Who can forget the year 2013 when humanity saw one of the worst natural disasters in the history of India. Due to cloudbursts in the state of Uttarakhand, the flash floods in river Ganga and landslides washed away thousands of lives.  The Kedarnath bridge at Sonprayag also washed out due to heavy floods. The death toll and destruction was so massive that it left the region devastated.

Subsequently, a Bailey Bridge (a portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge) was built by the Border Roads Organisation, limiting the traffic to one way and a maximum load of 12 tonnes at the most. But June 2015 saw more floods and this bridge was also washed away.

Since the Temple is 3500 feet above sea level and is situated in challenging topography, the construction of a stronger flawless bridge required more than 3 years to build. Further, since the bridge was to be built in such difficult conditions, it would have been impossible to regularly protect or maintain.

It was decided finally that the new bridge has to be made of galvanized steel to ensure that it does not collapse. But Galvanizing in this remote town was not easily available.

Thus, the galvanized bridge was shipped in containers from the USA, completed and became operational in an incredible 45 days. In the new bridge, all the panel chords, diagonals, verticals, raker, reinforcing chords along with all the structural beam members and flooring were hot dip galvanized.

Hindustan Zinc is India’s only and world’s leading Zinc-Lead-Silver Producer..

Article by- Pavan Kaushik, Head – Corporate Communication, Hindustan Zinc

The Statue of Liberty is a sculpture on Liberty Island in New York City which symbolizes the United States of America to millions of people around the world. The 151 feet statue was a gift from France to the United States and was designed by French sculptor – Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi & built by Gustave Eiffel. It took over a decade to build (1875 to 1886) and over $250,000 which was a significant amount considering that it was the 19^th century.

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty welcomed seafarers to the shores with dignity, grace, health and vigour. But deep down, it was hurting. Standing in the humid and saline environment of New York Harbour, left the Statue of Liberty interiors vulnerable to massive corrosion. The regular maintenance checks in the 1980s revealed that galvanic corrosion had taken place between the outer Copper skin and the inner wrought Iron structure.

In 1982, it was announced that the statue was in need of considerable restoration.

A Zinc Silicate coating was used in the restoration that provided the Statue with superior corrosion resistance. Zinc Silicate coating was an inorganic water-based Zinc primer that was applied as a rust inhibitor. Also, according to the New York Historical Society, the Statue had developed a green hue by the year 1920. If the Statue had been covered with a Zinc & Copper alloy, this process would likely have taken much longer and stood the test of time.

Restoring the metallurgic integrity to Liberty took 6 years and costed $162 million. According to author Jonathan Waldman, “Rust is costlier than all other natural disasters combined, amounting in the US alone to $437 billion a year, which approaches to 3% of the nation’s GDP. By comparison, the damage done to property by hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Andrew in 2012 was $128 billion, $50 billion and $44 billion, respectively.”

Another testimony of the strength of Zinc … We all have Zinc in our lives…

Hindustan Zinc is India’s only and world’s leading Zinc-Lead-Silver Producer..

Article by- Pavan Kaushik, Head – Corporate Communication, Hindustan Zinc

Zinc is used in countless number of items in some form or another. Another benefit of Zinc is its usage in Soaps. Zinc helps treat various skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, ringworm, fungus etc…

Zinc in the form of ‘Zinc Pyrithione’ is majorly used in bathing soaps due to its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties along with its ability to cure skin diseases like seborrheic dermatitis (skin disorder that affects face, scalp and torso). Most notably, it has a suppressing effect on Malassezia Fungus (commonly considered the main culprit in various skin diseases). Its other medical applications include treatments of psoriasis, eczema, ringworm, fungus, athletes foot, dry skin, sensitive skin, atopic dermatitis, rashes, tinea, and vitiligo. It also helps fight many pathogens from the Streptococcus and Staphylococcus genera.

 Along with soaps, Zinc Pyrithione is best known for its use in treating dandruff, thus making its use imperative in anti-dandruff shampoos. The American shampoo brand ‘Head & Shoulders’ actively uses and promotes Zinc Pyrithione as its major ingredient, introduced in the year 1961.

 Cosmetics alone are not the only applications for Zinc Pyrithione. Due to its low solubility in water (8 ppm at neutral pH) and ability to protect against mildew and algae, Zinc Pyrithione is used in outdoor paints and proves to be an effective algaecide. Also, Zinc Pyrithione slows down the process of decomposition done by ultraviolet lights, thus providing years of protection even against direct sunlight. Zinc Pyrithione is also used as an antibacterial treatment for household sponges.

 Hindustan Zinc is India’s only and world’s leading Zinc-Lead-Silver Producer..

Article by- Pavan Kaushik, Head – Corporate Communication, Hindustan Zinc