Buldhana hair loss cases: High selenium levels in wheat not yet proven as culprit

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday said there is no conclusive proof yet on cause of abrupt baldness in many people in Maharashtra's Buldhana.

Though some local experts have pointed to the role of high levels of selenium - a chemical element and essential mineral - found in samples of wheat sourced from Punjab, being supplied through rations shops, govt sources said Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has taken samples of several other food items to identify the reason behind the unusual health crisis.

Sources in the food ministry said there has been "no such report from any other state". Punjab is the biggest contributor to the central pool of wheat managed by Food Corporation of India (FCI), followed by Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. In the last rabi season, 128 lakh tonnes of wheat was procured from Punjab, which was around 47% of the total purchase for the central pool.

Govt distributes free wheat from this stock under PDS to beneficiaries under the PM Garib Kalyan Ann Yojna. Importantly, junior health minister Prataprao Jadhav, who also holds the AYUSH portfolio, is an MP from Buldhana. Jadhav told TOI that he has been following up on the issue since reports of abrupt and widespread baldness emerged from Buldhana. "Presently, the situation is under control," he said.

He said ICMR and several other state and central agencies are monitoring the situation and at the same time working to identify the cause. "Selenium is found in many food items, not just wheat. It is true that some samples of wheat have been found positive for high levels of the chemical element. However, it is too early to attribute abrupt baldness in the region to it. There are other food items that are being investigated as well," Jadhav said.

The role of contaminated water and nutritional deficiencies are also being investigated, sources said.


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