June 18-21, 2012
Inventory of PCB and DDT in India:
Lessons Learnt and Recommendations
CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
Dr. Asha A. Juwarkar, Mr. Jitendra K. Sharma Eco-System Division
CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur
Sub regional Workshop on
“Pilot testing of guidance for the review and updating of national
implementation plan in India”
The Stockholm Convention was adopted in May 2001 and came into force on 17th May 2004 with a mandate of
protecting human and environmental health from Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
India ratified the Convention on 13th January 2006 and came in to force on 12th April 2006
India submitted National Implementation Plan (NIP) on POPs as a first step to implement the Stockholm Convention as per Article 7 of the Convention
This presentation is based on the National Implementation Plan of India
Stockholm Convention and India
Specific Objectives for Preparation of NIP
Objective 1: Convention implementation infrastructure at national and state levels (Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi)
Objective 2: Measures in relation to DDT, the only POP pesticide currently being produced and used in India (Hindustan Insecticides Limited)
Objective 3: Measures in relation to polychlorinated biphenyls (Central Power Research Institute, Bangalore)
Objective 4: Measures in relation to unintentionally produced POPs (CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur; CPCB, New Delhi; NIIST Trivandrum) Objective 5: Measures in relation to wastes and contaminated sites
(CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur)
Objective6: Project management and monitoring & evaluation (Ministry
of Environment and Forests, New Delhi)
Status of Dirty Dozen in India
Chemicals Category Current status in India
Aldrin
Pesticide Banned
Chlordane
Pesticide Banned
DDT
Pesticide Banned with restricted use
Dieldrin
Pesticide Banned
Endrin
Pesticide Banned
Hepachlor
Pesticide Banned
Hexachlorobenzene
Industrial
Chemical/Pesticide Never registered for use in India as pesticide
Mirex
Pesticide Not registered
Toxaphene
Pesticide Banned
PCBs
Industrial Chemical Never manufactured
DioxinsProducts of
incomplete combustion
Unintentional byproduct
Furans
Products of incomplete combustion
Unintentional byproduct
Inventory of DDT and PCBs
Since only DDT and PCBs are in use, the inventory concentrated on these chemicals which was based on ;
1. Primary Data Collection
Field visit Inspection
Discussion with officials and staff at site
2. Secondary Data Collection
Collection of information through standard format/questionnaires from various agencies Through Right to Information Act
3. Database build up
Identification of sources and their inventories
Stockpile (manufacture &
distribution sites)
Secondary
Contaminated site due to manufacturing
Survey and data
collection
Unloading sites
Primary
Soil
Water
Aquatic
Sediment Through questionnaire from
different stakeholders
Sample collection
Users site
PCBs were never produced in India
The use of PCBs began in 1950’s in India
The requirements of PCB for numerous applications were met through imports
PCB Inventory in India
The states covered under different region are as follows:
North- Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Jharkhand
West- Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra
Central- Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh
East- Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and North Eastern States
South- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Regions selected for PCB’s
Inventorization
Enterprises Visited
State Electricity Boards and Utilities
Industries:
Steel
Cement
Fertilizers
Power Transformer Manufacturers
Pulp and paper
Mining
Ship Breaking
Region wise distribution of PCBs
Region No. of
Transformers Weight of PCBs containing oils (tonns) including retro
filling
East 76 1068.283
West 138 2044.889
North 79 2138.234
South 342 2678.826
Central 913 1911.430
Total 1548 9837.662
Inventory of PCB oil
Sr. No PCB
Concentration Total Tonnes
1 Pure PCBs (100%)
3000.03
2 Contaminated PCBs Above
500ppm
6717.632 3 Stockpiles 120.00
Total 9837.662
Inventory of DDT
The production of DDT started in India in the year 1955-56 at Delhi unit of Hindustan Insecticides Limited
Later, two more units came into operation one at Udyogamandal, Kerala and another at Rasayani, Maharashtra in the years 1957-58 and 1981-82 respectively The Delhi unit closed production of DDT in the year 1996- 97, while the rest of both units are still in operation
Agricultural use of DDT was banned in India in 1989, but it’s still in use for the indoor residual spray (IRS) to control vector borne diseases viz. malaria, kala-azar
Approximately 7000 MT of DDT is used in India as on 2009- 10 for IRS
As per the inventory, 40 MT of obsolete DDT stock was
found in various districts of Himachal Pradesh
North East- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim
North – Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Chandigarh, Punjab and Rajasthan
East- West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa
West- Gujarat
Central- Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
South- Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh
Regions selected for
Inventorization of DDT
Sr. No. Name of district Quantity of DDT
1. Bilaspur 2.3 MT
2. Chamba 0.4 MT
3. Hamirpur 8.5 MT
4. Mandi 21.8 MT
5. Shimla 3.4 MT
6. Sirmour 2.0 MT
7. Solan 2.0 MT
Details of the locations of obsolete DDT stockpiles
at Himachal Pradesh
Sites Contaminated with DDT &
PCBs
District Health Departments, Mizoram District Health Departments, West Bengal
District Health Departments, Chhattisgarh Hindustan Insecticides Ltd., Maharashtra
District Health Departments, Himachal Pradesh
Rourkela Steel Plant, Orissa
Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd., Tamil Nadu District Health Departments, Assam
Bhilai Steel Plant, Chhattisgarh UHVPN Dulkote, Harayana
Panki Thermal Power Plant, Uttar Pradesh
IISCIO Steel Plant, Burnpur, West Bengal Ship Breaking Yard, Alang, Gujarat District Health Departments, Meghalaya
District Health Departments, Tripura
Collection of secondary data and Planning of field visits
Pre Field Planning
•Preparation of questionnaires for data collection
•Assembling of field crew
•Field work instruction and safety plan
• Training and briefing of field crew
Field Survey
Adopt Health and Safety
Measures
•Interaction with officials managing POPs
•Questionnaire survey
•Identification of contaminated sites
•Collection of soil and surface/ground water samples
•Labeling, recording and storage
Transportation and storage of samples Sample processing and Laboratory analysis
Solvent Extraction
Data processing and interpretation
Flowchart for identification and characterization of contaminated sites
GC/GCMS
Lessons Learnt and
Recommendations
Lessons Learnt
Coordination between different agencies/stakeholders who are engaged in the handling and management of POPs containing articles and wastes is poor
Officials handling the POPs chemicals seemed to be afraid of providing information
Extracting information regarding the obsolete DDT stock was very difficult
Possibility of few more sites/states containing obsolete DDT stockpiles cannot be denied
At many places, scientific approach for the management of POPs chemicals is not practiced
Awareness among the people regarding the hazards of POPs chemicals is very less
At few sites, it was found that there is no discrimination between PCB and mineral oil
Awareness raising programs should be increased at places where DDT and PCBs are still in use
Contd…
Time duration for inventorization was limited in view of the large geographic area of the country and varied consumption and use of DDT/PCBs at different states
Staff handling POPs chemicals should be trained for management hazardous wastes
POPs and POPs containing articles and wastes should be kept at isolated places
Inspecting equipments, containers and other packing materials for leaks, holes, rust etc should be conducted at regular intervals
Improper handling, packaging, transportation, storage and disposal of POPs, POPs containing articles and wastes are the possible sources of contamination
Not all the stakeholders for PCBs were covered, updating of PCBs inventory is required
Regular updating of inventory of POPs and new POPs
Gradual reduction, phase out and elimination of the POPs chemicals from production and use and promoting BAT and BEP in all industrial sectors.
Create and improve public awareness through publicity, workshops, seminars etc for effective implementation of the NIP at State and National level
Strengthening/revising existing laws and regulations through reviewing the existing provisions under the laws and regulations and incorporating the appropriate requirements of the Convention implementation.
Monitoring the PCB levels in the food crops, aquatic fauna, poultry, animal feed, higher mammals including human beings, etc.
Monitoring PCBs contaminated sites and its remediation measures
Disposal of DDT packaging material in an environmentally sound manner Elimination of obsolete DDT stocks
Recommendations
Enhance and continuously update and upgrade national inventory for POPs stockpiles and wastes
Secured storage of PCBs and PCBs contaminated equipment and wastes in the power generation/distribution units, industrial plants and transformer repair sites to ensure that it does not contaminate the environment
Strengthening institutional capacities to undertake extensive coverage of preventive measures required for the management of releases from POPs stockpiles and wastes
Enhance the quality of temporary storages for DDT at various spray sites wherever considered appropriate;
Wherever feasible provide dedicated transport facilities for carrying DDT Environmentally sound disposal of used PCB oil
Environmentally sound disposal of used DDT bags
Develop policy and legal frameworks for management of contaminated land/sites
Strengthen institutional capacities for mitigation of contaminated sites Identification and prioritization of potential contaminated sites
Selection of appropriate low-cost environmentally sound technologies required for remediation
Remediation of selected contaminated sites
