About NBPCT Programme:

• The International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), which call for core public health capacities to detect, assess, and respond to chemical events;
• The Global Framework on Chemicals (GFC) beyond 2020, particularly contributing to Targets A1, A6, B5, and B7 on health, risk reduction, exposure prevention, and surveillance;
• The Stockholm, Minamata, and Basel Conventions, which guide global action on persistent toxicants, mercury, and waste management.

Key Strategic priorities of the programme are:

Progress so far

• Ist National stakeholder engagement workshop, March 14-15, 2024
• 2nd National level consultative workshop with 10 priority states and partner organisations, February 24, 2025
• CD Alert on Lead
• List of Labs with Heavy Metal Testing
• List of Poison Information Centre
• PowerPoint Presentation on National Biomonitoring Programme for Chemical Toxicants

National Biomonitoring Programme for Chemical Toxicants IHIP Learning Portal Link : https://ihiplearning.in/bpct/#/home-page

• Field user: Field investigators will be assigned a unique user ID and login credentials to access the NBPCT module on IHIP. They will be responsible for entering demographic, biological, and source exposure-related data. Between the biological and source exposure data user can click yes for both or either in case only one type (either biological or only source data). Post-primary screening, if biological or environmental samples are collected and further sent to labs for analysis, the investigator can designate the appropriate laboratory from the list of mapped labs and can mark labs to further add data in the same for directly. All mapped labs will have a unique user id and password to further add data in the lab interface.
• Lab user: Lab users will enter chemical analysis results of biological or environmental or both samples collected from the field.
• The State and Centre user interface allows the State and Centre users to view the data and take further actions.

Activities

• The DGHS constituted an expert group at MoHFW, followed by its first meeting on chemical toxicants on February 15, 2023.
• A Technical Working Group was formed on September 26, 2023.
• First meeting TWG on October 20, 2023.
• Second meeting on November 29, 2023.
• A stakeholder engagement workshop was then held on March 14–15, 2024.
• On September 11, 2024, a Technical Working Group was established for developing a national surveillance system.
• A virtual consultation with laboratories involved in testing chemical toxicants, along with a demonstration of IHIP by IDSP, was held at NCDC on February 14, 2025.
• Consultative Workshop with 10 Priority States and partner organizations at NCDC on February 24, 2025.

• Chemical Toxicants testing capacity assessment and laboratory mapping- ongoing (through Google Form)
• Virtual consultation with labs done once on Feb 14th, 2025
• First stakeholder workshop held in March 2024 with participation from ministries, medical colleges, and NGOs and led to formulation of 7 action tracks with multiple short, medium, and long-term activities under each action track
• Webpage being developed on IHIP as knowledge resource and for data compilation- State-level studies and researchers encouraged to share data as excel sheets and directly on IHIP once it goes live
• Second Consultative working on NBPCT held on 24th of February 2025- 10 states participated and shared details about the work done in each state.

Publications & Research

Technical Guidelines & Resources

Important Acts and Rules

• The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
• The Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011
• The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, amended 1991
• The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986
• Hazardous and other Wastes (Management & Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2016
• Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016
• E-Waste Rules 2016
• Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022
• Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
• The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977
• The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981, amended 1987

SOPs/Protocols

• Guideline for clinical management of exposure to lead
• Brief guide to analytical methods for measuring lead in blood
• International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management: guidance for aerial application of pesticides
• Update on the global status of legal limits for lead in paint, March 2023
• Guidance for Laboratory Biomonitoring Program – Developing Biomonitoring Capabilities
• Assessing Changes in Blood Lead Levels: Study Design Considerations
• Considerations for Planning Childhood Blood Lead Surveillance
• Rapid Market Screening Sampling Protocol
• Home-Based Assessment Protocol
• Toxic Sites Identification Program (TSIP) Investigator Handbook
• Metal Cookware Leaching Test Protocol
• Protocol for Testing Metal Cookware for Lead and Other Heavy Metals
• Guide for Lead-Adulterated Spice Identification and Tracking
• Food Chain Analysis for Lead and Mercury Protocol

Important Links:

• Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
• CPCB | Central Pollution Control Board
• Indian Council of Medical Research
• WHO – Chemical Safety
• National Institute of Health and Family Welfare
• National Health Systems Resource Centre
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• Spices Board of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry

List of Poison Information Centers:

State-level Initiatives:

Technical Resources:

• The Toxic Truth Report
• Assessment of Lead Impact on Humans and India’s Response
• Global Health Burden And Cost of Lead Exposure in Children and Adults- A Health Impact and Economic Modeling Analysis
• Rapid Market Screening to assess lead concentrations in consumer products across 25 low- and middle-income countries
• Assessment of Prevalence of Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Risk Factors Among Children and Pregnant Women in Bihar, India
• Prevalence of Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Risk Factors Among Children Living in Patna, Bihar, India 2020
• Structured Expert Judgement Approach of The Health Impact of Various Chemicals and Classes Of Chemicals
• Evidence of turmeric adulteration with lead chromate across South Asia
• The Association Between Lead Exposure and Crime: A Systematic Review
• Assessing Analytical Methods for the Rapid Detection of Lead Adulteration in the Global Spice Market
• Recycled Aluminium Cooking Pots: A Growing Public Health Concern in Poorly Resourced Countries

Other Resources:

• Structured expert judgement approach of the health impact of various chemicals and classes of chemicals
• Evidence of turmeric adulteration with lead chromate across South Asia
• The Association Between Lead Exposure and Crime: A Systematic Review
• Assessing Analytical Methods for the Rapid Detection of Lead Adulteration in the Global Spice Market
• Recycled Aluminium Cooking Pots: A Growing Public Health Concern in Poorly Resourced Countries
• National Blood Lead Level Survey Bhutan 2024
• Assessing Environmental Lead Exposure in Resource-Constrained Settings
• Five Actions to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
• Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint: Operational Framework
• Toolkit for establishing laws to eliminate lead paint
• Recycling used lead-acid batteries: health considerations