Buldhana Mass Hair Loss Points Fingers at Punjab Wheat: Report
Ripened wheat crop (Image credit X.com)
Probe Links Punjab Wheat in PDS to 300 Going Bald in Maharashtra
By Raisina Correspondent
New Delhi, February 24: A probe found linkage with Punjab wheat supplied through PDS behind sudden hair loss for 300 people in the Buldhana district in Maharashtra, said reports.
For over two months, media reports have been tracking sudden hair loss by the people across age groups in the Buldhana district
In Maharashtra’s Buldhana district, an unusual health crisis recently unfolded. Multiple media reports quoted from the month-long probe by Himmatrao Bawaskar to link the sudden hair loss to “toxic” wheat sourced from Punjab.
Bawaskar is a Padma award-winning physician. He led a probe into the incidents of the people in several villages in the Buldhana district losing hairs. Scores of the people went bald, said media reports.
The month-long scientific study by Bawaskar stunned the people. Mumbai Mirror in a report quoted his findings, saying that there had been “an alarming presence of selenium in wheat consumed by the people”. Incidentally, the reports said the wheat consumed by the people came from the public distribution system (PDS) and sourced from Punjab.
Experts for long have been warning against high chemical consumption in farming, including in Punjab. Civil society in Punjab has launched a campaign also to discourage the farmers from high fertilizer usage in farming.
Initially, the media reports claimed that the sudden loss of hair was due to spread of a virus. But Bawaskar’s probe has brought spotlight on chemicals in farming.
“Bavaskar’s month-long investigation into the hair house outbreak has raised serious concerns. Their research led them to wheat supplied through PDS,” said Pune Mirror in a report.
The Pune Mirror also stated that the “wheat sourced from Punjab was found to have selenium levels eight times higher than normal”. “In some cases, the level was 145 times higher than the minimum safe amount,” added the report.
Experts stated that selenium is an essential mineral for the body, but excess can be harmful. “Further testing of blood samples from affected individuals confirmed low zinc levels, a nutrient crucial for hair growth,” added the Pune-based media house.
It also stated that there had been similar cases of hair loss in Punjab. “Fortunately, the hair loss has stopped for many villagers, with some seeing their hair regrow as the roots were unaffected,” added the Pune Mirrow in its report.
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