Symbolic picture.
A new debate started after uranium (U-238) was found in mother’s milk during a study in some districts of Bihar. Now the question is whether mother’s milk is dangerous for children? However, top scientists of the country said that the level of uranium is very low, which will not have any significant impact on the health of children.
Let us tell you that this study was done in the first uranium reported districts of Bihar like Bhojpur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Katihar and Nalanda. This study was conducted between October 2021 and July 2024. In this study, milk samples of 40 mothers were taken. And small amounts of uranium were found in all. In which the highest average level was found in Khagaria and the highest individual level was found in Katihar.
What does the study report say?
Talking to TV9 Bharatvarsh, Dr. Ashok Sharma, Professor of Biochemistry Department at Delhi AIIMS, said that breast milk samples of 40 mothers aged between 17 to 35 years were analyzed for the study. Uranium analysis was done at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Hajipur, Vaishali.
What harm can happen from uranium?
According to Ashok Sharma, if a child consumes milk containing uranium, many effects can be seen on his health. He says that children’s memory, IQ, physical development and kidneys can be affected. At the same time, if the level of uranium is found to be high, the risk of cancer may also increase. But the level in the current study report is so low that the danger from it is very less. That is why breastfeeding is the safest and best nutrition for children.
Very little chance of serious harm
However, according to this study report, the possibility of serious harm is very less. The reason for this is that most of the uranium is removed from the body through urine. According to the study, the levels found in milk are 0 to 5.25 micrograms/litre, which is quite low as per WHO standards. The WHO standard is 30 micrograms/litre, i.e. six times more than this. He said that there is no need for anyone to panic due to this study. Mothers should continue breastfeeding their children without any problem.
After all, what is this uranium?
Uranium is a natural radioactive element, found naturally in Earth’s soil, rocks and water. It is a heavy metal, which is mainly used in nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Dr. Sharma told that the Jal Shakti Mission of the Government of India is going on, the objective of which is to provide drinking water to every house so that clean drinking water is available to all the families. Which does not contain such heavy metals.
He said that this study not only makes people aware but also helps the government in making good policies. Although the government is working a lot on this. The Indian government is very sensitive towards this and is also doing a lot of work.
What is the way to escape?
Now regarding how we can avoid this, Dr. Sharma said that once it is found out that there is uranium in the groundwater, then stop drinking it and drink the healthy water provided by the government. Also maintain your hygiene and keep getting your health checkup done from time to time. What happens with this is that if a problem is detected early, it can be resolved quickly.