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  Durgapur, West Bengal, India     

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress

Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Durgapur is a small industrial city in the state of West Bengal,   a well-established center for heavy industry which is listed by India's Central Pollution Control Board as one of the country's 17 most polluted areas. Durgapur Steel Plant is a major producer of railway track materials, billets, structurals and merchant products. Industrial pollutants from the Durgapur Steel Plant drain into the Damodar river, causing water contamination.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
Contaminants associated with the steel industry, which include:
• heavy metals such as nickel, chromium, manganese, and zinc
• Mercury: 56ppm µg in dust fallout and 40-72 ppm in surface soils. the fallout of elemental mercury over the soil horizon in the vicinity of a steel plant was reported to be in the range of 60.36 to 836.18g/km2/month
• carbon monoxide
• coal tar pitch
• volatile organics
• coke oven emissions
• silica
• acid mists
• dust and fumes

Human Exposure & Health Impact 
Damodar river water assessment (chemically and bacteriologically) was proved to be unfit for human consumption as various type of chemicals like lead, cyanide, chromium, etc, have been detected from water flowing through Durgapur region. Periodic epidemics of gastroenteritis, rising trend of pulmonary and skin ailments are seen as a back lash effect of Damodar river pollution.

Number of Potentially Affected People
492,996

Health Impact of Pollutant
No specific health assessment was found online. However, typical effects for these types of pollutant include:
•  lung, kidney, liver, skin disorders
•  "Metal fume fever" -- nausea, headache, fever, and chills associated with exposure.
•  Cancer - particularly lung.
•  Eye disorders from acid mists.

Site Progress

September 2004: Site reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board. Blacksmtih Institute will visit this site.