Table Of Content‘|Our Toxic cWo | ni Fi
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Our Toxic World
A guide to ha ubslances
iruddha Sen Gupta
ts by Priya Kuriyan
@SAGE *
Com The dant Srcionmane Chatae Prat, 2010
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The SAGE Tone Nal Netrsan wo eans Mabe
Foreword by Revi Agarwal
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Cast of characters
1L, Construction City of bones
2. Automobile pollution: Air today. gone tomorrow
3. Environmental legislation: Laws of the land
4. Industrial pollution: Poisonous development
6. Chemivnls: Killer wektail
8. Elveteonie waste: Syetem failure imminent
“7. Plastion: Material mayhem
8. Heavy metals: Trail of destruction
9, Food: Toxins at your table
10. Household waste: Atzizuden that slink
11, Recycling: The right stuff
12, Festivals: Callous celebrations
Glossary
Behind the book
Contents
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6
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7
103
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195
145
159
12
Foreword
oaything about tha yrs sar ae an eS ie antl hace?
‘What is ores thatthe ina wees wo larg til bapund our aes. Foe example, climate
change ic engulng the gbe und portends that damsi ia uct fx. evarvhing wo
(rink es oat is contarsintoa with heavs metals, poids, or ntraued genes, ra what
‘2a wo os? Mausalgn af ann angulf aur lies ad ou Noes aoan, beating oxi
Tey ina ll we iabit I. seem it ste tp los the newspapey and start Bring ow Lio,
‘aoe ther ic Ile wo con de bo change the situation La helplos bares, we soem t be
Iron in nnstion, hypneroe hy tha soaks, which be vbput lena
"yt this med not he tre, We ern ad danke fern. Bath and every neon oe
take, does count. It a nt only about bow me canzune. for eamample, say *ns" #2 the
pede bag or chengig the ght bulb se CHL, but almy, how we hap chee we Akin
‘ho toy ano fas lend in ths tse nr eben wil ply with wl tagger ff arin rm
the to munofetere, ao will curving tho waste managemcot company nbewt what it
ath ch at ater west wt hom Thy peer i nluncing shag an
‘en demenatentd tie time agin a i ener be underntited nc, any
betne ony reason anything has changed in the past through making choice ka ou every
day nistente, both as consurzre an iene
owover, oft we xe cot fal shows what i ging on ern ws, nc ae doomang
smeassge, but es helpfl information which an help ube ananc and at as vbional ntl
igen binge Information availability of cis type. a very poo, orem inthis “nformation
ge! Tae products we boy ae ot labeled eo al ua whac cbeadeale or heaey mastale rey
‘amas, and whot thts potenti] hoalth risk coud bo, Er example. Qu care do oot have
bon inter oly us make «cheep about the ner journey, Oar drinking wetee dowe
not announoe how mang pesticides ic may contain, o our computa abwat the ti Wests
Ttleada ce, Our epic enwironmentl enoerus are cen noc translated inc information,
fd hence nears a inmmotlsabaut ove chess and arcone This woeda to obange Ratio.
nal choices ueed che right information, bur We neod to dem it.
The reasons forthe change ar les about ou own hoalth and quality of Ife, Bavizor-
menus iapaccs are ver? eigniicany canst fcr peor hesth lobaly,eepecialy tx dovslop-
ing cousties, Rend wxjunens fut paih and toys Ina to Ines 1 and ewdced ital
Testu! yolautial, Mercury in water and Buh lead to angen dioedens and acento,
<ieuiden,Euraing PVC plore con lead to Roeonal problema and canoer Thece sre
uate ery goo eto fe arb,
‘The ed news het hace a aMeativessvalable, dear Toute can ight sp
vr hone Fane can be lead-free, Water can a dean. Th air can be brethable, The
sleruaves wre seule, bul we need Ls canoe Une That ime has ne UO or
{he four oor planet well mara od a oar chile for bane we beet this
‘uth eo del ond balng informed eitizans inthe hep: being igmerant con only bo
(ered owed Mapex book wl hep us ake anor agp Lowa being tha
Brel Agarwal
er Tene ot
Acknowledgments
‘The eons ofthis hank fie the nge volumes of inforalion Ut Taxon Link, Dalhi-
‘sed wavirmnmental NGO, has pot topechr an issues lated twats rd Benard
substanoes their Ye yeer6 of etn on these aula. Far Dae, wn to thank oh,
fd every member of Tani Tink, pat ad postent, Thes—and cihere Ke chen working
Lele and ofan thaakleely cn seus of lobal and lanl wonsern ave bee intr
rental in rnging in a eonsciouatess tama x sre ragrny cred ewvicomest
Te daing an they heve seta aaa racer forthe en of chia tol to row
i parvenan ha development of thi haak he In pone thank to Alton Puedy
‘ho, anavokintar placed by Challengers Werld Wide at Tone Link, pet tether enueh
Frater; Progye Majunder, he patents bundheld cold andeeteed, and auteite
inpatntls tneatened ne inte png ahuge the dynamo on af Satish Sinha ah
Hae Agarwal ho had te wk Una moda thie prot come into being, Of eevee,
Hivns, the Hovnanist atte for Development Cooperation. bad? est Wing fad
tha pret, ft mould never ha gat fe gran,
“oct wands would be too Be fr uy alent ellnenatr on the ac, Prive Kuan,
‘shone eling Wich dhe sual medium aver sonacn tl ck With Wotder tnd wwe, An
fiastor with no experiance an katong romion, ohe ek the page Brevely—and
ame ob opening
eli Chaetrvell, ny friend and profeesonal prtna i wy ti a Slash! Comme
ations and, before thn, Mein Worle, wae tireless a ape in hie eoanagecnent of
thepsetet dealing un ey halt with the big bad wo out there
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group. Sang guy oF ofthe ngn ye aid ii et incnperstod—i thi ae nto
{toca wien chap thea,
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segel nb sore difference,
Aviruddba Sea Gupta
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Introduction
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lingua ail topped having Retcup fra whl andthe ck inde inden Ald vay.
ue, Laver, en he re teh agai, be oan that the problas ne-uecured. Repec
‘aocatin ol aa wn he tomatoe the chemiola hat reused Le prscere the
late chat wes cvoning che alle.
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{nthe couniry is dienppcoring “ase dha te die” and the bird ud be eatin in
‘hy next 10 year. Race scout eosarch hod shown ebas oo ofthe suain exw of
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‘ransferred Ue vniurse when thy ol on the orp the sine,
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satan Deen cea thet sb had su du abous what happened ts the wmeth tht he
seneratid once the Raodouula lal it rs, back bode it Delhi. Whan I remarked 03
thi, tes “Who deca?
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(hat we mre rene ave uf uur wpe the Vat andthe cvirwae' ipa
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that weno louger awe ne sontol ove? Hse aang thu wh tien ace ted
fond ponder en caus, very iw real tha ditt haoes I chance,
Tha dof Weald War I gale the ond of he ld ocdee, cave unde whic Weer
arape Yn arated the aya tha eri fo contre. With the United Staten of America
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of Untt nation to plot ste rare sounne a hs gal vm. he itctiva tet ay
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ofthat cre
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conpuainton -- wo need things caneUnid, homed up, replaced and
dinarded an wer aeceleeack ee
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ree exigeres, md ta eal isemded.
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1s nw withont pital. For you o havo picked up this bok, hese quests sat be
fn pur ovine well: Ae the products that ou tue evar [ing they are Lote 6 ba? he
‘here, rerhape, mmc vo them tan sets che eFe—hidden ages tha cus cease you or
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ponee—and malice rustladve— ita impact. ha wy of Ti ius oy te fondetion om,
‘oliefthatresourose ar infeed hat uciang ther withrat vay orm of rare
cr compensation vill hsrfore ue hue us. the enters
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{ouit not nit, and hou appetite and aan you lchnse proven tobe marr sore
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oath has raven ibe we much ie oben
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ae 185, whew he ork wae pid, Phorahas emerged ter steam of igocusl-
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development rel tht the wild ha worse, Buti ow, a he bapa ofthe Piet
‘retary Oat we haw but rl the fl fre of ne elias.
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som of many digerntenvirertal probleme char have bacote ncresaingy wis.
‘apollo rivers and wate Poe, even the ery air we breath, aes coed
sth pelleanen Mining aa! indie, operaring in wntzamimote sareip, a aenting
stop aod expporating wounds on tho foo of the carth, The itis ae wating the wound
swith eoerae,equoteng ont the fe bresth of ylanta and wilde thst onoo shared that
spun The naete that wo crease ie oiling out of lana nd damp Where we Ii to
ido, and int ove Kee arr, we ane autraunded hy cet, 40 bes wo hat
‘fl to tio thar pretence and belive that dh is how it haa alvaye bean.
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apie the Ect eat atthe hve of the ioe, een, vn Ube tion il
‘vazalig snd alternatives wu avaliable cht hw nthe eae or tered iis
fant path without beeing we gu aah ia cin
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pes a ee ive of the etioun Sava [amily and he prope bey oan contact
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‘thea, ike Bdhavi Kollar in he bok, wa have been Babting onthe wde ofthe wor
zunment—shatit nivel actions Ghat wl wlekvay bring about te chads that ws
esis. This honk hereto focuses on evn serene Fao a how we ven ch be
sagem of tnt change nour aa Tv,
‘Aniraddha en Gupte
Cast of characters
MrDWN Puleneny
bombenminlal aahiviot
Frised qd Prastd, Sashes
and a host of others
