Science (general)

Awareness about science is growing

Lucknow has been known in history for its music beauty in motion and poetry in life. Its composite culture is a unique mix of Indian and Mughal traditions, architecture and life style. It has also been a Centre of Urdu poetry, Hindi literature and Kathak dance. The ruins of the erstwhile Residency, a great monument of India’s war for independence in 1857, and the heroic deeds of Begum Hazrat Mahal are among the evidences of the city’s glorious past. Lucknow is also known as the city of gardens.

Besides its rich cultural scene, Lucknow is rapidly becoming a site of science culture. About 10 national research institutes: Engineering and Technology, Ayurvedic College, Unani and Homoeopathic Colleges, the University, Medical College and other scientific institutions have put the city on the global scientific map. Mention must also be made in this regard of the emergence of Biomedical Research activities through a large number of laboratories of international repute. Thus Lucknow is now not only the chief nerve Centre for cultural and political activities but also of scientific study and research.

Lucknow University is the centre for research activities in all disciplines of science, in basic applied and biomedical aspects. Birbal Sahni Institute of Pale Botany is the pioneering research establishment for study of fossils all over the world. The king George’s Medical College (KGMC) has age old traditions in medical education and research. The Centre of Biomedical Research in KGMC has received a boost with the opening of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Research with talented staff and latest equipments.

Lucknow has some full fledged laboratories under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) housed in and around the historic Chatter Manzil Palace was inaugurated by Pt. Nehru in 1951. It has been in the fore-front of drug research with several divisions.

The National Botanical Research Institute (formerly National Botanical Garden) is the leading institution dealing with various aspects of basic and applied plant sciences. Besides developing experimental plant sciences, it has also succeeded in identifying environmental pollutants, sensitive plant species and encouraging plantation of such species useful as filters of environmental pollutants. The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) is actively engaged in the development of know how for optimum exploitation of natural resources for herbal drugs and aromatics. The Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC) with its prestigious national missions and high quality research output has put the country on the world map in environmental research. Besides these, CSIR has a sophisticated Central Instrumentation and Maintenance Facility a Regional Centre of Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI) and a Poly technology Transfer Centre.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) also has two well equipped laboratories in Lucknow. These are the Indian Institute for Sugarcane Research (IISR) and Central Institute for Horticulture in Northern Plains incorporating the Mango Research Station.

The establishment of the Regional Science Centre has also helped in spreading awareness about science in the city. These reputed research institutions served as a forum for frequent scientific interactions at local national and international levels fostering science and scientific spirit for humanity. Hence, with the emergence of scientific temperament in society, the science based culture is developing fast in our city.

(The Times of India, Lucknow: July 1, 1990)

Development Triggers Pollution

Nature and mankind form an inseparable part of the life support system which constitutes of five vital elements namely air, water, land, flora and fauna which are all interconnected, inter-related and interdependent and have coevolved and are co-adapted. Since the present-day society largely depends on chemicals, the rapid pace of all round industrialization and modernization of life, there will certainly be more and more instances of a variety of chemical and biological contaminations leading to explosive state of environmental degradation and consequent health hazards.

The major environmental problems include long term occurring acid rain, extensive contamination of surface and ground waters, severe air pollution both from automobile and industrial exhausts, uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, long range transport of pesticides and other deadly poisonous chemicals, estuarine and coastal water pollution, global warming because of increasing density of greenhouse gases, accidental radioactive leakage and emissions as well as potential threat to stratospheric ozone umbrella because of unabated use of chloroflorocarbons, freons, nuclear explosions and supersonic jets in the randomness of faster human civilization.

Environmental planning has been attracting more attention in recent years with ever increasing urban population and congestion. It happens to be more important due to lack of awareness in our society regarding such life threatening global environmental issues. Even then, environmental programs at society level are seldom found effective or taken seriously. It is due to the fact that the success of any public program is the people’s active invo are co-adapted. Since the present-day society largely depends on chemicals, the rapid pace of all round industrialization and modernization of life, there will certainly be more and more instances of a variety of chemical and biological contaminations leading to explosive state of environment. Need to popularize such programs among masses and to keep close contact with them at the grass root level is thus a vital necessity to right for the environmental conservation. Without effective popularization and group involvement enormous research findings, ideas and enforcement rules/laws remain merely confined to books and bulletins.

Man and the environment have been focal point of most scientific disciplines. The multidisciplinary approach of environmental protection attaches special significance in view of large and increasing proportion of the population which lives in the much damaged and suffocated environment in the modern urbanized dense population without proper hygienic and fair environmental conditions. Therefore, the interaction between man and environment today is not so simple and direct as it used to be during the early days of civilization. For instance, the extent to which man would get fresh air or fresh water depends on his own interaction with natural system of environment. The problem of environmental quality appears to be critical in India where the rate of urbanization is very rapid. Since the urban centers are not planned to accommodate a vast influx of population and as a result, most of the big Indian cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Calcutta and Kanpur etc. suffocate in view of poor environmental quality, lack of public amenities insufficient accommodation and negation of proper job opportunities. Almost every year, particularly in monsoon, we notice widespread epidemics in the slums of major cities.

No citizen can be totally unconcerned about physical problems or remain totally unaware of social aspects of on going environmental crisis. Every body occupies a position in purview of environmental perception of which one side can be physical and the other side social. A residence who is socially aware of the environment, generally neglects its physical aspects and vice-versa. However, some people may be aware of both social and physical aspects, whereas some may not be concerned about anything. In spite of such complications, it is still worth trying to explain human behavior through environmental images. It is therefore quite essential to dissipate information as to how people estimate the environmental quality to understand complex type of environmental phenomena occurring in every day life in urban areas. Besides significant columns in the dailies and periodicals as well as flash on electronic media regarding awakening about environmental protection, the industrial and town planners have an uphill task to cope up with the grim problem. The industrial entrepreneurs should put restrain in adopting all possible safety norms and standards as per the R & D requisites and the environmental control board before plunging into operation. The new industries should be exclusively established far away from inhabited patches with an effort to shift the running industries from populated sites to industrial belts. Besides sufficient drainage and sewer facilities, pavements parallel to roads and lanes should be heavily guarded by certain selected perennial plants which act as filters of environmental pollutants because they absorb certain gases and particulates from the polluted air. These plants include siser, cassia, guava and jamun besides vegetables like cucumber, brinjals, castor, wild apple, walnut and acacia. Tamarind and margosa plants are also capable of absorbing dust and gaseous particles from its surroundings. Recently it has been noticed that the poplar tree is potential absorbent of oxides of nitrogen and sulphur (the precursors of acid rain) of the polluted air. The significance of social forestry in the inhabited and industrial areas can be well understood from the following facts viz.(i) An average 50 years old tree serves mankind by over Rs 20 lakh of course by cleaning environmental as well as providing its material value, (ii) a peepal tree replaces about 2,000 kg. of polluted air by providing about 1700 kg . oxygen during its life time which is sufficient for as many as 6 lakh people, (iii) one hectare of forest consumes 3 metric tones of polluted air and provides about 2 million tones of oxygen, (iv) one medium sized tree can take CO2 gives out by two families and provide enough oxygen for them and (v) towns without avenue trees have 4 to 5 times more dust particles in atmosphere than towns having avenue trees.

In addition, the new residential establishments should be kept a little away from both road and rail highways as the heavy traffic poses noise threat and causes air pollution of deadly aromatic petroleum and coal exhausts. Sufficient large distance should be maintained from the radioactive centers such as nuclear power installations. Recent researches have given enough evidence to suspect that exposure the high tension power lines also produce symptoms which have links with cancer, the greatest killer of all times. Professor Richard Phillips, a leading researcher at the Battle laboratory, Toronto (Canada) in an international conference pleaded that strong EMFs were so dangerous that he would not buy a house near a high power line even if it carried a discount of $ 25,000. Therefore houses/schools etc. should be preferably avoided near the high tension power lines.

(Avadh Skyline: Dec. 12, 1990)

There’s poison in our food

An ever increasing population is facing a major problem of availability of safe and acceptable food. Industrial pollution and food processing and packaging is one of the prime causes of poisonous effects of food and foodstuffs. About three –fourths of the human diseases in today’s industrialized world are caused by the environmental pollutants. Foods may be contaminated by substances of synthetic as well as natural origin present in that environment. Contamination of foods may also result from chemical spill or from the process of preparation and packaging of foods as well as certain chemicals added as food additives during food processing.

Thus the major hazards from poisonous substances in food comprise: bacterial contamination naturally occurring toxins and chemical carcinogens, accidental chemical contaminants, pesticide contaminants and food additives. Tremendous increase in fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides etc for high agriculture yields have badly destroyed food chains and the environment. For example, indiscriminate use of DDT to kill flies and mosquitoes has caused severe undesirable side effects. Samples of bottled milk recently had almost 10 times the permissible limit of DDT.

Industrial activities are now very much concerned on food production and processing. Numerous food additives are being used for flavoring, coloring, preserving and as emulsifiers and sweeteners. These man made chemicals, instead of adding nutritive value to the food, cause health problems. In food processing plastics are used from a variety of noxious chemicals which can leach into the food from plastic containers. These chemicals include plasticizers, cooling agents, stabilizers to heat and light, fire retardants and anti oxidants. The polymeric plastic molecules are quite reactive and poisonous compounds.

In developed nations the number of food additives used exceeds 3000. Substance like sweeteners, preservatives and cooling agents are used intentionally. Some of these additives used as fat and oil preservatives can remain in body fat for several years which can be released as toxic substances after metabolism.

The chemical additives which were earlier considered safe are now being found to be harmful. They include nitrates (used for meat preservations) dulein and dyclamate as sweeteners, synthetic dyes and monosodium glutamate (a flavor enhancer, used in Chinese cooking). Thus in a rising trend of using abundant processed food, we are consuming the junk food with practically very little nutritious value, instead allowing harmful substances with it. As ice cream may be only a mixture of oil and water with a very little ingredients mixed with emulsifiers and stabilizers to keep the air in and give a smooth rich feel. To control acidity of food products additives like antioxidants, preservatives, neutralizers and buffers are used. This may be due to the reason that during food processing, many of the essential vitamins and minerals get removed from the natural food stuff.

With the continuous release of a long variety of new chemicals in our environment the food chain is the worst affected and can be understood from the following facts:

Two poisons on mixing together may be more harmful than individually. Stance may accentuate the cancer-producing action of another chemical and it takes sufficiently high time to tell response to our body. The decline in cellular health is inside us.

By the time perceptible symptoms appear, it may be too late. Thus after entering contaminants in our body through food, the consequences could be severe because they will finally enter the tissues and will damage the internal body environment.

Another important contaminant in our food and water contains the harbingers of disease and infection, namely, the pathogenic microorganisms. Heavy contamination of rivers and water ways with human sewage adds on faecal bacteria. Also food acts as a factor in the spread of a epidemic diseases like enteric fever, dysentery, cholera, diphtheria, and poliomyelitis, careless handling and break down in personal and environmental hygiene ultimately results into contamination of food and thus food poisoning.

Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that imported and processed food, conform with the accepted stringent standards of quality control. Therefore, there is an international need to prevent accidental contamination of food with dangerous industrial chemicals such as occurred in the Michigan disaster involving the poly bromophenyl mixture, fire master.

Oil Slick – the redeeming feature

The much maligned oil slick in the Gulf can be a blessing in disguise too. The marine microorganisms feed on hydrocarbons and other components of the oil and register a high growth rate and therefore are a greater source of nourishment for the fish and other aquatic life forms. This may lead to a much greater seafood production than in usual circumstances.

It has been observed that the micro-organisms found universally in water columns and water sediments of the ocean are in abundance in the areas of high hydrocarbon concentration, some of these micro-organisms constitute an important link in the food chain and the productivity cycle.

Since micro flora are actively oxidizing hydrocarbons in the ocean, oil may be considered as another source of carbon for use in the life cycle of micro flora. Nutrients cycled by bacteria may also improve growth of photo planktons. The best evidence in this regard is that a creel census in the Corpus Christi Bay, off Louisiana coast in the USA showed that the region around oil platforms yielded highest catch per unit effort by fishermen. Similar results were also reported on the Louisiana continental shelf. It was also observed that fish yield over an extended period of time was directly proportional to the production of oil.

Experiment through field studies involving micro-organisms suggest that the oil is broken into its first degradation product namely the fatty acids which in turn enter directly into the marine food chain. Initially the plankton will die out due to unavailability of sunlight owing to the clouding of ocean surface. This will result in fish starvation. After some time, when the oil is broken into fatty acids and glycerol, the fatty acids will enter the food cycle. This will trigger a rapid rise in the plankton population. Planktons being the ideal fish food, there will be a boom in the yield. However the whole process may require more than a year.

Adult lobsters also show positive feeding response to the fragmented petroleum products abundant in oil from natural seeps, thus increasing their reproduction. An American researcher studying mussels (marine shelled animals) observed their increased survival rates on exposure to oil in aquaria.

Although such beneficial effects of oil pollution are expected to be dismal as compared to the havoc it wreaks over the environment, the fact that this will be useful & opens an interesting field of future research in the area of marine oil pollution.

(The Pioneer: Lucknow, April 3, 1991)