Dioxins belong to the "dirty dozen club", a special group of chemicals. They are persistent organic pollutants that can cause debilitating illnesses-like those cause by Agent Orange. A recent report published by the US journal Environmental Science and Technology shows dioxins thrive in India. In its first ever study in the country, tissue samples from human beings, dolphins, meat, chicken, fish, goat, lamb and predatory birds showed high concentration of dioxins. "The results are shocking but not unexpected," says Senthil Kumar, one of the authors of the Japan-funded study.

As a weapon of vengeance the US forces sprayed Agent Orange-a dioxin-heavy herbicide-over Vietnam. Three generations later, the devastating legacy of Agent Orange lives on: in babies born maimed and malformed. The US is still looking for "hard" evidence connecting Agent Orange to the multitude of maladies that plague the Vietnamese even today, but there is little doubt about its impact.

In India dioxins are not born of vengeance, but of cheap, inefficient technology like incinerators dumped by the western world and of chlorine based-industries like wood, pulp, PVC and some pesticides. It accumulates in the body via contaminated diet, breathing and skin contact. According to the US-based Environmental Protection Agency, dioxin is a carcinogen that can cause severe reproductive and developmental problems as well as skin diseases. It also harms the body's natural immunity and interferes with the functioning of regulatory hormones. Exposure to dioxins is also a significant factor in genetic birth defects. Says V. Rajgopalan, joint secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests: "The problem of dioxins is more widespread in India than we believed. It is much more complex since we still use fossil fuels and openly burn plastic-a major source of dioxins." Worse, India has no policy or even the data to tackle the problem.

IN SMALL DOSES

Well Done: Besides apples, there seems to be another way to keep doctors away-enlist in a wellness clinic. After preventive health, the latest fad in health care is the concept of "wellness clinics". Awareness about good health, diet, lifestyle modification, yoga, and dealing with stress are on the agenda of these clinics, one of which is operating in Manipal (another is being set up in Delhi). Says G.D.G. Jain, a Delhi-based cardiopulmonary physician who plans to set up a clinic himself: "It is a concept that will catch on in a big way in India. We want to show people how to stay healthy."

Some Relief: The bad news? Due to the high incidence of hepatitis B, liver cancer is a big killer in India. Surgery is not the answer as either the tumour is too large or the cancerous cells too deeply embedded to be removed. Now the good news. Radio Frequency Ablation, a non-invasive technology that burns cancerous cells. The technology, now in India, is cheaper and, say doctors, can add at least two years to a patient's life.

Follow the Leader: Let's not rub it in, but Viagra, which had Pfizer laughing all the way to the bank, faces competition. NexMed, a US pharma house, is developing a topical cream, Alprox-TD, for erectile dysfunction. NexMed claims that erection occurs within minutes of applying the cream on the penis, unlike the hours it takes in the case of Viagra. Researchers also say it has no side effects like headaches and blue-tinted vision associated with Viagra. Alprox-TD's main ingredient, Alprostadil, has been used as injectile therapy for erectile dysfunction. Wonder how many me-too drugs the new cream will inspire.

A Small Step to Seeing

For over seven million cataract-affected Indians, a minimal incision procedure developed by Chennai-based ophthalmologist Amar Agarwal brings some light into their lives painlessly and quickly. Called Phakonit, it requires only a 0.9 mm incision to remove cataracts, thus eliminating stitches and pads.

Though Agarwal broke the 1 mm barrier in 1999, a breakthrough lauded in the West, it gained credence only recently due to a minor hitch. Inter-ocular lenses (IOL) inserted to replace the opaque lenses cannot pass through such tiny incisions. "Manufacturers are working on newer IOLs," says Agarwal whose hospitals in Chennai and Bangalore have already performed over 1,000 surgeries, which cost about Rs 15,000 per eye.

-Compiled by Prerna Singh Bindra