Today’s Articles for The Hindu Daily Digest
1. Endocrine disruptors in plastic waste: a new public health threat
GS-III-Environment-Pollution-Plastic Pollution
The poorest populations, often living near waste dumps or working in the informal recycling sector, bear the brunt of the plastic waste crisis.
Plastic pollution is no longer a distant environmental concern; it is a biological invasion with profound implications for human health; infiltration of microplastics and plastic-derived EDCs into human bodies is triggering hormonal disruption, reproductive dysfunction and chronic diseases.
THE GIST
Once considered inert pollutants, microplastics — plastic particles smaller than 5 mm — are now recognised as biologically active. Further, a 2024 study reported the presence of microplastics in nearly 89% of blood samples in India.
Animal studies showed that even low doses of polystyrene microplastics disrupted testosterone levels, impaired sperm production, and damaged the blood-testis barrier. Similar effects were observed in ovaries, where microplastics reduced anti-Müllerian hormone levels, triggered oxidative stress pathways, and induced cell death.
The health burden associated with EDCs in India is staggering, costing over ₹25,000 crore annually due to increased healthcare spending and lost productivity. This silent epidemic must be addressed through science-driven regulation, robust monitoring, public education, and systemic change.
2. Socialism, secularism are the spirit of the Constitution
GS-II-Polity & Constitution
The call to erase ‘socialism’ and ‘secularism’ from the Constitution is a calculated move to have an oppressive majoritarian state.
3. Can the Supreme Court halt an Act passed by a State?
GS-II-Polity & Constitution
What did the Supreme Court mandate in the Nandini Sundar case on July 5, 2011?
THE GIST
The Supreme Court, on July 5, 2011 issued an order stating that the State of Chhattisgarh shall cease and desist from using Special Police Officers (SPOs) in any activities, directly or indirectly, aimed at controlling, countering, mitigating or otherwise eliminating Maoist activities.
Consequent to the Supreme Court order of July 2011, the State of Chhattisgarh enacted the Chhattisgarh Auxiliary Armed Police Forces Act, 2011.
It was argued by the petitioners that the said enactment was not in consonance with the Court’s order and therefore amounted to contempt of Court.
4. A new BHARAT — establishing healthy ageing parameters for the Indian population
GS-III-Science & Technology
The Indian Institute of Science’s BHARAT study aims to map indicators that drive ageing in the Indian population
5. Is U.S. imperialism a threat to the world?
GS-II-International Relation
The problem with having two poles — the U.S.-led pole and the China-led pole — is that rising powers such as India, Brazil, and South Africa tend to have less agency. What is probably more useful is a multipolar world order.
6. Careful curation
GS-II-Polity – Political Dynamics
Bihar’s electoral roll revision risks excluding short-term migrant voters