"Severe levels of selenium in ration shop wheat coming from Punjab, combined with low zinc in blood caused baldness in Buldhana'"

Selenium is a metalloid, meaning it has properties of both metals and non-metals, and is largely classified as a mineral essential for various bodily functions. However, both excessive consumption and deficiency can be harmful to the body.

The normal amount of selenium in wheat ranges from 0.1 to 1.9 mg/kg—the selenium level in unwashed ration shop wheat was 14.52 mg/kg, nearly 8 times higher than the maximum normal amount and 145 times higher than the minimum. In washed wheat, the selenium level was 13.61 mg/kg.

https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/punjab-wheat-maharashtra-woe-toxic-grain-causes-mass-baldness-in-buldhana-125022200527_1.html

In the early-2000s, people living in two districts of Punjab—Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr—experienced a similar pattern of sudden hair loss accompanied by other health issues. At the time, studies documented that selenium was transported through floodwaters from the Shivalik mountain range to many of the villages of these districts which were on the foothills, contaminating crops.

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