Do you think the air and clouds of the mountains are always clean and pure? If yes, a new study can surprise you. Recent research has shown that clouds are taking heavy metals filled with dust and pollution to the hilly areas of India, such as the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats. These metals are pose a serious threat to health. Come, let’s understand in easy language what is all this? How is it happening? What is the danger?
What are these heavy metals?
This study is published in the Journal of Environmental Advocates. These reports suggest that clouds bring heavy metals like cadmium (CD), nickel (NI), Copper (CU), Chromium (CR) and Zinc. These metals can not only cause dangerous diseases like cancer, but can also cause bone weakness, kidney problems and mental development problems in children. Scientists of Bose Institute, Kolkata have done this research.
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How did this study happen?
Scientists took samples until the monsoon started from the last days of summer in 2022. These samples were taken from Mahabaleshwar (IITM campus) in the Western Ghats and Darjeeling (Bose Institute) in the Eastern Himalayas. The special thing is that the monsoon clouds reach the Himalayas via the Western Ghats via the Bay of Bengal. He studied the clouds that do not rain (non-represy cloud). It was found that the quantity of metals is high in them.
How do these metals harm health?
These metals float in the air and reach the body by breathing, drinking water or contact with skin. This can cause many diseases …
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- Nickel (ni) and chromium (CR): They cause problems like allergies and asthma on the skin.
- Cadmium (CD): Weakens bones, damages the kidney.
- Chromium (CR): The risk of lung cancer increases when you go inside through breath.
- Long effect: Lung, liver and kidney diseases, heart disease and brain problems can occur.
- Children’s threat: Children can be affected 30% more than these metals, which increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and mental retardation.
Scientists said that these metals in sunlight make reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause cancer by damaging DNA.
Where are these metals coming from?
These metals are reaching the mountains through clouds from the plains. Human activities are responsible behind this …
- Traffic and pollution: Road dust, trains smoke and coal.
- Urban Garbage: Burning garbage in cities provides metals in the air.
- Tourism pressure: Crowds of vehicles and local pollution (eg toy train of Darjeeling) at a tourist destination like Mahabaleshwar and Darjeeling.
- Nature’s contribution: Metals are also found in clouds by soil erosion.
The study says that the clouds of polluted cities are filled with metals more than the clouds of rural areas. Clouds that do not rain have more quantity of metals.
The air of the mountains is not clean?
We think that the air and clouds of the mountains are clean, but this is not true. Pollution increases due to trains and tourists during the monsoon in Mahabaleshwar. In Darjeeling, the air of trains, biomass and coal-diesel-powered toy train is deteriorating air. Tourists go for the beauty and clean air of the mountains, but now it seems that it can be cheated.
What is the danger and what to do?
These metals are not only harming humans, but also the environment. They affect health by breathing, drinking water or contact with skin. Especially children and elderly are in danger.
- Health Risk: Cancer, asthma, kidney disease and obstruction in mental growth.
- Environment: The ecology of the mountains is deteriorating, which can harm plants and animals.
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