A Nature-published study has revealed a disturbing trend from Bihar: breastmilk samples of all 40 lactating mothers tested were found contaminated with uranium. The research, conducted between October 2021 and July 2024, covered six districts — Bhojpur, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Katihar and Nalanda.

Although the concentrations remained below WHO’s groundwater permissible limit of 30 µg/L, researchers described the finding as “high contamination” and warned that exposure could still pose neurological and developmental risks to infants.

What the Study Found

Breastmilk samples from women aged 17 to 35 were analysed, and every single sample contained uranium. Katihar recorded the highest concentration at 5.25 µg/L, followed by:

Samastipur

Nalanda

Khagaria

Begusarai

Bhojpur

Rese

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