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Dropsy cases: Oil dealer hand suspected

LUCKNOW, FEB. 8 . The sporadic incidence of dropsy cases in the Rajajipuram colony of the State capital could possibly be the work of some unscrupulous oil dealer, an expert conducting a sample study of the mustard oil samples in the city here has indicated.

Industrial Toxicoloy Research Centre (ITRC) deputy director Mukul Das told UNI here that the Government had authorised the ITRC, governed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to conduct an analysis of the suspected samples which he had started receiving since yesterday.

``Though the truth as to how the dropsy cases were only localised to the Rajajipuram area of Lucknow would come out from the sample tests, so far we feel it could possibly be the work of some unscrupulous oil dealer who would have sold the adulterated oil in that area only,'' he said.

Dr Das said scientifically, the adulterated mustard oil could not have been produced this year and would only be the oil manufactured last year and the dealer possibly might be having some adulterated stock which he sold this year.

``We have no doubt about it as the mustard seeds mature in February while the Argemone mexicana (wild poppy variety) seeds used for adulteration mature in March-April. Therefore, the poppy seeds or its oil extracted last year must have been used in the adulterated oil which has led to the dropsy cases in town,'' he said.

The ITRC has started analysing the samples handed over to it by the Lucknow district administration using specially made kits called the `Argemone oil detection kit'.

Dr Das warned the people against using local methods of checking mustard oil adulteration through nitric acid because he claimed that nitric acid changes colour only with the immensely adulterated oil. ``However, even if Argemone mexicana seed oil is present even in traces in the mustard oil, within a week of its consumption a person would start showing symptoms of dropsy and such minute adulteration would not be detected through nitric acid,'' he said adding that the best remedy at the moment was to refrain from the use of mustard oil.

``We would be collecting samples from various places in Lucknow and would check for any adulteration,'' he said.

Dr Das said his team had also conducted a sample test for Argemone adulteration in mustard oil in July, 2002 after the outbreak of dropsy then in the Kannauj district of the State. ``However, out of the over 100 samples collected of loose oil then from in and around Lucknow, only one had showed Argemone adulteration but about 50 per cent samples then had showed the presence of `butter yellow' dye as adulterant used for yellow colour which is extremely harmful as it causes liver cancer.''

He said the tendency to mix Argemone oil in mustard oil was prevalent because of the former's cheap price and its availability. ``The Argemone plant grows wild in UP, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal and in particular on the whole Indo-Gangetic plain as it does not require any irrigation facility or manure. Though the plant has prickly leaves, on shaking the plant all the ripe poppy pods fall and are collected by the people.''

The ITRC scientist said the adulteration was done in two stages -- either at the seed stage (seeds of both mustard and poppy are mixed and their oil is extracted) or at the oil stage. The Argemone seeds are of similar colour as the mustard seeds but have no odour.

The dropsy symptoms are marked by nausea, breathlessness, oedema (swelling) in legs and red rashes over body. Further symptoms are vomitting, diarrhoea, fever and pronounced swelling in legs -- and if not treated could prove fatal.

Dr Das said the ITRC would try to bring out the results soon so that necessary preventive measures were adopted to stop the dropsy from spreading further in the state. UNI

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