In early April, a scrap dealer in Delhi was admitted in Apollo Indraprastha Hospital with the bizarre complaints of progressive hyperpigmentation, hair loss, nausea and vomiting. His blood counts were very low. Several other men working for him also developed unexplained skin burns and similar complaints. Very quickly a diagnosis of radiation injury was made. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) was informed and investigations zeroed down on a radioactive cell containing Cobalt 60 at the Mayapuri scrap market. It was apparently bought from Atomic Energy Department, Canada by the Chemistry Department of Delhi University and had been lying unused since 1985. The University auctioned it and the scrap dealer bought it in February 2010. One month later he was seriously ill. So far six people have fallen ill and one has died due to the radiation exposure. An enquiry is underway and new guidelines for the procurement, transport, storage and disposal of all hazardous material, including chemicals and radioactive substances is being formulated. The problem of orphan radioactive sources is a global issue. The incident is a clarion call to us to streamline our waste disposal systems. (The Telegraph 27 April, 2010, www.nature.com 8 May 2010).

The World Health Day theme this year is Urbanization and Health. Fifty percent of the world lives in cities and by 2050 it will reach 70%. In India, the number that currently lives in cities is 28% and it is predicted to rise to 41% by 2020. One third of these urban dwellers live in slums. That your physical and social environment shapes your health is a worn out cliché, but like most clichés, unfortunately true. In the long haul, civil engineers may impact health more than all the doctors doling out pills. The WHO, with the Ministry for Urban Development, has also brought out a guide atlas for the multi-level planning of a healthy city (www.whoindia.org).