CALCUTTA POLLUTION .5. LEAD AND OTHER HEAVY-METAL CONTAMINATION IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA FROM A FACTORY PRODUCING LEAD-INGOTS AND LEAD-ALLOYS

Within Calcutta city of area 100 sq. km there are altogether 11516 sma ll and big factories. And in and around Calcutta there are alone 40 fa ctories producing only lead-ingots and lead-alloys; a few hundred thou sand people live in the vicinity of these factories. Most of these fac tories are bereft of adequate emission treatment plant and the chimney heights also are in the range of 15-25 metres only. The analytical st udy of soil, water, road-dust, dust on leaves, pond-sediment of the su rroundings of one such factory in Kalipark, Dum Dum is presented in th is paper. The results show that the surrounding area is highly contami nated not only by lead but also from very toxic elements arsenic, cadm ium and mercury.