Pollution: Past, Present and Future – An Indian Perspective

The term ‘pollution’ which was hardly in existence a few decades back, has now gained a place in everyday discussions. Presently, not a single living biota, including human beings has remained unaffected from its harmful effects. Pollution is a global problem and according to the World Health Organization, the world’s top worst affected cities are in India. Therefore, there is an urgency to give priority to control pollution. The adverse effects of pollutants are affecting human health, economy and progress in various ways. Pollutants alone or in combination with other factors have the potential to cause serious damage to the DNA, cell(s) and organ(s). There is a high possibility that future generations may inherit undesirable traits and suffer from unpredictable consequences. Therefore, there is an urgent need to have reliable and constant monitoring bioassay systems all over the country in order to protect the present biota and future generations from undesirable harmful consequences caused by pollution. In this article, we briefly discuss the various sources of pollutants which are constantly affecting all living biota, including human beings and future perspectives to protect human health.