raising concern about urban areas, where the demand for single-use plastics has risen drastically, notwithstanding the govt ban on its use. If current trends continue, by 2050 the plastic industry could account for 20% of the world's total oil consumption as according to Ghosh, more than 99% of plastics are produced from chemicals derived from oil, natural gas and coal — all non-renewable resources. He said plastic generally degrades in about 500 to 1,000 years, though we may never know its actual degradation time, as this material has been in use only since the last century. Plastic discarded in soil or water bodies physically break to form microplastics and nanoplastics, depending on their size. They enter food chain and finally in human body, leading to many health issues, including cancer. During its manufacture, many hazardous chemicals are emitted that can lead to several other dreadful diseases in humans as well as animals. Ethylene oxide, xylene and benzene are some of the chemical toxins present in plastic, which can have hazardous effects on environment. Patna University geology teacher and former chairman of State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Atul Aditya Pandey, said that the menace of plastic has now reached even to the depth of ocean basin. There are reports of microorganisms being adversely affected by the micro plastics. "Nowadays even cow milk is found to contain microplastics. Human health is directly affected by the ever increasing use of plastics. A firm administrative control on production and distribution of plastics and mass awareness campaign can only beat the plastic pollution," he said. Environmentalist Mehta Nagendra Singh said that India's waste management infrastructure has not evolved to handle the growing volume of plastic waste. An estimated 77% of the waste generated in Indian cities is dumped into open landfills without being treated. Only 60% of the plastic waste generated is recycled, and this is often done inefficiently in the informal sector, he said. To check the use of plastics, Singh suggested that people should be motivated to start using paper or cloth bags for shopping and other purposes as much as possible. Use of omnipresent plastic bottles for drinking water must be discouraged at public meetings or markets, he added.
