High levels of toxic chemical detected in drinking water across India

Residents get their containers filled with drinking water from a municipal water tanker at a slum in Kolkata, India, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri - RC2C7T9JM34Z

Drinking water samples collected from various parts of the country have been found to have 29 to 81 times the prescribed limit of a toxic chemical, exposure to which can harm nervous, reproductive and immune systems, a study has said.

The research found high levels of nonylphenol, a toxic chemical used as a formulant in pesticides and lubricating oil additives, in drinking water samples across India, Delhi-based NGO Toxics Link said in a report released on July 7.

“Nonylphenol is a toxic chemical and a well-known endocrine disruptor associated with a number of adverse effects on human health. Daily intake of nonylphenol through drinking water can have adverse health impacts on citizens”, Piyush Mohapatra, senior programme coordinator, Toxics Link, said.

Toxics Link describes itself as an environmental NGO, working to share information to strengthen the fight against pollution.

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The highest concentration of nonylphenols in parts per billion (ppb) in water was observed in a borewell water sample from Bathinda (80.5 ppb) in Punjab. High use of far chemicals has led to a spike in cancer cases in the state’s Malwa region, of which Bathinda is a part, and it is often referred to as the cancer belt.

The lowest concentration was found in the government supply water from Indraprastha, New Delhi (29.1 ppb).

These values are far higher compared to the United States safety standard for freshwater quality criteria, researchers said.

Commenting on the study, Dr Satish Koul, Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said the recent interest of nonylphenol is due to its effect on male fertility.

"Long term use of this compound is known to lead endocrine gland failure in aquatic population. It's effect in human population and concentration of Nonylphenol in India water sources needs more data," he added.

The researchers collected 15 water samples from 12 locations and sent them to Shriram Institute of Industrial Research, New Delhi, for analysis of nonylphenols.

In India, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has set standards for phenolic compounds in drinking water as 1 ppb and surface water 5 ppm.

At present, there are no exclusive standards for nonylphenols in drinking and surface waters in India.

“Moreover, no regulations are in place in India to restrict or phase out the use of NPEs in detergents and other consumer products in order to prevent the release of nonylphenol into the environment, especially water bodies,” the researchers said in the study Toxic Chemical “Nonylphenol” A Barrier to Safe Drinking Water.

“The countries like the USA, European Union, Japan, and China have already acknowledged the dangers of this chemical and have come up with regulations to phase out the use of this chemical in many of the products including detergents for minimizing the risks at the downstream level”, said Dr Omkar Gaonkar, Programme Coordinator, Toxics Link.

According to the researchers, nonylphenol is an endocrine-disrupting compound, which is reported to have adverse effects on the central nervous system as well as reproductive and immune systems.

The United Nations Environment Programme has also designated nonylphenol as a chemical of global concern.