Buldhana Maharashtra - A recent investigation into a mysterious baldness outbreak has revealed excessive selenium levels in government-supplied wheat as the likely culprit, according to findings from independent tests conducted by Dr. Bawaskar.
Laboratory analysis showed selenium concentrations in unwashed ration shop wheat at 14.52 mg/kg—nearly eight times higher than the maximum normal level and 145 times higher than the minimum. Even washed wheat samples contained 13.61 mg/kg of selenium, far exceeding the normal range of 0.1 to 1.9 mg/kg.
"We checked the gunny bags in ration shops and found out that they have come from Punjab," Dr. Bawaskar told reporters. The bags, stamped with the Government of Punjab seal, were marked "Crop year 2024-25, Commodity: Wheat/Paddy."
Blood samples from six affected individuals showed low zinc levels, which is known to support hair growth. Earlier investigations by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had also identified excessive selenium in blood samples as the cause of baldness, pointing to ration shop wheat as a potential source without definitively confirming it.
When questioned about whether ration shop wheat was mentioned in their findings, ICMR officials neither confirmed nor denied it, stating only that their report had been submitted to the Union Ministry of Health.
Selenium, a metalloid with properties of both metals and non-metals, is essential for various bodily functions, but both deficiency and excessive consumption can be harmful.
This isn't the first such incident in India. In the early 2000s, residents of Punjab's Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts experienced similar sudden hair loss and health issues. Studies at the time documented how selenium was transported through floodwaters from the Shivalik mountain range to villages, contaminating crops.
Dr. Bawaskar suggests the wheat in question was likely accidentally sourced from these high-selenium-containing lands. His investigation, which cost him Rs 92,000 from his own pocket, follows his earlier work in 2010 when he established a correlation between high levels of cadmium and lead in the local water supply and a surge in kidney ailments across 200 villages in Buldhana district.
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