India, Feb. 1 -- Over a month after reports of rapid hair loss emerged from 15 villages of Buldhana district, a team of experts from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has identified selenium, a kind of heavy metal, in the blood and hair samples taken from the affected individuals. The findings are a result of an extensive investigation, which included sample collection and research conducted in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

HT has seen a copy of ICMR's report which will be submitted to Prataprao Jadhav, minister of state for AYUSH and MP from Buldhana, most likely today.

The malady, which surfaced in December 2024, first left medical professionals and scientists puzzled. ...