Do you think the air and clouds of the mountains are always clean and pure? If yes, a new study can surprise you. A recent research has shown that clouds are carrying heavy metals filled with dust and pollution to hilly areas of India, such as the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats. These metals are pose a serious threat to health. Let us understand in simple language what is all this? How is this happening? What is the danger?
What are these heavy metals?
This study has been published in the Environmental Advocates magazine. This report shows that clouds bring heavy metals like cadmium (CD), nickel (NI), Copper (CU), Cromium (CR) and Zinc. These metals can not only cause dangerous diseases like cancer, but can also cause bone weakness, kidney problem and mental development problems in children. Scientists at Bose Institute, Kolkata have done this research.
How was this study done?
Scientists took samples ranging from the last days of summer to the onset of monsoon in 2022. These samples were taken from Mahabaleshwar (IITM campus) at Western Ghats and Darjeeling (Bose Institute) in Eastern Himalayas. The special thing is that the monsoon clouds reach the Himalayas via the Bay of Bengal via the Western Ghats. He studied the clouds that do not rain (no rain clouds). Found that they have high amounts of metals.
How do these metals harm health?
These metals float in the air and reach the body due to breathing, drinking water or exposure to the skin. This can cause many diseases …
Nickel (NI) and Chromium (CR): cause problems like allergies and asthma on the skin.
Cadmium (CD): Weakens bones, damages the kidneys.
Chromium (CR): The risk of lung cancer increases through breath.
Long -term effects: Long -term diseases of the lungs, liver and kidney can occur.
Danger for children: Children are 30% more in contact with these metals, which increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and mental retardation.
Scientists say that in sunlight, these metals form reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage DNA and cause cancer.
Where are these metals coming from?
Traffic and pollution: Road dust, smoke of vehicles and coal.
Urban waste: Metals enter the air by burning garbage in cities.
Tourism pressure: Traffic rush and local pollution (such as Darjeeling toy train) at tourist destinations like Mahabaleshwar and Darjeeling.
Contribution of nature: Soil erosion also causes entry into the clouds of metals.
According to studies, clouds of polluted cities are filled with more metals than clouds in rural areas. The clouds that do not have rain have the higher amount of metals.
Is the air of the mountains not clear?
We think that air and clouds are cleaned in the mountains, but this is not true. Pollution increases due to vehicles and tourists during the monsoon in Mahabaleshwar. In Darjeeling, the air is getting polluted due to vehicles smoke, biomass burning and coal and diesel -powered toy trains. Tourists go for the beauty and clean air of the mountains, but now it seems that it can be a deception.
What is the danger and what to do?
These metals are harming not only humans, but also the environment. They affect health by breathing, drinking water or exposure to skin. Especially children and the elderly are more threatened by this.
Health Risk: Obstruction of cancer, asthma, kidney disease and mental growth.
Environment: Ecology of mountains is deteriorating, causing damage to plants and animals.
