Another deadly chemical found in the Yamuna

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, September 21: In what can be potential health hazard, the scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here have found the presence of polychlorinated benzene (PCB), a well-known carcinogen, in the Yamuna, the primary source of the city's drinking water This threat is the maximum near the Najafgarh area of west Delhi where the PCB concentration was found to be as high as 782 parts per billion (ppb) during the monsoons, A.K. Bhattacharyya, professor at JNU's School of Environmental Science told PTI.

The maximum permissible limit of PCB in water, as laid down by the US Federal Department of Agriculture (FDA) is 600 ppb. PCB has also been found in the stretch of the Yamuna adjacent to the Okhla industrial area in south-east Delhi, the Nizamuddin area in south Delhi and at the Wazirabad area of north Delhi.

Bhattacharyya and his colleague P.K. Seth carried out the study jointly with the Goa-based National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) during 1994-96.

Top

Printer-friendly page