Toxic Wheat Triggers Sudden Baldness in Maharashtra’s Buldhana, Study Reveals

In a bizarre health emergency, more than 300 villagers across 15 villages in Maharashtra's Buldhana district suddenly started losing their hair. The most recent studies have pinpointed excessive amounts of selenium in wheat distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS) as the probable cause of this phenomenon. Wheat from Punjab and Haryana contained traces of selenium far above safe consumption levels.

The condition, affecting people between the ages of 8 and 72, developed rapidly, with total baldness occurring within three to four days of symptom onset. The sociological implications have been immense, disrupting educational activities and marriages and causing significant psychological trauma among the affected groups.

Dr. Himmatrao Bawaskar, a Padma Shri awardee best known for his research on scorpion sting treatments, conducted a one-month scientific study of the epidemic. His findings identified excessive selenium in PDS wheat as the root cause. Lab tests revealed that unwashed wheat samples contained 14.52 mg/kg of selenium, while washed samples had 13.61 mg/kg—well beyond the usual range of 0.1 to 1.9 mg/kg.

Further examinations of blood, urine, and hair samples from six affected individuals showed alarming increases in selenium content—35-fold in blood, 60-fold in urine, and 150-fold in hair. Additionally, these individuals exhibited significantly low zinc levels, an essential mineral for hair growth. This imbalance suggests that excessive selenium intake may disrupt zinc absorption, exacerbating hair loss.

The tainted wheat was traced to ration shop stocks sourced from Punjab and Haryana. Investigations found that gunny bags in the shops carried Punjab government seals, marked with "Crop year 2024-25, Commodity: Wheat/Paddy," confirming the origin of the wheat.

Selenium, although necessary in small quantities for many bodily functions, is toxic at high levels. Overconsumption of selenium has been linked to symptoms such as hair loss, gastrointestinal discomfort, and neurological disorders. The excess selenium in the wheat is attributed to the composition of the soil in Punjab and Haryana, where selenium-rich soils cause plants to accumulate harmful concentrations of the element.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also conducted an inquiry, confirming high selenium levels in the blood samples of the victims. However, the ICMR report, submitted to the Union Ministry of Health, could not definitively pinpoint PDS wheat as the sole cause of contamination.

Local governments have responded to the crisis by halting the sale of the tainted wheat and seeking alternative food sources for the affected populations. Public health warnings have been issued, and efforts are being made to provide medical assistance to those impacted. This episode highlights the critical need for robust quality control in food supply chains, particularly in government-subsidized schemes, to prevent such public health crises in the future.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Pragati Sakhuja/MSM)