Srinagar, Aug 07: Clouds drifting over the Himalayas—once thought to bring the purest drinking water—may be carrying a hidden danger. A recent study has revealed that these clouds could be laced with toxic heavy metals, posing serious health risks, particularly for children. The research found that pollution levels in clouds over the Eastern Himalayas are 1.5 times higher than those over the Western Ghats.
Conducted by the Bose Institute, an autonomous research organization under India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), the study detected elevated levels of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in non-precipitating clouds during the early monsoon season.
“Children are at higher risk of 30 per cent of such toxic metals than adults in India. Inhalation of polluted clouds over Eastern Himalayas containing high concentrations of toxic metals is the most potential route for non-carcinogenic diseases,” the study published in the journal Science Advances highlighted.
To carry out the analysis, scientists collected low-level cloud samples in 2022 from two locations: the rooftop of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in the Western Ghats and the Bose Institute campus in Darjeeling, located in the Eastern Himalayas. Their findings point to the need for deeper investigation into atmospheric pollution and its potential carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects, especially in ecologically sensitive and densely populated regions.
The study linked elevated levels of cadmium, chromium, copper and zinc in the region’s clouds to vehicular and industrial emissions from the foothills. They warned that clouds act as transport mediums for heavy metals, which can enter the body through breathing, skin exposure and consumption of rainwater in high-altitude areas.
