Scientific literature addressing the influence of pesticides on the growth and reproduction of earthworm is reviewed. Earthworms are considered as important bioindicators of chemical toxicity in the soil ecosystem. Studies on this aspect are important because earthworms are the common prey of many terrestrial vertebrate species such as birds and small mammals, and thus they play a key role in the biomagnification process of several soil pollutants. Majority of the studies have used mortality as an endpoint rather than subtler endpoints such as reproductive output. It is now emphasized that, whereas higher concentrations of a pollutant can easily be assessed with the acute (mortality) test, contaminated soils with lower (sublethal) pollutant concentrations require more sensitive test methods such as reproduction test in their risk assessment.

We investigated the effects of three different pesticides (carbendazim, dimethoate, and glyphosate) and their mixture on the growth and reproduction of the earthworm species, Eisenia fetida. The study was conducted following the suggestion of the International Workshop on Earthworm Ecotoxicology. The results showed that the pesticide treatment had a marked negative impact on the growth and reproduction of earthworms. Carbendazim and dimethoate were found to cause greater harm to the selected earthworm species than glyphosate.

We studied the health problems of 197 female beedi rollers in Patna, Bihar, India to ascertain the effects of beedi rolling on health. The study found that more than 70% of the beedi rollers suffered from eye, gastrointestinal and nervous problems while more than 50% of the respondents suffered from respiratory problems, mostly throat burning and cough. More than 75% of the respondents faced osteological problems. Total RBC, WBC and platelet counts of the beedi rollers were significantly lower in comparison to the control subjects. Differential leucocyte count showed significantly risen lymphocytes and eosinophils and lowered neutrophils and monocytes in the beedi rollers as compared to the control group. Haemoglobin levels were lower among beedi rollers compared to the control group. SGPT (ALT) enzyme concentration, a parameter of liver dysfunction was significantly higher in the beedi rollers as compared to the control group. Thus, the study concluded that beedi rolling may cause significant health hazards.

Groundwater used for drinking and cooking was analysed for fluoride (F), and health surveys were conducted in Bodh Gaya, Amas and Bankebazaar blocks of the Gaya district, Bihar, India. Amas and Bankebazaar blocks were F endemic areas with mean F = 2.36 ± 0.23 mg/L (N = 27). Bodh Gaya was considered as control area with mean F = 0.59 ± 0.03 mg/L (N = 11). Health survey showed that more than 50 % of adults and more than 55 % of children had complaints of gastro-intestinal (GI) disturbances in the F endemic areas, while less than 20 % of adults and less than 10 % of children complained of GI problems in the control areas. Haematological analyses were conducted on age- and sex-matched fluorotic subjects (N = 93) of F endemic areas, and non-fluorotic subjects (N = 52) of control area showed lowered haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration in the fluorotic subjects, suggesting the occurrence of anaemia in the fluorotic subjects.

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