Effects of leather industry on health and recommendations for improving the situation in Pakistan

Madiha Syed; Taimur Saleem; Shuja-ur-Rehman; Muhammed Asif Iqbal; Faisal Javed; Muhammed Bilal Salman Khan; Kamran Sadiq

doi:10.1080/19338241003730895

Effects of leather industry on health and recommendations for improving the situation in Pakistan

Madiha Syed
, Taimur Saleem
, Shuja-ur-Rehman
, Muhammed Asif Iqbal
, Faisal Javed
, Muhammed Bilal Salman Khan
, Kamran Sadiq

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Division of Woman and Child Health, Medical College, Pakistan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The leather industry and its associated sectors contribute significantly to the Pakistani economy. There are around 600 tanneries in Pakistan that are concentrated in 3 major cities (Kasur, Karachi, Sialkot). Waste discharge from tanneries pollutes the air, soil, and water, causing serious health problems. Exposure to such contaminated environmental milieu has been seen to culminate in a multiple array of disease processes such as asthma, dermatitis, hepatic and neurological disorders, and various malignancies. An overall dearth of research on the occupational hazards of employment in the leather industry as well as its effects on pediatric population was observed during literature review with particular reference to Pakistan. It is recommended that research should be conducted about the health hazards in the leather industry in Pakistan as well as globally to gather data that can be translated into effective prevention programs for both adults as well as pediatric populations.

Original language	English (UK)
Pages (from-to)	163-172
Number of pages	10
Journal	Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health
Volume	65
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/19338241003730895
Publication status	Published - 2010

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

Adult
Health
Leather industry
Pakistan
Pediatric
Recommendations

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10.1080/19338241003730895

Cite this

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title = "Effects of leather industry on health and recommendations for improving the situation in Pakistan",

abstract = "The leather industry and its associated sectors contribute significantly to the Pakistani economy. There are around 600 tanneries in Pakistan that are concentrated in 3 major cities (Kasur, Karachi, Sialkot). Waste discharge from tanneries pollutes the air, soil, and water, causing serious health problems. Exposure to such contaminated environmental milieu has been seen to culminate in a multiple array of disease processes such as asthma, dermatitis, hepatic and neurological disorders, and various malignancies. An overall dearth of research on the occupational hazards of employment in the leather industry as well as its effects on pediatric population was observed during literature review with particular reference to Pakistan. It is recommended that research should be conducted about the health hazards in the leather industry in Pakistan as well as globally to gather data that can be translated into effective prevention programs for both adults as well as pediatric populations.",

keywords = "Adult, Health, Leather industry, Pakistan, Pediatric, Recommendations",

author = "Madiha Syed and Taimur Saleem and Shuja-ur-Rehman and Iqbal, \{Muhammed Asif\} and Faisal Javed and Khan, \{Muhammed Bilal Salman\} and Kamran Sadiq",

note = "Funding Information: Although Pakistan has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 1997 and is a member of international organizations such as United Nations Environment Protection Agency, World Wide Fund for Nature, and the World Conservation Union, work for environmental protection and uplift has not been accorded the attention it deserves. It is saddening to note that the only project to curtail leather industry pollution is presently in Kasur and is being conducted with the assistance of the United Nations Development Fund. In Kasur, waste discharge from tanneries has been polluting the air, soil, surface water, and underground water. Serious health problems such as respiratory disorders, diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid are being more commonly encountered in the community, although more data are needed before a direct cause-effect relationship between these health problems and tannery discharge can be established. The presence of toxic compounds, especially of chromium, represented a grave health hazard for the population nearby. The World Health Organization has set the standard permitted toxic level in drinking water at 0.05 parts per million or ppm. In Kasur, the level was found to be over 2 ppm. This represents a serious health hazard for all those using this water for daily purposes. The Kasur Tanneries Pollution Control Project is therefore helping to reduce the environmental damage caused by tannery waste; industrial waste from 230 tanneries in the city is now being treated.52",

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AU - Syed, Madiha

AU - Saleem, Taimur

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AU - Iqbal, Muhammed Asif

AU - Javed, Faisal

AU - Khan, Muhammed Bilal Salman

AU - Sadiq, Kamran

N1 - Funding Information: Although Pakistan has an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 1997 and is a member of international organizations such as United Nations Environment Protection Agency, World Wide Fund for Nature, and the World Conservation Union, work for environmental protection and uplift has not been accorded the attention it deserves. It is saddening to note that the only project to curtail leather industry pollution is presently in Kasur and is being conducted with the assistance of the United Nations Development Fund. In Kasur, waste discharge from tanneries has been polluting the air, soil, surface water, and underground water. Serious health problems such as respiratory disorders, diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid are being more commonly encountered in the community, although more data are needed before a direct cause-effect relationship between these health problems and tannery discharge can be established. The presence of toxic compounds, especially of chromium, represented a grave health hazard for the population nearby. The World Health Organization has set the standard permitted toxic level in drinking water at 0.05 parts per million or ppm. In Kasur, the level was found to be over 2 ppm. This represents a serious health hazard for all those using this water for daily purposes. The Kasur Tanneries Pollution Control Project is therefore helping to reduce the environmental damage caused by tannery waste; industrial waste from 230 tanneries in the city is now being treated.52

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KW - Health

KW - Leather industry

KW - Pakistan

KW - Pediatric

KW - Recommendations

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JO - Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health

JF - Archives of Environmental and Occupational Health

IS - 3

ER -

Effects of leather industry on health and recommendations for improving the situation in Pakistan

Abstract

UN SDGs

Keywords

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