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Waste dumpsites choke Chennai

Waste dumpsites choke Chennai a recent report on the ambient air quality around Chennai's Kodungaiyar waste dumpsite has sent out a strong health warning to over 100,000 residents living in its vicinity. Everyday, the Corporation of Chennai dumps around 3,200 tonnes of waste either at Kodungaiyar or the nearby Perungudi dumpyard.

Released by a Chennai-based ngo, Community Environmental Monitoring (cem) in December 2006, the report notes the presence of nine chemicals in the ambient air of Kodungaiyar.

An air sample taken by the ngo was analysed for 69 volatile organic compounds and 20 sulphur gases at the Columbia Analytical Services in Simi Valley, California, under us environmental protection agency (usepa) norms.Analysis showed that five of the chemicals exceeded permissible levels of usepa, out of which three