Assessment of the health risks associated with heavy metal contamination in the groundwaters of the Leh district, Ladakh.

There has been a significant rise in cancer-related mortality in the Ladakh region during the past 10 years. The most common type of case is gastrointestinal cancer, which has been linked in theory by medical research to lifestyle factors, high altitude conditions, and the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria brought on by poor hygiene. Nevertheless, the precise cause of the rise in cancer cases is still unknown.

A comprehensive calibrated phytolith based climatic index from the Himalaya and its application in palaeotemperature reconstruction.

Past climate reconstructions from palaeoecological records require an understanding of relationships between modern vegetation and climate. Phytoliths are being used widely to reconstruct variations in C3/C4 grasses in the past vegetation and corresponding climate. However, little understanding is available on their relationships with the climate driver(s).

High frequency abrupt shifts in the Indian summer monsoon since Younger Dryas in the Himalaya.

In order to quantify the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) variability for a monsoon dominated agrarian based Indian socio-economy, we used combined high resolution δC, total organic carbon (TOC), sediment texture and environmental magnetic data of the samples from a ~3 m deep glacial outwash sedimentary profile from the Sikkim Himalaya. Our decadal to centennial scale records identified five positive and three negative excursions of the ISM since last ~13 ka. The most prominent abrupt negative ISM shift was observed during the termination of the Younger Dryas (YD) between ~11.

Mobile Phones-An asset or a liability: A study based on characterization and assessment of metals in waste mobile phone components using leaching tests.

The prolonged use of old fashioned gadgets, especially mobile phones, is declining readily with the advancement in technology which ultimately lead to generation of e-waste. The present study investigates the concentrations of nine metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sn, and Zn) in various components of the mobile phones using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), Waste Extraction Test (WET) and Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure (SPLP). The results were compared with the threshold limits for hazardous waste defined by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (CDTSC) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA).