Uranium poisoning in Punjab

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Coordinates: 30°40′N 74°45′E / 30.667°N 74.750°E / 30.667; 74.750
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30°40′N 74°45′E / 30.667°N 74.750°E / 30.667; 74.750

Uranium poisoning in Punjab made news in 2009 when South African metal toxicologist Carin Smit ordered tests to be performed on children at Baba Farid Center For Special Children (BFCSC), a centre for children with

high levels of uranium in local children. Environmental tests found that Punjab's groundwater, especially that near ash ponds
, had high levels of uranium.

History

In 1995,

Malwa region
of Punjab, which showed extremely high levels of chemical, biological and radioactive toxicity, including uranium contamination.

As the region's groundwater and food chain was gradually contaminated by industrial effluents flowing into fresh water sources used both for irrigation and drinking purposes, the region showed a rise in neurological diseases, and a sharp increase in cancer cases and kidney ailments. In

Muktsar district between 2001 and 2009, 1,074 people died of cancer.[2]

In March 2008, South African clinical metal toxicologist Carin Smit visited the Baba Farid Center For Special Children (BFCSC), a

Down's syndrome, and other physical and mental abnormalities.[5] Smit and BFCSC continued testing children at the centre. In 2010, Smit reported that MicroTrace Minerals found high uranium levels in 87% of BFCSC children younger than 12 years and 82% of older BFCSC children.[6][7]

Subsequent

Sutlej River, showed high heavy metal content and the presence of uranium 1.5 times the reference range.[8][9]

Response

In April 2009,[citation needed] the government of Punjab ordered a probe into the matter, and a series of tests with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre were conducted. Discussing the tests, civil surgeon Vivek Jain said, "there is no side effect of uranium [...] and the levels are very much below the levels. So that can't cause any mental retardation or any abnormality."[4] The government attributed abnormalities to genetic disorders.[4] Local media blamed the government for not monitoring the environmental impact of ash ponds and the lack of proper study of the prevalent uranium contamination in the region.[10]

MicroTrace Minerals continued testing cancer patients living in the Malwa region of Punjab, the area known for having the highest cancer rate in India.[citation needed]

Possible causes

A 2009

thermal power plants, which contains high levels of uranium and ash as the region has state's two biggest coal-fired power stations.[4][5] In Bathinda district, tests on ground water found the highest average concentration of uranium (56.95 µg/L) in Bhucho Mandi, close to the ash pond of the Lehra Mohabat thermal power plant. Tests also found high uranium levels in Jai Singh Wala village, close to the Bathinda ash pond.[5]

In 2010, The Times of India reported that high concentrations of uranium could be attributed to the United States' use of depleted uranium in the War in Afghanistan.[8]

Researchers have concluded that geological causes are the main source of the uranium contamination in Punjab, as uranium enrichments occur in the underlying

Siwalik sediments.[11][12][13][14]

References

  1. ^ Rana, Yudhvir (18 June 2010). "' Action on this 1995 study could have played a huge role in preventing the indiscriminate poisoning of Punjab children". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Toxic Troubles". The Times of India. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  3. ^ a b Yadav, Priya (2 April 2009). "Uranium deforms kids in Faridkot". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Video | Children of uranium poisoning?, 6 September 2009, retrieved 10 September 2023
  5. ^ a b c d Chamberlain, Gethin (30 August 2009). "India's generation of children crippled by uranium waste". The Telegraph. London.
  6. ^ Garg, Balwant (14 June 2010). "Uranium levels 62 times higher than normal". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  7. ^ Garg, Balwant (15 June 2010). "Anti-pollution laws only on paper in Punjab". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011.
  8. ^ a b Singh, IP (16 June 2010). "Parts of Raj, Malwa drinking poison?". The Times Of India.
  9. ^ "Buddha Nullah the toxic vein of Malwa". Indian Express. 21 May 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012.
  10. The Tribune
    . 27 August 2009.
  11. ^ A.V. Phadke, T.M. Mahadevan, G.R. Narayandas and A.C. Saraswat (1985). "Uranium Mineralisation in Some Phanerozoic Sandstones of India, in: Geological Environments of Sandstone-Type Uranium Deposits". International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.
  12. ^ H. Singh, J. Singh, S. Singh and B.S. Bajwa (2009). "Uranium concentration in drinking water samples using the SSNTDs". Indian Journal of Physics. 83: 1039-1044, 2009.
  13. ^ R. Patnaik, S. Lahiri, V. Chahar, N. Naskar, P.K. Sharma, D.K. Avhad, M.K.T. Bassan, F. Knolle, E. Schnug and A. Srivastava (2016). "Study of uranium mobilization from Himalayan Siwaliks to the Malwa region of Punjab state in India". Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 308:913-918.
  14. ^ A. Srivastava, F. Knolle, F. Hoyler, U.W. Scherer and E. Schnug (2015). "Uranium Toxicity in the State of Punjab in North-Western India". In Management of Natural Resources in a Changing Environment, jointly published with Capital Publishing Company, New Delhi, India.

Further reading

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