Toxic metals found in Himalayan clouds; study warns of health risks, ecological concerns

A new scientific study has found that clouds — once believed to offer the purest form of drinking water — are silently ferrying toxic heavy metals from polluted lowlands to some of Earth’s highest and most fragile ecosystems.

The findings not only shatter the myth of “clean” mountain rain but also ring alarm bells for human health, with potential risks ranging from cancer to developmental disorders, as well as for environment preservation, according to information shared by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday.

Researchers at the Bose Institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, under the Ministry of Education, spotted toxic metals in non-precipitating clouds during the onset of monsoon over the Western Ghats and the Himalayas.

They also found that clouds over the Eastern Himalayas had 1.5 times higher pollution levels due to an increase in 40-60 per cent higher loading of toxic metals like cadmium copper and zinc emitted from heavy traffic and industrial emissions that cause high health risk factors from carcinogenic diseases.

The atmospheric research team led by Dr Sanat Kumar Das quantified the risk of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic diseases through inhalation, ingestion and dermal absorption. They conducted a detailed study using statistical models to identify the possible sources of these metals.

The results from the current observation and simulations showed that children are at 30 per cent higher risk from such toxic metals than adults in India. Inhalation of polluted clouds over Himalayas containing high concentrations of toxic metals is the most potential route for non-carcinogenic diseases.

However, the analysis of data showed that Indian clouds till now have remained relatively less polluted, placing India in a safer health zone compared to countries like China, Pakistan, Italy and the US, the study revealed.

“Metal in the clouds is a matter of growing concern due to its adverse impact on human health on a wider scale through continental long-range transport,” the researchers said in their study, published in Environmental Advances, a peer reviewed journal.

The study showed that health risk for the occurrence of carcinogenic diseases has increased due to inhalation of dissolved chromium present in clouds. The study highlights that Eastern Himalayas experience higher polluted clouds containing toxic metals coming from vehicular and industrial emissions over foothill regions.

Clouds, acting as a transport medium carry dissolved heavy metals, posing serious health risks to people due to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic diseases, through skin contact, inhalation and consumption of precipitation-collected water in high-altitude regions.

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