Oil was laced with acid, dye, argemone

LUCKNOW: All the 10 oil samples by the public analyst, reports of which were released on Thursday, were found to be contaminated with deadly argemone mexicana, poisonous hydrocyanide acid (HCN) and butter yellow dye. Oil samples had been collected from various oil retailers, wholesalers and mills in different parts of the city.
Concentration of argemone mexicana was 500 particles per million (PPM) along with prohibited butter yellow dye and HCN in the sample collected from Birbal Gupta’s shop in Block A, Rajajipuram.The samples collected from the shop of Deena Nath Gupta in Rajajipuram, who also has been inflicted by dropsy, had argemone over 500 PPM. Majority of dropsy victims of Rajajipuram had bought oil from Gupta’s shop. Further, Jaiswal Trading Company, Dalmandi, Rajajipuram, and a shop in front of Thakurganj police station were found to be having argemone mexicana between 200-500 PPM.
Sample from Shakti Oil Mill on Guru Gobind Singh Marg, Charbagh, was found to be contaminated with butter yellow dye and argemone mexicana (200 PPM). Sample from Shiv Shakti Oil Store in Pandeyganj had argemone (50-100 PPM), while the one from Naraindas retailer, Natkhera, Alambagh, tested positive for butter yellow dye and HCN. Two samples collected from the shop of Suresh Chandra, in Sector B, Rajajipuram, were found to be containing butter yellow and HCN and the sample from an oil in Triveninagar had butter yellow dye.