Lead content in new decorative paints in India

The paint industry in India is broadly classified into two categories: organized sector and unorganized sector. Multinational and big Indian companies form the organized sector, whereas the small- and medium-scale industries which produce paints for the local market form the unorganized sector. The present study was undertaken to determine the level of lead in decorative paints in India. A total of 148 paint samples sourced from four organized sector companies and six unorganized sector companies were analyzed for the total lead content. Results of this study reveal that 39 % of the total paints tested (n = 148) contain lead more than 300 ppm, the voluntary limit prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards, BIS (IS 15489:2011), and 45 % of the tested paints contain lead more than 90 ppm, the US limit. Further analysis of the data indicates that only 5 % of the tested paints manufactured by organized sector companies contain lead more than 300 ppm (n = 91), whereas 93 % of the tested paints manufactured by unorganized sector companies contain lead more than 300 ppm (n = 57). Comparison with earlier reported data suggests that while organized sector companies are gradually abandoning the use of leadbased compounds in their paints, the unorganized sector companies are still adding lead based compounds intentionally in their paints despite the potential health hazards associated with it. The maximum concentration of lead obtained was 80,350 ppm in one of the paints manufactured by an unorganized sector company. The presence of high concentration of lead in yellow and green color paints indicates that color can be a predictor of lead content in decorative paints

Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhize on Growth and Productivity of \u3cem\u3eStylosanthes seabrana\u3c/em\u3e

Stylosanthes seabrana, an important range legume was introduced in India in the year 1998 through ACIAR-ICAR joint project. It has given good results under agroforestry/silvopastoral systems and can be grown as sole pasture crop or along with compatible grasses/legumes on a variety of soils. For its year round production, intensive cutting approach is generally employed. Under such conditions, plant demands large amount of soil nutrients for better productivity, which are generally applied as inorganic fertilizers (Chandra et al., 2006). In soils with low nutrient contents especially phosphorus (P), large amount of phosphatic fertilizers are required for establishment and growth of legumes. P is often a growth-limiting factor for plant growth and legumes are poor scavengers of P. In soils, P may present in sufficient amounts but much of it is poorly available to plants because of less solubility of phosphates of calcium, aluminum and iron. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM), an important soil microorganism mobilize phosphates and make available to the plants, which indirectly increases their growth (Jha et al., 2012). AM fungi have proved their usefulness in plant production, How even the efficiency of AM inoculants can be affected by properties and texture of the potting substrates (Herrera-Peraza et al., 2011). Since, reports on effect of AM inoculations on growth and productivity of S. seabrana are very scarce in literature; hence, present study was carried out to identify the suitable AM inoculants for S. seabrana

Climate resilient development pathways in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region

Communities throughout the world face substantial challenges in the face of climate change. This is of particular concern in climate change hotspots, especially where extreme climate effects coincide with large numbers of vulnerable and poor people. The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is one such climate change hotspot. For development to be sustainable in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, interventions need to include choices and actions that improve livelihoods and alleviate poverty, counteract climate change, are inclusive for the most vulnerable and resilient over time. Climate resilient development pathways present an option to bring together these goals, by consolidating climate action and development choices to generate pathways towards sustainable development.UK Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO

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Short-course paromomycin treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in India: 14-day vs 21-day treatment

Background: Treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is far from satisfactory. There is an urgent need for a therapy that is efficacious, safe, affordable, and of short duration. Methods: A randomized open-label study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of 2 regimens of paromomycin administered intramuscularly. Group A received 11 mg/kg/day for 14 days (n=217) and group B received 11 mg/kg/day for 21 days (n=112) for the treatment of VL in India. Results: Mild grade injection site pain was the most common adverse event. There was no nephrotoxicity, but 4 patients in group A had to discontinue treatment because of grade 3 elevation of hepatic enzymes. Initial cure was observed in 91.2% and 96.4% of patients in group A and group B, respectively. Definitive cure at 6 months of follow up was seen in 82% of patients in group A and 92% of patients in group B by intention-to-treat analysis and in 84.3% of patients in group A and 92.8% of patients in group B by per protocol analysis. Conclusions: Although the cure rate in the group of patients who received the 14-day regimen was not optimal, the results with respect to initial cure were encouraging. Further studies that combine a short course of paromomycin with treatment with another antileishmanial agent are warranted