A study on the kinetics of adsorption of arsenate and arsenite ions by 3 widely occurring and agriculturally important Indian soils was conducted by changing the various factors that influence the process of adsorption.

Loading of Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Co, Mn, Ni, Zn, and Fe in topsoil samples (TS) collected from the vicinity of limestone quarry in South Western Nigeria was investigated. Thirty TS were sampled within ½ km radius from exploration area and 5 background samples from undeveloped area 10 km away from the study area. Limestone rock samples (RK) were also analyzed for metals’ content. All samples were pretreated and leached with appropriate acid solutions for some properties. All leachates were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotomer (AAS) technique.

Extensive use of chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) based preservatives from the leather tanning industry in Pakistan has had a deleterious effect on the soils surrounding production facilities. Bacteria have been shown to be an active component in the geochemical cycling of both Cr and As, but it is unknown how these compounds affect microbial community composition or the prevalence and form of metal resistance. Therefore, we sought to understand the effects that long-term exposure to As and Cr had on the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities.

In yet another blow to the survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster, a US district court has dismissed a plea seeking to make Union Carbide liable for contamination caused by its pesticide plant in Bhopal. Seventeen survivors of the 1984 gas leak tragedy had filed a case against the corporation in 1999 in the US district court in Manhattan.