A recent study has attributed the sudden onset of severe hair loss among hundreds of residents in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district to toxic elements in wheat distributed under the Public Distribution System (PDS).

The phenomenon, which affected nearly 300 individuals across 18 villages, including a significant number of college students and young girls, had perplexed health authorities for weeks.

However, a month-long study led by Padma Shri awardee Dr Himmatrao Bawaskar has identified excessive selenium in the wheat as the likely cause.

According to Dr Bawaskar, wheat samples from the affected areas contained 600 times more selenium than the locally grown variety. Tests conducted at Thane’s Verni Analytical Lab revealed selenium levels of 14.52 mg/kg, far exceeding the normal 1.9 mg/kg threshold.

“Our analysis shows that high selenium intake is responsible for these alopecia cases. The condition manifested rapidly, with complete baldness occurring within three to four days of symptom onset,” Dr Bawaskar stated.

Blood, urine, and hair tests further confirmed an alarming increase in selenium content -- 35 times, 60 times, and 150 times higher than normal, respectively. Dr Bawaskar also noted that the affected wheat consignments originated from Punjab.

“People ranging from eight to seventy-two years old have been impacted. The social consequences are severe -- students have stopped attending school and college, and marriages have been disrupted due to sudden baldness,” he added.

While Dr Bawaskar has yet to submit his findings to the local administration, a parallel investigation by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) corroborated the presence of high selenium levels in the blood samples of affected individuals. Water and soil samples from the region have also been tested, though the details of ICMR’s report to the central government remain undisclosed.