Events of CSEC
Patna. February 17. A very ominous but least talked about topic of discussion in the public domain is the lethal effect of micro-plastics that lurk within and without us. Realizing the need to address this danger, the central government’s Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) sponsored an awareness drive today to give a boost to the Mission LiFe (Lifestyle for Environment) movement to ensure attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal of good health and well-being for everyone. This event was organized jointly by the EIACP unit of the Centre for Studies on Environment and Climate (CSEC) and Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) of the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI). It was titled Invisible Threats at Home: Understanding Indoor Pollution & Micro-plastics.
Sounding the alarm bells, Ms. Pooja Kumari, the Programme Officer of EIACP reported that according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), each adult on this planet is consuming 39-52 thousand micro-plastic particles on an average every year. Micro-plastics are very tiny invisible and insoluble plastic particles (1 nanometer to 5 millimeters in size) that are present in manufactured products like those for beauty care or are generated when we cut or rub plastics with something. These harmful pollutants have permeated everything ranging from our blood and organs to the oceans, soil, and the atmosphere. They are non degradable and can cause respiratory distress, depress our immune system, create hormonal imbalance or thyroid disorders, etc. She also suggested remedial measures like a ban on the use of single-use plastics and advocated employing steel, glassware, or earthenware in the kitchen or for eating. Proper ventilation must be ensured in homes, while dusting them regularly. Wet cotton clothes should be used for wiping floors and must be dried in the Sun. We should carry our goods in bags made out of clothes and utilize cotton clothes for infants.
Earlier, the Director of JSS, Dr. Sandeep Kumar urged everyone to adopt a more environment- friendly lifestyle which is more conscious of our health. Bask in the sun and do not confine yourself to air-conditioned living rooms, he said. EIACP-ADRI Coordinator Dr. Sunil Kumar Gupta inspired the gathering by asking them to start by taking small steps like using steel instead of plastic in the kitchen. He was certain that this measure will snowball into a widespread positive effect on our environment. Further, micro-plastic indoor pollution has been found to be about twice as much as what is found outside. Also helping organize this event were EIACP- ADRI’s Gulshan Patel and Prakash along with JSS’s Pankaj Kumar, Shobha Kumari, and Bibhas Dutta. About 50 women trainees of JSS also attended the program.