300 Villagers in Maharashtra Lose Hair Overnight: Did Toxic Wheat Cause This Sudden Baldness? Media Reports Raise Concerns
300 Villagers in Maharashtra Lose Hair Overnight: Images - The Better India and India Today
A strange health crisis has left villagers in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district alarmed, as hundreds reportedly experienced sudden hair loss, skin rashes, and brittle nails. According to multiple media reports, the cause may be linked to toxic wheat distributed through the Public Distribution System (PDS), but there is no official confirmation yet.
What Media Reports Are Saying
A report by India Today states that around 300 individuals across 18 villages in Buldhana suffered from rapid hair loss between December 2024 and January 2025. Many became completely bald within days, leading to widespread concern in the region.
Padma Shri awardee Dr. Himmatrao Bawaskar conducted an independent study and reportedly found that wheat sourced from Punjab and distributed via PDS contained selenium levels 600 times higher than normal. The Better India reported that Dr. Bawaskar spent ₹92,000 from his own pocket to analyze blood, urine, hair, and food samples. His tests suggested excessive selenium intake as the likely cause of the villagers’ symptoms.
ICMR and Government Response
According to India Today, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) collected samples from the affected region and found high selenium levels in the blood of villagers. However, the report also notes that the ICMR has not yet publicly disclosed its full findings. The government has launched an inquiry, but there is no official confirmation linking the hair loss outbreak directly to wheat contamination.
Unanswered Questions on Food Safety
While affected villagers reportedly saw improvements after stopping wheat consumption, this incident has raised serious concerns about food safety in India’s ration distribution system. The Better India questions whether stricter quality checks should be implemented to prevent such occurrences.
Some experts believe that AI-powered food monitoring technology—like the devices used by the startup O Yatra to check midday meals in government schools—could be used to ensure better quality control in PDS supplies.
For now, media reports highlight selenium toxicity as a possible cause, but without an official statement from health authorities, the exact reason behind this unusual outbreak remains uncertain.
