Patna, April 27: The findings of an independent survey have cautioned about the sword of chemical poisoning hanging over the state’s agricultural produce.

The department of environment and water management (EWM) of AN College is conducting a research on arsenic toxicity in the food chain of the arsenic fluvial planes (river planes) of Bihar. Over 300 edible plant samples and over 30,000 water samples were collected from various arsenic-affected districts of Bihar, especially from those along the Ganga river belt — Bhojpur, Bhagalpur, Vaishali, Samastipur and Patna. The results were shocking.

“Till date, five commonly grown varieties of rice in Bihar — Pankaj, PNR 381, Turantha, Sonam and Sarna — have proved to be good absorbers of arsenic. Other edible crops, including tomato, maize, wheat, spinach and sugarcane, have also indicated presence of arsenic but all these crops await final confirmatory testing for arsenic presence,” said Nupur Bose, the principal of investigator of the said research.

Arsenic, in general, can cause several health hazards, including dermatogical, respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic, neurological, haematological, renal, mutagenesis, reproductive and mental health disorders.

“Arsenic is also referred to as slow poison. The effect of arsenic is noticeable after its continuous intake for five to seven years. There is no cure for arsenic once its effects become visible on human body. The initial symptoms include skin lesions developing into keratosis and pigmentation and it can even lead to cancer in acute cases. The entry of arsenic in food chain is a serious issue, as it leads to increase in disease burden being already present in ground water. Thereafter, it reaches the top layer of soil and finally, this research would prove its uptake by plants and animals in the affected regions,” said Dr Ashok Ghosh, head of EWM.

Some good news from this research is also in the offing. Up to now, Saroj and Sugandha, two widely grown varieties of rice in rural Bihar, have shown arsenic uptake but resistance to arsenic toxicity as well. This means that although these food crops absorb arsenic through their roots but their grains have not shown presence of arsenic.