Beware!, Lead in air, water spur kidney ailments

Batteries help many households to tide over increasing power cuts in the city, but the blessing has now turned into a curse. Spent batteries that are being disposed unscientifically across the city pose serious health hazards such as kidney failure, say doctors.

They say that lead from these batteries often extracted through crude methods expose workers and residents. If left unattended, lead from these batteries can contaminate ground water. The increasing number of batteries is a result of frequent power disruptions in the city, doctors said during an international conference on renal and transplant pathology held at the Sri Ramachandra University.

The demand for lead is also increasing as the metal is extensively used in many industries, including by mobile and automobile companies.

Lead is recycled to make fresh batteries as well. A car battery, which weighs around 14.5kg has 8.7kg of lead, while the batteries used for invertors have nearly 16kg. Unlike many countries, India does not insist that manufacturers buy back the used products to ensure environment safety. The batteries are usually taken back by small agents who use crude methods to retrieve lead. When batteries are broken for recycling, lead is released as dust, which affects the respiratory system. Add to this, poor government monitoring and you have a major health hazard on hand. Lead toxicity can cause high blood pressure, kidney failure in adults and developmental delays and behavioural problems in children, said US-based nephrologist Sharada G Sabnis from Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC. Lead, when eaten or inhaled frequently, can also cause various forms of cancer.

Nephrologist Dr P Sounderarajan said doctors were seeing increased number of patients with kidney failures due to lead toxicology. "We don't have any facts to prove that, but can say that from experience. It is often left undiagnosed as doctors tend to suspect other causes for kidney failure. Even pathological tests don't often directly indicate metal toxicity. Sadly, there are no standard or periodic tests that warn people about water or air pollution in their locality," he said.

There has not been any recent comprehensive study in Chennai on lead toxicity. But pathologists said hospitals are admitting more patients with lead poisoning. "Only a few patients instantly react to lead," said Dr Sarah Kuruvilla, the organizing chairperson of the conference.