Officials of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) and other teams which collected from the patients in Eluru Government General Hospital (GGH) found the presence of nickel and lead elements in the blood samples.
“Presence of lead and nickel chemicals in the blood may affect the neurological system. The chemicals will cause epilepsy, vomitings, breathing problem, temporary loss of memory, dizziness and other symptoms,” say the specialists.
“We noticed nickel and lead elements in the blood samples. A report would be submitted to the Centre. More investigations should be done to find out the reasons for the situation,” said an expert of AIIMS on Tuesday.
Experts from World Health Oranisation (WHO), National Institute of Virology (NIV), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), NIN and AIIMS camped in West Godavari.
The teams were visiting the affected areas in Eluru town and the Government General Hospital (GGH) and were investigating in different angles.
“We collected blood, smear, stool, urine and other samples from the patients and recorded their statements on the sufferings and symptoms. Samples are being sent to New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune and other places for thorough investigations,” said an NIN official.
Doctors treating the patients said all the victims were admitted with similar complaints and are suffering with common symptoms. But, the presence of the chemicals in the blood samples are very less as the patients are recovering fast. If the density of the toxins is high, it will affect the neurological system, said a Neuro Surgeon.
“We are trying to find out whether the chemicals were water or food borne. A documentation is being made based on the medical reports and the statements of the patients. An overall autopsy is being done to find out the reasons for the situation,” said a specialist who camped in Eluru.
The scientists and experts held series of meetings with the doctors and officials and explained their findings in the preliminary investigations.