Amaravati: A high-level committee formed to unravel the facts into the state-level sensational Eluru mystery disease case has opined that people were victims of consuming contaminated vegetables.
It also confirmed that drinking water did not cause ill health among the victims, although, the committee has recommended conducting regular tests on drinking waters is must in both Godavari districts for some time.
The committee has strongly felt that the consumption of polluted vegetables might have caused ill health among people. Victims were found at various places as they consumed the polluted vegetables supplied to different markets from Eluru market. The committee through its study has confirmed that drinking water with pollutants within the limits did not cause the health hazard, albeit, the committee recommending for continuous test samples of drinking waters in both East and West Godavari districts for some time.
Other recommendations the committee made included ensuring that the dirty waters after servicing the cars and other vehicles should not flow into Eluru canal and the agriculture department should ensure to prevent the prohibited chemicals from joining the farm fields.
It recommended setting up labs in Tirupati, Guntur and Visakha districts to conduct test samples of food and water on a regular basis to ascertain if any pollutants available like Organo-Phosphates and Organo-Chlorides.
In the incident that created a sensation in Eluru of West Godavari district as many as 622 people became victims reportedly to a mysterious disease from Dec 4 to 12.
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They were treated in district and Vijayawada hospitals after becoming unconscious by developing a variety of symptoms like fainting, vomiting, froth and foam from mouths, motions, fever, headache and others.
On this mysterious disease a committee of some institutes of the centre and the state governments was formed. They conducted tests by taking samples of food, water, vegetables, fruits, fish, milk and groundwater.
They announced results after studying the samples from the victims including blood, urine, stools, vomiting spinal liquid and others. The high level committee comprising 21 experts, have consolidated the tests by taking opinions from victims, their health, conditions of their surroundings has prepared the report. It is fine-tuning the report to be submitted to the government.
The experts felt that the mysterious disease might have been caused due to three reasons like infections, biological problems and spurious chemicals.
Infections are not among all the victims. If infections are the reason many more people would have become victims and died and that was not the case.
Biological problems were not there among all. If biological problems were the reason the results of the tests would have been unprecedented. And that was not found. Spurious chemicals are of two types – heavy metals and pesticides. Though heavy metals were found in the blood samples of the victims, which was a coincidence, they were within the limits. And the victims would not have recovered within 3-4 hours.
Pesticides - One among organo phosphates and organo chlorides in the pesticides led to the disease the experts felt. They found organo phosphates among the blood samples and water.
However if that was the reason for the disease, there were no symptoms among some of the victims like cough, breathing problem, motions, Sight-shortness. So organo phosphates might not cause it.
The committee found some residues of “Metribuzin” a chemical used to grow vegetables like Tomatoes and Brinjals after testing the samples collected from the homes of victims.
If the chemical was used during their cultivation the problem was found in Eluru only and not elsewhere. The vegetables on reaching Eluru market were found polluted.
However, agriculture officials clarified that “Metribuzin” use was very less and also organo chemicals were not in use for quite a long time. They did not find any such chemicals in the water which has Rhizopus (organophosphates) within the given limits.
The high-level committee recommended to the government to conduct a long term and short term plan to prevent recurrence of such diseases and their possible spread in future. State-level water tests need to be conducted, the committee said. It asked for a thorough cleansing of the Eluru Canal, collecting drinking water samples, and tests across the state to find if organophosphates of organochlorides are present.
The committee asked the agriculture department to prevent garbage and wastage flowing into groundwater and test the quality of pesticides used for crops.
The committee recommended the government for long term action through an impeccable plan.
It instructed to conduct tests of water, air, food, vegetables and food, heavy metals in water through AIIMS, IICT, NEERI, PCB in both Godavari districts. It recommended for the reduction of pesticides in aquaculture, set up state-level labs in Visakha, Guntur and Tirupati cities, conduct tests of food, water for organophosphates and chlorides.
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