Some of the paints may contain formaldehyde and benzene, which are carcinogenic while others have heavy metals like lead, mercury and phthalates, which are human and ecosystem toxins, writes Deepti Ad

The presence of lead in water was harming the IQ of children in a big way and immediate steps must be taken to control this, said Giridhar J Gyani, secretary general of the Quality Control of India (Q

Laurie Hyman had a busy time at this month's New York Toy Show, the US industry's biggest annual event, with more than 1,200 exhibitors. Her start-up company, Green Toys, sells toy teacups, bowls and gardening tools that are made in California from recycled plastic milk containers, and sold in boxes made from recycled cardboard. "We're getting a lot of interest - from big retailers, from small retailers, from everyone," she says, showing off a jar holding the white shredded plastic used to make the toys.

the mystery of gharial deaths in the Chambal waters continues to elude scientists. More than 90 of the critically endangered species have died since early December, all within a stretch of about

The industry is worth around Rs 15 crore in Tamil Nadu of which Chennai alone accounts for around Rs 3 crore. Most bindis, however, come to the State from Maharashtra BY ZUBEDA HAMID They are ubiquitous. Designer bindis, pottus of all shapes and sizes, little pots of colour and kumkum powder find a place in almost every neighbourhood store, bought by dozens of women everyday. Besides the heightened colour they give to beautiful faces, they may also be giving them something quite unwanted. Lead poisoning. Concern has been rising ever since, a manufacturer was recently forced to withdraw a large batch of bindis and kumkum from the United States when they were found to contain higher than the permissible levels of lead. S Shobana, a dermatologist in the city, said she saw around three cases every month of women who had developed rashes or skin inflammation because of the bindis or kumkum they used.

Solar cells generate electricity from sunlight without producing' pollution, but some environmentalists have been concerned about the potential negative impact of this photovoltaic technology. This is because the manufacture of solar cells involves toxic metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium and produces carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. However, the first comprehensive study of the pollutants produced during the manufacture of solar cells gives them a reassuringly clean bill of health. Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York report that photovoltaic cells produce far fewer air pollutants than conventional fossil fuel technologies when manufacturing is fully accounted for. The study will appear next month in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, Vasilis Fthenakis and colleagues gathered data from 13 solar cell " manufacturers in Europe and the US over three years. The cells included four major commercial types: multicrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, ribbon silicon and thin-film cadmium telluride The study concluded that generating electricity from solar cells reduced air pollutants by about 90 per cent compared with using electricity generated in conventional power stations