Coca Cola rejects findings; Pepsico says its plants meet Pollution Control Board norms  Cadmium and lead detected in samples from Ghaziabad Chromium can cause skin rashes, upset stomach, respiratory problems and cancer Your daily dose of cola could be poisoning the lives of communities living near soft drink manufacturing plants, according to a study by Hazards Centre. The NGO found high levels of toxic chromium and other pollutants in the soil and water...

So you think the ‘fresh-from-villages’ fruits and vegetables are actually safe and healthy to eat? However, there is more to what meets the eye. With groundwater having receded as much as 300 feet, farmers in the area have resorted to growing vegetables and seasonal crops using sewerage water laced with industrial pollutants. The primary source of surface water is a 150-km long rivulet that flows from Mohali to Ratia in Haryana...

The recent high-profile cobalt radiation exposure case in Delhi is a warning signal for bigger disasters waiting to happen. While the reported incident is not commonplace, India is home to a large and rapidly growing inventory of hazardous waste. Much of this is handled by the poor in an extremely crude manner without observing any safety norms. Part of this hazardous waste is even dumped in landfill sites where many...

The Cobalt-60 radiation tragedy at Mayapuri in Delhi has unearthed many skeletons, which some seem to be desperate to hide. There is already a life lost, and maybe others irrevocably damaged, while everyone is busy hurling accusations at each other. This is a typical response. Instead, we need to examine the systemic problems that this incident has indicated. While those who were negligent must be punished, there are many questions...

Visitors making their way along the muddy track leading to the Gossainbarie tea estate in India's north-eastern Assam state will be greeted by huge mounds of cow dung, rotting water hyacinth, as well as and fish and meat waste. But this is no cause for alarm - the tea-estate has gone organic and is following the principles of India's ancient plant medicine Vriksh Ayurveda. "This is our fertiliser because we don't...