http://www.greendaily.com/2008/08/18/toxic-idols-poison-indias-rivers/
Toxic idols poison India's riversby Josh Loposer
Aug 18th 2008 @ 10:30AM
Filed under: Local, Plants and Wildlife
As the environmental movement picks up steam in India, some of its
more colorful traditions are being re-examined in a new light -- a
green one. For centuries, Hindus have constructed elaborate statues
depicting some of their key deities and released them to float down
local waterways. Now, many of India's environmentalists are raising
concerns that this tradition is turning India's lakes and rivers into
a toxic soup.
Traditionally, these statues were made out of quasi eco-friendly
materials like clay and vegetable-based dyes, but the
commercialization of these traditions has introduced all sorts of
toxic materials to the mix. Now, many of the idols released on the
rivers are built out of plastic or plaster of Paris and decorated
with paints that contain mercury, lead, and cadmium. Obviously, this
stuff isn't too healthy for the fish and other animals that live in
and around the water. Not to mention, heavy metals have a tendency to
work their way up the food chain and accumulate in human tissue.
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