Production Behavior of Tobacco in Major SAARC Countries and a Case Study on Pollution and Health Hazards in Tobacco Industry

摘要

Tobacco industry is a red category industry from the standpoint of pollution generation. The main environmental concern of this industry is the indoor air pollution due to tobacco dust and its effect on workers' health. The main toxic material used here is the principal raw material i.e. tobacco leaf, which contains nicotine, a psychopharmacological agent and other alkaloids, some of which are either carcinogenic or exert severe health effects. The current study deals with the performance of the five major South-Asian countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) regarding production, area and productivity of tobacco during the period 1961 - 2005 (FAO database, 2006). Moreover a case study has been performed in one of the tobacco companies of West Bengal, India to evaluate the pollution status and workers' health hazards due to industrial pollution.