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Table 12.3 Sources and known impact on health due to chemicals
Chemical of
concern
Source
Known impact on health
Arsenic
Agrochemicals
Antifouling paint
Coal burning
Electronics industry
Gold/lead/copper/nickel/iron as well
as steel mining and/or processing
Leather preservatives
Pharmaceutical and glass industries
Pigments
Poison bait
Sheep dip and
Wood preservatives
Bone marrow and blood diseases
Can lead to chronic arsenicosis
Cardiovascular disease
Causes cancer and diabetes
Gastrointestinal tract, skin, heart and liver
diseases
Increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and
pre-term birth
Neurological damage
Asbestos
Building demolitions
Factories handling asbestos
Mining and milling of raw asbestos
Repair, renovation, removal or
maintenance of asbestos
Shipyards
Asbestos-related pleural abnormalities
Lung carcinoma
Parenchymal asbestosis
Pleural mesothelioma
Benzene
Benzene either gets degraded by bacteria or volatilizes back to air unless present
in extremely high quantities
Cadmium
Burning coal or garbage containing
cadmium
Electronic goods
Metal plating
Mine tailings
Phosphate fertilizer
Pigments
Rechargeable batteries
Sewage sludge
Solar cells
Steel
Water pipes
Zinc smelting
Carcinogenic (by inhalation)
Kidney and liver damage
Low bone density
Dioxin
Contaminated herbicides (a major
source)
Paper and pulp industry
Reprocessing metal industry
Stored PCB-based industrial waste
oils
Waste incineration
Cause cancer
Cause reproductive as well as
developmental problems
Damage the immune system
Interfere with hormones
Fluoride
Present in geological strata
Skeletal fluorosis
(continued)
12 Restoration