After over 200 villagers suffered severe hair loss, fresh cases of nail deformities have now emerged in at least 29 people across four villages.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00First, they lost their hair, now their nails are falling off.
00:03What is happening in this Maharashtra village?
00:05The hair fall crisis in Maharashtra's Bulldhana district, which had affected over 200 villagers,
00:11saw fresh cases of nail loss in at least 29 people across 4 villages in April 2025.
00:17The district health department of Maharashtra's Bulldhana identified 37 patients suffering from nail deformities.
00:23These were the same patients from 15 villages of Shegaon Taluka in the district
00:28who experienced severe hair loss in December 2024.
00:35In April 2025, following the emergence of these fresh cases,
00:39a team of health officials visited the village and probed the matter.
00:43The patients were given primary treatment and their blood samples were taken for further examination.
00:49In December 2024, after numerous residents of Shegaon Taluka reported hair loss,
01:00a study by Padma Shri Dr. Himmat Rao Bhavaskar linked the condition to toxic elements found in wheat
01:06that the villagers had been consuming since a long time.
01:08Dr. Bhavaskar's Mantlog study found out that the wheat distributed under the Public Distribution System or the PDS
01:14contained high levels of selenium while its zinc content was significantly low.
01:20The wheat samples were sent to Thane's Vaini analytical lab,
01:23which detected selenium levels of 14.52 mg per kg significantly higher than the normal 1.9 mg per kg.
01:31It was also noted that all these wheat consignments originated from Punjab and Haryana itself.
01:37Selenium is a mineral found in soil, water and some foods.
01:41Selenium toxicity, also known as selenosis, is a rare diagnosis that occurs when the body receives too much selenium.
01:48Symptoms of selenosis mainly include gastrointestinal disturbances like nausea and diarrhea,
01:54as well as effects on hair, nail and skin.
01:57As of 18 April 2025, District Epidemic Medical Officer Dr. Prashant Tangadeh stated
02:03that although the exact cause is yet to be confirmed,
02:06the condition may be linked to excessive selenium exposure affecting both hair and nail health.
02:12Selenium toxicity is the best thing to do is that it is a reversible process.
02:18As you can see, those who have lost their hair, their new hair are still growing.
02:23those who have lost her hair