This Article is From Apr 09, 2009

Govt begins probe into Punjab Uranium poisoning case

Faridkot:

The government has deployed a three-member-team of scientists from the Department of Atomic Energy to unravel the baffling finding that about 150 mentally challenged children in Punjab have shown unusually high amounts of uranium in their hair samples.

 

The local authorities have also swung into action and have started taking blood samples of the children, seizing treatment records and issuing a show cause notice on whether the center had the requisite expertise to check for radioactivity.

 

Akriti Joshi is just one of 150 children in the centre alleged to be suffering from uranium poisoning.

 

"Till now the government has not done anything for us, hopefully the government will do now when and if Uranium is confirmed," sighed Manju Joshi, mother of Akriti Joshi.

 

Uranium poisoning is an allegation made by the Baba Farid Center, which is taking care of the children.

 

The allegation had the government rushing a team from the Department of Atomic Energy. The members of the team have taken hair samples to confirm or rule out the presence of Uranium in Faridkot.

 

However, even before the final results are out, the Atomic Energy is already saying uranium poisoning is highly unlikely, based on studies in the environment of Faridkot.

 

"My colleagues have just now measured the radiation level in this wheat field and we have found them well within the global or even the national average, nothing alarming seems to be there," said Dr S K Malhotra, scientist, Department of Atomic Energy, Mumbai.

 

Another point stated by the team of atomic scientists is that the children are not all from one place, but from across three states.

 

Earlier, a German lab Micro Trace that tested hair samples of the children revealed the presence of high traces of uranium surprising, as Punjab has no known sources of uranium. It linked the mentally challenged condition on the radioactive material.

 

"We tested 149 children for hair sample and in this hair sample we found very high level of uranium which is of dangerous level," revealed Dr. Hareesh Babu, Naturopath, Baba Farid Center for Special Children, Faridkot.

 

The government's atomic team says that its final report will only be ready in three months. The German lab is also gearing up to rebut this claim. Caught in the middle are worried parents left searching for answers.

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