Nimli (Rajasthan): The State of India's Environment 2025 report has raised alarms over the widespread impact of chemical pollution, stating that in 2019, chemicals in the environment were responsible for two million deaths and 53 million disability-adjusted life years worldwide, as per World Health Organization (WHO) data.

Released at the Anil Agarwal Dialogue 2025, an annual environmental journalism conclave organized by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the report highlights how human-made chemicals have become “forever” and “everywhere” pollutants, contaminating the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and even remote regions.

CSE's Director General Sunita Narain, along with India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, former Planning Commission Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and management expert Raj Liberhan, unveiled the report at the event.

Over 80 journalists from across India are participating in discussions on key environmental issues, including urban heat islands, renewable energy targets, and zoonotic disease outbreaks.

The Chemical Crisis
In a session on 'Chemicals in the Environment', Down To Earth correspondent Rohini Krishnamurthy emphasized the lack of regulation for thousands of chemicals in global markets. “Annually, 220 billion tonnes of chemicals are released into the environment, including 65 kg of carcinogens every second,” she noted.

Dr. Donthi N Reddy, senior fellow at the Impact and Policy Research Institute, highlighted India's indiscriminate pesticide use, exceeding 255,000 tonnes annually, despite minimal lethal doses.

The report warns of serious health risks from prolonged chemical exposure, including cancer, organ damage, immune disorders, and genetic mutations. With over 140,000 synthetic chemicals in circulation, experts caution that the world may be at a critical tipping point in chemical pollution.