A recent study by Lucknow′s Queen Mary Hospital, reported that pesticides in pregnant women′s milk had caused the death of roughly 111 babies in the Maharajganj area of Uttar Pradesh over the course of the previous 10 months.

The study involved 130 pregnant vegetarian and non-vegetarian women and the results were published in the journal of Environmental Research General.

According to the study, pesticide was found in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian pregnant women′s milk, but fewer pesticides were found in the milk of vegetarian pregnant women. The study concluded that, the pesticide in milk may be a result of chemical farming.

In the current scenario, green vegetables and other crops are treated with various pesticides and herbicides. Additionally, various vitamins and chemicals are being injected into animals, resulting in the presence of various pesticides in the milk being consumed by all and also in the non-vegetarian food. The amount of pesticides in the breast milk was almost half in vegetarian women compared to the non-vegetarian women. Consuming pesticide/chemical treated food products might result in the pesticides to enter the mother′s milk and then passed through to the newborn causing severe harm to the baby.

In the meantime, the district magistrate has established a three-person committee with the Chief Development Officer (CDO) as its chairman to investigate the causes of the surge in mortality rates. The Chief Divisional Officer (CDO), Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), and Chief Medical Superintendent will serve as the committee′s supervisors.

The committee will also evaluate the reason behind the increase in maternal and newborn mortality and also investigate the reason behind the deaths of new-borns.

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/pesticides-in-breast-milk-led-to-infant-mortality-study-474991)