Down To Earth (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Down To Earth is an Indian science and environment fortnightly, established by the Society for Environmental Communications in May 1992. Over the years the magazine has informed and inspired people about environmental threats facing India and the world—a dimension underplayed in mainstream media. DTE has become a reading habit in 400 of about 500 districts of the country—more than any other Indian newspaper or magazine. DTE’s sphere of influence is not limited to India. Numerous readers across the world rely on the magazine for a comprehensive view from South Asia on the most critical issues of human existence. Its founder editor Anil Agarwal
summed up its essence when he said: “Ideas are like time-bombs. You never know when someone will read it and make change. The idea will then explode.”
traces in environmental and human samples from Padre village in Kasaragod
district of Kerala
. An unusually large number of health anomalies reported from a single village. These ranged from cancer to physical deformities and mental to neurological disorders. Endosulfan was aerially sprayed in the cashew plantations in the area.
Result
High traces of endosulfan was found in every sample
Impact
After the test results were released the Union government ordered its own scientific institutions to study the health problems. The National Institute of Occupational Health
in Ahmedabad
confirmed endosulfan was the cause of poisoning. Union agriculture ministry banned use of endosulfan in Kerala in 2005.
residues in bottled water
that was being sold in Indian markets at a premium and without regulations.
Result
Samples tested contained a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues. What’s worse, most of the samples contained as many as five different pesticide residues, in levels far exceeding the standards specified as safe for drinking water.
Impact
Health ministry proposed mandatory regulations. India's first ever bottled water standard promulgated. Every bottle of water sold in the market must meet the standards. The norms state that pesticide residues considered individually should not be more than 0.0001 mg/litre, while total pesticide residues were capped at not more than 0.0005 mg/litre.
residues in soft drinks, Another sector left unregulated.
Result
High levels of toxic pesticides and insecticides, high enough to damage the nervous system
and reproductive system
, and cause cancer
, birth defects and severe disruption of the immune system
. Market leaders Coca-Cola
and Pepsi
had almost similar concentrations of pesticide residues. They were tested twice
Impact
Startling facts forced the government to constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee, only the fourth in independent India and the first on health and safety of Indians. The committee report vindicated CSE’s findings and said it is prudent to seek complete freedom from pesticide residues in sweetened aerated water. After prevaricating for five years, the Union Health Ministry was forced to set up in soft drinks, world’s first ever.
residues in blood
samples of farmers in Punjab, where pesticides are commonly used in agriculture
.
Result
Deadly cocktails of six to 13 different pesticides found in all the blood samples tested.
Impact
The Punjab government ordered a study and immediate health remediation measures. Later, the government formulated organic farming policy for the area. Recently, the government has asked Indian Council of Medical Research
to look into the health concerns in the region and suggest solutions.
Result
The results showed transfats in seven leading vanaspati brands were five to 12 times the 2 per cent standard set by Denmark.
Impact
Since the release of this study several government agencies took steps to set standards for transfats in cooking oil. The Union health ministry is finalising draft standards for transfats to be notified under PFA. Bureau of Indian Standards
is in advanced stages of finalising a standard. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has also got involved in the process of regulating transfats in edible oils.
as it can damage the central nervous system and the brain. Several countries have banned the use of lead in paints but not India
.
Result
Lab results revealed Indian paints contain high amounts of lead 72 per cent of samples tested did not meet the voluntary standard.
Impact
Immediately after the study results were published, the minister of consumer affairs instructed the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to set mandatory standards for lead in paints in consultation with Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS). Leading paint manufacturers like Kansai Nerolac wrote to CSE that they are taking steps to voluntarily remove lead from their household paints. Industry associations also contacted CSE, saying that they favoured removal of lead from paints used in houses and in paints children are likely to come in contact with. BIS is in advanced stages of finalising a mandatory standard.
(UCIL) factory has been contaminating the land and water of Bhopal. Centre for Science and Environment
(CSE) tested water and soil samples from in and around the factory.
Result
High concentrations of pesticides and heavy metals
found inside the factory as well as in the groundwater outside. Tests showed groundwater in areas even three km from the factory contained almost 40 times more pesticides than Indian standards permitted.
Impact
The Central Pollution Control Board, which had collected samples with CSE, also confirmed the contamination. This was the first-ever study that revealed continued contamination of surrounding areas from waste stored at the UCIL factory. This led to re-opening of the Bhopal case and for the first time there was serious focus on the clean-up. The government of India has ordered cleaning up of the site and asked different institutions to prepare plans for remediation. Renewed the liability debate; senior Union ministers said Dow Chemicals should be held liable for the clean-up.
, a highly toxic chemical, in toys sold in the Indian market. These chemicals are not regulated or monitored by the government.
Result
Lab results showed over 45 per cent of the samples exceeded the internationally accepted safe limit for phthalates. India has no standards.
Impact
There was immediate response from the very top. In a meeting the joint secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion said that the Prime Minister's Office was taking keen interest in setting standards for toys. The department of consumer affairs issued a draft notification to make it mandatory for all toy manufacturers to register with Bureau of Indian Standards
. The BIS certificate will ensure that companies registered with BIS will get tested in the BIS recognised labs. BIS is also finalising the mandatory standards for phthalates in toys.
Result
Tests found high levels of antibiotics—from the banned chloramphenicol to broad spectrum ciprofloxacin and erythromycin—in almost all brands sold in the market. The leading Indian honey
producers—Dabur
, Baidyanath, Patanjali Ayurveda, Khadi, Himalaya—had two-four antibiotics in their products, much above the stipulated standards. Two foreign brands, an Australian and a Swiss, had antibiotics levels not permissible in their own countries.
Anil Agarwal (environmentalist)
Anil Agarwal was an Indian journalist and environmentalist who founded the Centre for Science and Environment in 1980....
summed up its essence when he said: “Ideas are like time-bombs. You never know when someone will read it and make change. The idea will then explode.”
Initiatives and special issues
Down To Earth has undertaken several initiatives to bring awareness among people on common issues that are easily ignored:Endosulfan test, 2001
Tested endosulfanEndosulfan
Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. Endosulfan became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor...
traces in environmental and human samples from Padre village in Kasaragod
Kasaragod
Kasaragod is a town and a municipality in Kasaragod district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district as well as of Kasaragod Taluk...
district of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. An unusually large number of health anomalies reported from a single village. These ranged from cancer to physical deformities and mental to neurological disorders. Endosulfan was aerially sprayed in the cashew plantations in the area.
Result
High traces of endosulfan was found in every sample
Impact
After the test results were released the Union government ordered its own scientific institutions to study the health problems. The National Institute of Occupational Health
National Institute of Occupational Health
National Institute of Occupational Health , also known as Statens arbeidsmiljøinstitutt or STAMI is a government body organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion. The institute deals with a range of health areas, with staff with competence in medicine, physiology, chemistry,...
in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
confirmed endosulfan was the cause of poisoning. Union agriculture ministry banned use of endosulfan in Kerala in 2005.
Pesticides in bottled water, 2003
Analysed pesticidePesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
residues in bottled water
Bottled water
Bottled water is drinking water packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not...
that was being sold in Indian markets at a premium and without regulations.
Result
Samples tested contained a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues. What’s worse, most of the samples contained as many as five different pesticide residues, in levels far exceeding the standards specified as safe for drinking water.
Impact
Health ministry proposed mandatory regulations. India's first ever bottled water standard promulgated. Every bottle of water sold in the market must meet the standards. The norms state that pesticide residues considered individually should not be more than 0.0001 mg/litre, while total pesticide residues were capped at not more than 0.0005 mg/litre.
Pesticides in soft drinks, 2003 and 2006
Analysed pesticidePesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
residues in soft drinks, Another sector left unregulated.
Result
High levels of toxic pesticides and insecticides, high enough to damage the nervous system
Nervous system
The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous...
and reproductive system
Reproductive system
The reproductive system or genital system is a system of organs within an organism which work together for the purpose of reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system. Unlike most organ systems, the sexes...
, and cause cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, birth defects and severe disruption of the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
. Market leaders Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
had almost similar concentrations of pesticide residues. They were tested twice
Impact
Startling facts forced the government to constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee, only the fourth in independent India and the first on health and safety of Indians. The committee report vindicated CSE’s findings and said it is prudent to seek complete freedom from pesticide residues in sweetened aerated water. After prevaricating for five years, the Union Health Ministry was forced to set up in soft drinks, world’s first ever.
Pesticides in Punjab, 2005
Analysed pesticidePesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
residues in blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
samples of farmers in Punjab, where pesticides are commonly used in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
Result
Deadly cocktails of six to 13 different pesticides found in all the blood samples tested.
Impact
The Punjab government ordered a study and immediate health remediation measures. Later, the government formulated organic farming policy for the area. Recently, the government has asked Indian Council of Medical Research
Indian council of medical research
The Indian Council of Medical Research , New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.-History:...
to look into the health concerns in the region and suggest solutions.
Transfats in cooking oil, February
Branded edible oils are full of unhealthy transfats.Result
The results showed transfats in seven leading vanaspati brands were five to 12 times the 2 per cent standard set by Denmark.
Impact
Since the release of this study several government agencies took steps to set standards for transfats in cooking oil. The Union health ministry is finalising draft standards for transfats to be notified under PFA. Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
is in advanced stages of finalising a standard. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has also got involved in the process of regulating transfats in edible oils.
Lead in paints, August
The CSE laboratory tested leading brands. Young children are particularly vulnerable to leadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
as it can damage the central nervous system and the brain. Several countries have banned the use of lead in paints but not India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Result
Lab results revealed Indian paints contain high amounts of lead 72 per cent of samples tested did not meet the voluntary standard.
Impact
Immediately after the study results were published, the minister of consumer affairs instructed the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion to set mandatory standards for lead in paints in consultation with Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
(BIS). Leading paint manufacturers like Kansai Nerolac wrote to CSE that they are taking steps to voluntarily remove lead from their household paints. Industry associations also contacted CSE, saying that they favoured removal of lead from paints used in houses and in paints children are likely to come in contact with. BIS is in advanced stages of finalising a mandatory standard.
Contamination in Bhopal, December
For more than 25 years, the Union CarbideUnion Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
(UCIL) factory has been contaminating the land and water of Bhopal. Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment
Centre for Science and Environment is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE has been working on various environment-development issues in India, pushing for policy changes wherever required and better implementation...
(CSE) tested water and soil samples from in and around the factory.
Result
High concentrations of pesticides and heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
found inside the factory as well as in the groundwater outside. Tests showed groundwater in areas even three km from the factory contained almost 40 times more pesticides than Indian standards permitted.
Impact
The Central Pollution Control Board, which had collected samples with CSE, also confirmed the contamination. This was the first-ever study that revealed continued contamination of surrounding areas from waste stored at the UCIL factory. This led to re-opening of the Bhopal case and for the first time there was serious focus on the clean-up. The government of India has ordered cleaning up of the site and asked different institutions to prepare plans for remediation. Renewed the liability debate; senior Union ministers said Dow Chemicals should be held liable for the clean-up.
Phthalates, January
Tested presence of phthalatesPhthalates
Phthalates , or phthalate esters, are esters of phthalic acid and are mainly used as plasticizers . They are used primarily to soften polyvinyl chloride...
, a highly toxic chemical, in toys sold in the Indian market. These chemicals are not regulated or monitored by the government.
Result
Lab results showed over 45 per cent of the samples exceeded the internationally accepted safe limit for phthalates. India has no standards.
Impact
There was immediate response from the very top. In a meeting the joint secretary of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion said that the Prime Minister's Office was taking keen interest in setting standards for toys. The department of consumer affairs issued a draft notification to make it mandatory for all toy manufacturers to register with Bureau of Indian Standards
Bureau of Indian Standards
The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986...
. The BIS certificate will ensure that companies registered with BIS will get tested in the BIS recognised labs. BIS is also finalising the mandatory standards for phthalates in toys.
Antibiotics in honey, September
The CSE laboratory tested leading brands.Result
Tests found high levels of antibiotics—from the banned chloramphenicol to broad spectrum ciprofloxacin and erythromycin—in almost all brands sold in the market. The leading Indian honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
producers—Dabur
Dabur
Dabur derived from Daktar Burman) is India's largest Ayurvedic medicine manufacturer. Dabur's Ayurvedic Specialities Division has over 260 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions-from common cold to chronic paralysis.-Sustainable Development Society:Sustainable Development...
, Baidyanath, Patanjali Ayurveda, Khadi, Himalaya—had two-four antibiotics in their products, much above the stipulated standards. Two foreign brands, an Australian and a Swiss, had antibiotics levels not permissible in their own countries.
Content
The content of Down To Earth is for anyone interested in the environment and the politics behind it. It is well-researched, edited and presents an in-depth analysis of the issues facing common people. Reporters of Down To Earth travel the length and breadth of the country to uncover the truth. It not only informs but motivates people to bring about a change in their community.- Editor's Page: India’s foremost environmentalist Sunita NarainSunita NarainSunita Narain is an Indian environmentalist and political activist as well as a major proponent of the Green concept of sustainable development. Narain has been with the India-based Centre for Science and Environment since 1982...
’s take on government policies and their impact on the common man. - Cover Story: Combines reportage and research. At times, they are based on independent lab tests and research.
- Frontpage: Reports that expose the politics behind environment, science and development
- News: Reports on events of public concern and environmental policies.
- Special Report: Well researched, comprehensive articles and on-the-spot reports that take you behind the news
- Science and Technology: Advances in health & medicine; life, plant and atmospheric sciences; agriculture; geology; ecology; evolution; astrophysics and chemistry. Innovations that promise to change the face of industry, energy systems and rural areas
- Features: On history, food, initiatives & culture
- Crosscurrents: Guest writers' viewpoint
- Review: Books & films
- Media: A round-up on the public sphere
- Columns:
- Patently Absurd by Latha Jishnu
- Right To Dissent by Latha Jishnu
- Civil Lines by Richard Mahapatra