Lab accident

After the lethal cobalt-60 found in a scrapyard in Delhis Mayapuri left seven people seriously ill from radiation exposure and killed one,India has been forced to confront its spotty record with radioactive waste. While fingers were first pointed abroad,the problem turned out to be home-grown from an imported gamma irradiator machine from Delhi Universitys chemistry department that had been stashed in a storeroom for 25 years,and then thoughtlessly auctioned off as scrap to dealers in Mayapuri. The dealers peeled off the lead covering,leading to the radiation exposure. Of course,Delhi University has failed to conform to the standards expected of any minimally responsible research unit but the incident has also highlighted how weak the regulatory shield around radioactive material is.

India has long been lax about the ways in which industrial equipment and medical scanners with radioactive content are disposed of. Our vast recycling market,which scavenges and smelts metal to recast and sell,is largely unmonitored at each link of the chain. Data is dated and incomplete and despite limits set by the Environment Protection Act last amended in 2003,a city like Delhi is still dotted with illegal dumping sites. While India plans to install radioactive detectors at all ports to ensure that no toxic material slips in from abroad,there is no point of scrutiny at the foundries.

This legal framework is just as vague neither the Bio Medical Waste Rules 1998 nor the Hazardous Wastes Management,Handling and Transboundary Movement Rules cover norms for radioactive waste-management and disposal,though a comprehensive set of rules on electronic waste under the Environment Protection Act is being drafted. Indicating helplessness,the government has also pointed to the fact that no law exists for civil compensation for these victims of radioactive accidents. One can only hope that this incident,which has exposed our criminal carelessness about hazardous waste,will finally galvanise the government to put safeguards in place.