GROUNDWATER URANIUM NEEDS URGENT MITIGATION

A multi-agency study by Indian researchers published in Nature has found high levels of radioactive uranium-238 in breast-milk samples in Bihar. This alarming finding comes on the heels of earlier studies that found high levels of uranium concentrations in groundwater and soil in 151 districts across India. The recent study was conducted on samples from 40 lactating women from six Bihar districts. It found that all the samples had significant uranium-238 traces ranging up to 6 micrograms per litre. Unfortunately, while the World Health Organization has set 30 ug/L as the permissible limit for uranium in drinking water, there is no such safe limit specified for breast-milk, the primary source of nourishment for newborns that provides essential nutrients and antibodies to support their growth.

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The earlier study had found high uranium concentrations in groundwater across 18 states—a serious concern considering the overdependence on groundwater for drinking and irrigation purposes, rendering the exposed populations including infants vulnerable to severe health implications.