[www.keralites.net] Air pollution a leading cause of cancer - U.N. agency

 

HTML clipboard

Air pollution a leading cause of cancer - U.N. agency

 

A gas-fired power station is seen during a frosty night in Minsk, December 4, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Vasily Fedosenko

 

(Reuters) - The air we breathe is laced with cancer-causing substances and is being officially classified as carcinogenic to humans, the World Health Organization's cancer agency said on Thursday.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited data indicating that in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer worldwide resulted from air pollution, and said there was also convincing evidence it increases the risk of bladder cancer.

Depending on the level of exposure in different parts of the world, the risk was found to be similar to that of breathing in second-hand tobacco smoke, Kurt Straif, head of the agency's section that ranks carcinogens, told reporters in Geneva.

"Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants," deputy head Dana Loomis said in a statement. "The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution."

Air pollution, mostly caused by transport, power generation, industrial or agricultural emissions and residential heating and cooking, is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses including respiratory and heart diseases.

Research suggests that exposure levels have risen significantly in some parts of the world, particularly countries with large populations going through rapid industrialization, such as China.

IARC reviewed thousands of studies on air pollution tracking populations over decades and other research such as those in which mice exposed to polluted air experienced increased numbers of lung tumors.

In a statement released after reviewing the literature, the Lyon-based agency said both air pollution and "particulate matter" - a major component of it - would now be classified among its Group 1 human carcinogens.

That ranks them alongside more than 100 other known cancer-causing substances in IARC's Group 1, including asbestos, plutonium, silica dust, ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.

CARCINOGEN ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Air pollution is highly variable over space and time.

Loomis said there was relatively high exposure in Asia, South Asia, eastern North America, some places in Central America and Mexico, as well as North Africa.

But although both the composition and levels of air pollution can vary dramatically from one location to the next, IARC said its conclusions applied to all regions of the world.

"Our conclusion is that this is a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths," Dr. Christopher Wild, director of IARC, told the news briefing in Geneva.

IARC's ranking monographs program, sometimes known as the "encyclopedia of carcinogens", aims to be an authoritative source of scientific evidence on cancer-causing substances.

It has already classified many chemicals and mixtures that can be components of air pollution, including diesel engine exhaust, solvents, metals and dusts. But this is the first time that experts have classified air pollution as a cause of cancer.

Wild said he hoped the comprehensive evidence would help the WHO, which is revising its global 2005 guidelines on air quality. The U.N. agency makes on recommendations on public health issues to its 193 member states.

Asked why it had taken so long to reach the conclusion, he said that one problem was the time lag between exposure to polluted air and the onset of cancer.

"Often we're looking at two, three or four decades once an exposure is introduced before there is sufficient impact on the burden of cancer in the population to be able to study this type of question," he said.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Courtesy: Reuters

...........................................................................................................................................

Nandakumar

---

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

• New Members 25

Visit Your Group

KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] Govindapuram Sri Vittal Sri Rukmini Mandir' -Goshala with 400 c

 

HTML clipboard HTML clipboard

Govindapuram Sri Vittal Sri Rukmini Mandir' - 15 kms from Kumbakonam Goshala with 400 cows. Also a huge replica temple of Pandarpur in the complex.
The cow shelter maintained by the Sri Vittal Rukmini Samsthan deserves special mention. A beautiful replica of Rajagopala, the deity of Mannargudi, greets the visitor to the gohsala situated close to the temple, on the bank of the Cauvery. The facility has about 300 cows, many of which are believed to be the descendants of the ones that existed during the Dwapara Yuga. The Gir variety from Gujarat stands tall.

Dr. Salai Gunalan with about 40 years of experience behind him is the residential veterinarian. Fodder is grown in the adjacent fields, watered by sprinklers. The breeze from the river meets the spray making the atmosphere cool and comfortable for the animals. The shelter is anyway provided with fans.

Special drains take the dung to the gobar plant that generates electricity, enough to meet the needs of the shelter. Diluted dung passes into the fields to become manure. Dung is also dried and processed to make holy ash (vibhooti). It is a fulltime job - feeding and bathing the animals, cutting the grass and cleaning the enclosure. Only those who find it a pleasure are engaged in the activities and it shows in the spick and span maintenance.
 

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/shelter-or-cows/article2147273.ece

http://www.vittalrukmini.org/

 

Ravi

---

www.keralites.net

 

__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

• New Members 25

Visit Your Group

KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] Fwd: ASI begins digging at old UP fort after sadhu dreams of bu

 

HTML clipboard

ASI begins digging at old UP fort after sadhu dreams of buried gold

 

LUCKNOW: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday began excavating for a treasure of 1,000 tonnes of gold, which a sadhu dreamt to have been buried at a dilapidated fort in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao district.

 

An Indian holy man has has seen a dream that 1000 tons of gold is buried in a ruined fort, a dream which has prompted digging of the site. (Photo: Reuters)

Officials said after 'puja' was performed by Hindu sadhus, the survey for the hidden gold began at 11 am at the old fort at Dondia Khera village. The fort belonged to Unnao's mid-19th century ruler Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh. Unnao is 50km from the state capital Lucknow.

ASI officials have been camping at the site for the last three days and have completed marking the area of the potential treasure trove late Thursday amid tight security.

Thousands turned up at the site as the news spread of the seer, Shobhan Sarkar, having dreamt of the fort's hidden treasure trove. The district administration has now banned the entry of people into the fort premises.

Shobhan Sarkar, a famous seer of the region, wrote to the Prime Minister a few weeks back, that the late king came in his dreams and asked him to get the treasure dug up and hand it over to the government of India to tide over the economic crisis.

His devotee, Congress leader Bhakt Charan Das also visited the saint and then urged the ASI to take up the issue.

Preliminary findings, officials say, have suggested presence of "some metal underneath the earth", following which ASI teams decided to begin the excavation.

Experts, however, are not too sure about the possibility of gold buried underneath.

While many do not rule out the discovery of some gold, they say it is not possible for 1,000 tonnes of gold to have been buried within the fort as Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh was a ruler who presided over a zamindari stretching not more than 25-30km.

"He was not a big king and hence it looks unlikely that such a huge gold reserve would be found there," said D P Tiwari, former head of the History and Archaeology department at the Lucknow University.

For the villagers, however, Shobhan Sarkar's words are sacrosanct.

Mahendra Pratap Singh, a descendant of the late Unnao ruler, says people firmly believe that if the seer has said it, the gold must be somewhere there.

People have also demanded that if the hidden gold is indeed found, 20 percent of it be spent on development of the area.

Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh fought the British forces along with Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi during the 1857 First War of Independence and was overthrown in the process. He went into hiding, but was captured by British forces in Varanasi and sent to the gallows.

 

---

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

• New Members 25

Visit Your Group

KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] HOW TO GET RIDE OF UNDERARM ODOR

 

HOW TO GET RIDE OF UNDERARM ODOR

 

 

There are a number of herbal remedies and home remedies toget rid of underarm odor

Take chlorophyll, nature's owndeodorizer. You can take it in a number of different forms..

 

Prepare and drink a glass of sage herbal tea, which is known to reduce your sweat-gland activity,

particularly if you tend to perspire heavily when under stress or tension.

Steep two teaspoons of sage in one cup of hot water for 15 minutes, strain and drink once a day or throughout the day.
 

 

 

 

 

Wipe your armpits with witch hazel or white vinegar, which helps to deodorize the area. The scent will typically be gone in a few minutes. you can use a cotton ball to apply this.

 

Use a washcloth to wipe your underarms with apple cider vinegar, which helps to lower the pH levels of the armpit skin. This helps eliminate odor-causing bacteria, which cannot survive the low pH environment.

Use baby powder or baking soda in place of deodorant. Simply apply this to your dry armpits. The powder helps to absorb moisture and also kill bacteria.

Make your deodorant and apply this to your armpits as needed using a spray-topor squirtbottle. You can do this in one of two ways:
- Mix 6 to 8 drops of rosemary essential oil in 30 ml. of water.
 

 

- Juice 10 radishes and stir 1/4 teaspoon of glycerine into the juice.

 

- Mix 2 to 3 drops of tea tree essential oil, which is antibacterial, in 30 ml. of water.
 

 

Prepare and drink a glass of sage herbal tea, which is known to reduce your sweat-gland activity, particularly if you tend to perspire heavily when under stress or tension. Steep two teaspoons of sage in one cup of hot water for 15 minutes, strain and drink once a day or throughout the day.

 

Take chlorophyll, nature's own deodorizer. You can take it in a number of different forms:

- Chew a handful of alfalfa or parsley once a day

 

- Purchase liquid chlorophyll from the health store

 

- Take 500 mg of wheat grass once a day. Take this on an empty stomach, and then wash it down with a glass or more of water.

---

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

• New Members 25

Visit Your Group

KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...

To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: http://www.keralites.net

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___