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India finds two more toxic syrups months after poisoning deaths

India finds two more toxic syrups months after poisoning deaths

INDIA'S drug regulator has found that a cough syrup and an anti-allergy syrup made by Norris Medicines are toxic, according to a government report, months after Indian-made cough syrups were linked to 141 children's deaths worldwide. The medicines were contaminated either with diethylene glycol (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), the same contaminants found in the cough syrups that caused the deaths in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since the middle of last year. This is the first time in at least two years that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has flagged any DEG and EG contamination in its monthly reports as the country tries…
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Life’s no longer rosy at Senegal’s Pink Lake after floods

Life’s no longer rosy at Senegal’s Pink Lake after floods

NGOUDA DIONE ON the shore of Senegal's Pink Lake, salt farmer Pape Sira Ba has raked in what he fears may be his last harvest. Extreme floods contaminated the 3-square-km lake five months ago, turning its famous waters green and threatening thousands of people who depend on it for their livelihoods. Officially known as Lake Retba, the lake's high salinity and rare microbiome long-fostered algae that turned it a pinkish colour, making it one of the West African country's most visited attractions and under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Everything changed last September when torrential rains hit the…
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How safe is it to drink rainwater?

How safe is it to drink rainwater?

IN many parts of the world, including Africa, people rely on rainwater as a source of drinking water, as well as for other household and livelihood uses. One of the reasons is water scarcity – sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-scarce countries in the world. But there are concerns about how safe rainwater is to drink. It can be contaminated by dust and ash in the surroundings or by heavy metal from roofing material. Another concern is the presence of manufactured chemicals called perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals”. As environmental scientist Ian Cousins and his…
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