INDUSTRIAL TOXICOLOGY RESEARCH CENTRE, LUCKNOW
Established in 1965, the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow, a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) is dedicated to provide health safeguards to industrial and agricultural workers through its rich knowledgebase, created painstakingly over the years. The main campus is located on Mahatma Gandhi Marg in the city, while the other campus is in village Gheru on Lucknow-Kanpur highway about 22 km from the main campus. 

MOTTO 

Safety to Environment & Health and Service to Industry 

MISSION 

Achieve highest International standards in toxicological research to ensure safety to human health and environment and help regulatory agencies in prescribing safe limits of chemicals. 

BUSINESS 

The Business of ITRC is to create new knowledge about health and chemicals. It is a unique and important scientific resource in toxicology safety research and testing. 

The laboratory, through its scientific expertise, provides complete facilities for toxicological research, environmental & health risk assessment and analysis & toxicity testing services conforming to Good Laboratory Practices using National and International guidelines employing latest test systems, biomarkers, analytical instruments and mathematical models. 

The strength of the centre lies in the knowledgebase and analytical as well as experimental skills built over the last three decades in the areas of Health Risk Assessment, Preventive Toxicology, Predictive Toxicology, Environmental Toxicology, Inhalation Toxicology and Analytical Toxicology. 
The Centre is also equipped with state of the art facilities in the field of molecular toxicology and regulatory toxicology. 

Objectives:

Identification of occupational health hazards due to exposure to chemicals in industries, mines, agricultural fields and general environment by undertaking health and environmental surveys. 

Studies for working out the mode of action of toxic chemicals/pollutants. 

Development of simple/rapid diagnostic tests for disorders caused by industrial and environmental chemicals. 

Safety evaluation of chemicals used in industry, agriculture and everyday life. 

Suggest remedial/preventive measures to safeguard health and environment from pollutants. 

Collection, storage and dissemination of information on toxic chemicals. 

Human resource development to deal with industrial and environmental problems. 

Organisational structure

The Institute is a multidisciplinary research laboratory comprising six R&D areas and eight supporting technical services sections. Director is the executive head of the Institute and is advised and supported by a Research Council and a Management Council. The R&D programmes of ITRC are organized in the following project areas: 

Health Risk Assessment
Preventive Toxicology
Acievements

The centre has contributions significant in elucidating the mechanisms by which pesticides, heavy metals, monomers, plasticizers and other plastic additives, solvents, food colours and dye intermediates act and elicit deleterious effects on human health. 

Method for early diagnosis of manganese poisoning; a peripheral model for monitoring the neurological disorders caused by neurotoxic substances and test kits for the detection of toxic food adulterants have been developed. 

Ability of some chelating agents in abrogating the toxicity due to metals and immunomodulators in case of solvents and monomers in animal models have been demonstrated. Vitamin B complex supplementation has been found to diminish susceptibility to lead and cadmium intoxication. 

The centre has contributed significantly to Drinking Water Mission, Ganga Action Plan, Technology Mission on Edible Oils and Pulses, Global Climatic Change programme and All India co-ordinated programmes on food colours, pesticides and metal exposure assessment. 

Microorganisms have been isolated which have the potential of degrading pesticides such as DDT, Endosulfan and lindane in the sites contaminated with them. 

The institute has undertaken the challenging assignment on testing of newer products reaching the markets including bio-engineered products. 

Capabilities

Multidisciplinary capabilities in monitoring of environmental pollutants, assessment of human exposure and risks to health and environment due to use of chemicals and new products. 

In vivo and in vitro and ex-vivo are available for ecotoxicological evaluation of effluents, using biological species, safety evaluation of plastics and polymers and screening for the dermal, reproductive, immunotoxic, genotoxic, phytotoxic, phototoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic potential of new chemicals and products can be evaluated. 

Toxicity evaluation of biotechnologically engineered products can be undertaken. 

Available expertise: 

Evaluation of ecofriendliness of chemicals and products. 

Identification and disposal of hazardous wastes. 

Impact of hazardous industrial chemicals on the health of workers. 

Chemical disaster monitoring. 

Environmental audit. 
Preparation of plans for chemicals disaster management. 

Analysis and measurement of pollutants using sophisticated analytical equipments and specially designed protocols. 

Potable and waste water quality analysis. 

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pesticide residues using state of the art techniques. 

Development of mathematical models for environmental risk assessment. 

A regulatory agencies approved standard protocol based on leachable plastic materials for evaluating the safety of plastic containers used for food, water, transfusion materials and biomedical implants are available. 

National and International Linkages 

National: The laboratory interacts with Central and State regulatory agencies, research departments and organisations like: 

Ministry of Environment & Forests Ministry of Food Processing Industries Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Central Pollution Control Board Department of Biotechnology Department of Science and Technology Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Bureau of Indian Standards Agmark State Pollution Control Boards Council of Science and Technology (UP) 

The scientists of the laboratory serve as experts on the committees of these organisations. 

Significant contributions have been made in developing guidelines and protocols for the safety assurance of chemicals and products and discharge from the industries e.g. synthetic detergents, life cycle analysis of detergents for ecofriendliness, safety evaluation of plastics used for packaging of food material and transfusion fluids and other medical applications, toxicity evaluation of the genetically engineered plant products, safety assurance of food chemicals. 
International: The laboratory has been serving several agencies in various capacities such as: 

National Correspondent of International Registry of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC) of UNDP 

Co-ordinator of the Component Chemical Contaminants/Pollutants of Chemicals Research & Environment Needs (CREN) programme of Commonwealth Science Council (CSC). 

International Programme on Chemical Safety of WHO 

U.S. Food & Drug Administration 
Environmental Protection Agency, USA 

It undertakes collaborative research to understand the mechanisms of toxicity of chemicals and minerals and development of new methods for predicting the toxicity of chemicals with various overseas laboratories. Several joint workshops and training programmes in the area of toxicology have been organised in collaboration with International Agencies. 

Public Awareness and Training Programmes 
Section 1

The institute organises outreach programmes and public awareness camps to communicate the knowledge widely so that the information is put to practical use by regulators, policy makers and other scientists in industry, government and academies. 

Following services are being rendered to industries, public sector undertakings and Government R&D organizations: 

Health Survey: Epidemiological surveys/studies on occupational diseases in industrial workers and the required remedial measures. 

Environmental Monitoring: Air and water quality monitoring studies for industries as well as government organisations are undertaken. 

Analytical Services: Analysis of metal, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons etc. in various samples inlcuding human tissues are undertaken with latest techniques
. 
Section 2
Safety evaluation of Products: Agrochemicals, dyes, food additives, plastics and polymers, petrochemicals, cosmetics, detergents, organic & mineral fibers and particulate material are tested for their safety as per requirement of the registration authorities. 

Food Adulterants: The Centre plays a major role in providing services to both private and Government sector for the identification and safety of food adulterants. 

Ecotoxicological impact assessment 

Toxicity of Chemicals: Studies on chemicals are undertaken using validated test systems to assess their: 

Mutagenicity and carcinogenicity 
Genotoxicity
 LD50 
Phytotoxicity 
Photo oxidative damage 
Microbial conversion of liquid wastes to useful/utilizable commodities. 

Section 3

Screening of compounds. 

Using in vivo and rapid in vitro test systems, compounds are screened for various properties such as: 

Screening of the psychoactive compounds and neurotoxicants with the help of neurotransmitter receptor binding assays. 

Screening of compounds for their anti-apoptotic properties. 

Assessing the cytotoxicity of compounds. 

Screening compounds for their genotoxic potential. 

Toxicity tests, environmental monitoring, health survey studies and data evaluation & analysis are undertaken by well trained and experienced staff using national and international guidelines conforming to OECD, USEPA, BIS, ISO following Good Laboratory Practices. 

Human health risk assessment

Clinical evaluation of exposed workers 

Lung function test (a) routine (b) specialised 

Laboratory investigations of exposed subjects including biological monitoring 

Epidemiological study and interpretation of data 

Consultancy for occupational health safety services 

Environmental risk assessment 

Environmental impact assessment, preparation of environmental management plan and environmental monitoring 

Stack/process emission evaluation for SPM 

Ambient quality monitoring with respect to SPM, SO2 and NOx 

Environmental audit 

Particle size including respirable dust analysis 
Physical and chemical characterization of soil Evaluation of work environment including physical parameters like noise 

Disaster preparedness and management plans 

Drinking and waste water quality analysis Physicochemical and biological parameters as per requirements of (a) Pollution Control Board for waste water, and (b) National Standards for drinking water 

Chemical analysis of toxicants 

Chemical analysis of toxicants for safety assurance Radioactivity measurements (Beta and Gamma radiation) 

Safety evaluation of plastics 

Global migration test 

Complete physicochemical and biological tests 

Acute toxicity 

90 day toxicity for new polymeric material including 

cytotoxicity 

Ecotoxicity assessment 

Multi species tests for ecotoxicity evaluation 

Biomonitoring 

Technical data based consultancy 

Biodegradability/ecofriendliness 

Environmentally safe reuse of effluents for agriculture and aquaculture 

Safety evaluation and management of industrial solid wastes 

Toxicokinetic studies 

Toxicity to silkworm 

Toxicity potentiation studies 

Toxicity tests 

Oral - Acute, Subacute, Chronic 

Dermal - Acute, Primary skin irritation, Irritation of mucous membrane, Skin sensitization, Phototoxicity 

Inhalation - Acute, Subacute, Chronic 

Gastrointestinal toxicity - Short & Long term 

Nephrotoxicity - Neurotoxicity evaluation 

Behavioral neurotoxicity testing - Short & Long term 

Safety evaluation of mineral dusts - In vivo, in vitro, ex vivo 

Reproductive toxicity evaluation 

Foetotoxic and teratological studies 

Single and multigeneration studies 

Genotoxicity: Assessment of DNA damage using: 

Chromosomal abberrations 

Comet assay 

DNA adducts 

Sister chromatid exchange 

Alkaline elution 

Dominant lethal test 

Ames test 

Micronucleus test 

Alleum Cepa root tip test 

Fluorescent in situ hybridisation 

Carcinogenicity 

Carcinogenicity 

Transplacental corcinogenesis 

Oncogene expression studies 

Tumour promoting 

Tumour initiating 

Immunotoxicity 

Safety Evaluation of Industrial/Environmental Chemicals 

ITRC has been offering its services for the assessment and abatement of problems in occupational and environmental toxicology on sponsored basis. Toxicity evaluation is done using standard protocols in conformity with WHO/OECD guidelines. 

Water Analysis Kit: A one piece kit for physico-chemical and bacteriological analysis of water to determine the drinking water quality from public health point of view in rural areas. 

Mobile Laboratory Van: A mobile water quality testing laboratory for physico chemical and bacteriological assessment of potable water in villages and remote areas. 

Amrit Kumbh: It is a household low cost water filtration assembly to combat the problems of water borne diseases particularly in rural areas. The disinfection process is based on physico-chemical principles and does not change the minerals in water. 

CD-Strip: A colour detection strip for the detection of Butter yellow, a carcinogenic dye in mustard oil. It can be used by the housewives as well as for random preliminary checks by the health authorities. 

Bact-O-Kill: An electronic device for disinfection of water. 

Argemone Detection Kit: A fluorescence based field kit to rapidly screen the presence of argemone oil admixture in mustard oil with a sensitivity of 0.01%. 

The above technologies are available for transfer

ITRC Kit to Detect Argemone Oil Adulteration 

Genesis: 
Consumption of mustard oil adulterated with Argemone Mexicana oil is known to cause an epidemic popularly referred to ad Dropsy.

Several outbreaks have been reported in the past.

The recent dropsy incidence at Delhi in August 1998 appears to be the largest reported in the country involving over 2500 victims with more than 60 deaths. 

Argemone oil poisoning symptoms:

Vomiting 

Diarrhoea 

Nausea 

Fever 

Erythema 

Pitting edema 

Breathlessness 

Liver enlargement 

Glaucome (tension in eyes) 

Death due to cardiac respiratory failure 

Need for field kit:

Mustard oil constitutes a prime dietary component of various households. 

A strict vigil is required to check its purity and authenticity. 

Consumption of Argemone oil contaminated edible oil, even at low levels of adulteration for short duration, causes toxicity. 

Hence presence of Argemone oil even in trace quantities needs to be ascertained. 

Visualizing the overall problem and need for simple and quick field level test, a simple Argemone oil detection kit has been developed. 

How the kit works:

Kit test is very easy to perform and takes about 15-20 minutes. 

A portion of the test oil is taken in a tube and shaken with a Reagent Mixture. 

It is allowed to stand to separate the two layers (hot water immersion shortens separation time). 

A drop from the lower layer is applied on a filter paper strip and viewed under Fluorescence Detection Device (FDD). 

An orange to purplish fluorescent spot indicates the presence of Argemone oil. 

The minimum detection limit of this screening test is 0.01% (100 ppm). 

Validation of the kit:

The feed back on the working of the kit has been obtained from various food testing laboratories including all the four Central Food Labs.

Potential users:

Mandi oil seed dealers 

Edible oil expeller unitsetailers 

Consumers themselves 

Consumer Guidance Organizations 

Food inspectors 

Health authorities 

Technology details may be availed from:

Director
Industrial Toxicology Research 
CentrePost Box No. 80
Mahatma Gandhi MargLucknow-226 001 (U.P.) 
IndiaTelefax: (0522) 228227, 211547Phone: (0522) 228227, 211547,214118
Email: itrc@lw1.vsnl.net.in