[Reader-list] 197 suicides and 1, 733 deaths at India's nuclear establishments in 15 yrs

[Subhash]

197 suicides and 1,733 deaths at India's nuclear establishments in last 15 yrs
October 04, 2010 18:03 IST

197 employees belonging to a number of nuclear establishments and
related institutes in India have committed suicide and 1,733
scientists and employees belonging to these centres have died of
illnesses like multiple organ failure, lung cancer, cirrhosis of liver
etc, as per a report compiled by Mumbai-based RTI activist Chetan
Kothari.

The report based on 175 pages of documents sourced through 32 such
centres also reveal that 1,733 employees and scientists from these
establishments died due to various illnesses that include cardiac
strokes, liver failure, multiple organ failure, tuberculosis,
cardio-respiratory diseases, lung cancer, septicemia, cirrhosis of
liver, cerebro-vascular dieseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary
diseases, mellitus etc amongst a host of other diseases.

Interestingly, some of the RTI documents shown to rediff.com by
Kothari did not mention the cause of the death and in some other cases
mentioned the cause of death as 'brought dead', which Kothari was
explained on the condition of anonymity as those who have committed
suicides.

Kothari, after poring through the 175-pages over the weekend told
rediff.com that most of the deceased in this report belonged to the
29-50 age group.

Incidentally, one doesn't find the cause of death mentioned as 'due to
atomic radiation' against any of the deaths reported in these 15 years
at these centres.

The data pertains to the period between 1995 to March 2010 and runs
into 175 pages sourced over a period of three months by Kothari.

It was only recently that the news of scientists belonging to the
atomic energy fraternity in India committing suicides had been in the
news.

The RTI replies from various centres, however, have not dwelled on the
reason behind these suicides or how various other illnesses were
contracted by the deceased.

The largest number of suicide cases at 74 have been reported from
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, Jharkhand, and those who died of
other illnesses mentioned above stood at 203 at this centre.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, have reported highest number of
deaths, at 680, of its employees and scientists due to various
illnesses.

The data has been sourced from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
in Mumbai, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Tata Memorial Hospital,
Department of Atomic Energy, Atomic Energy Rgulatory Board, Saha
Institute of Nuclear Physics (Kolkata), Uranium Corporation of India
(Jharkhand), Nuclear Fuel Complex (Hyderabad), Indira Gandhi Centre
for Atomic Research, Environmental and Industrial safety (Kalpakkam,
Tamil Nadu), The Institute fo Mathematical Sciences (Chennai),
Department fo Atomic Energy, Heavy Watyer Plant (Tuticorin), Harish
Chandra Research Institute (Allahabad), Institute for Plasma Research
Centre (Gandhinagar), Institute of Physics (Bhubaneshwar), Heavy Water
Plant in Kota (Rajasthan), Heavy water Pklant, Talcher (Orissa), Raja
Ramanna Centre for Advaced Technology (Indore) amongst several others.

To check details please click on the links below:

http://im.rediff.com/news/2010/oct/04nuclear1.gif

http://im.rediff.com/news/2010/oct/04nuclear2.gif

http://im.rediff.com/news/2010/oct/04nuclear3.gif

http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/oct/04/suicides-at-indias-atomic-centres-in-15-years.htm