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This article was originally published in MedBound Times. Read the original article.
By Vanshika Kalra
Bihar, November, 24, 2025: In a recent study published on November 21, 2025, was carried out by Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Patna, under the leadership of Dr Arun Kumar and Prof Ashok Ghosh, in collaboration with AIIMS, New Delhi, led by Dr Ashok Sharma from the department of biochemistry. In the study, researchers have collected breast milk samples across 6 districts of Bihar and found uranium contamination in every single breast milk sample. While the finding sounds alarming, the levels were below the permissible limits that are provided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO sets the guideline for uranium in drinking water at 30 µg/L. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) follows the same 30 µg/L limit for national drinking water standards.
The study was carried out between October 2021 and July 2024. In this study, researchers collected 5 mL breast milk samples from 40 lactating mothers aged 17 to 35 years across Bhojpur, Samastipur, Begusarai, Khagaria, Katihar, and Nalanda districts of Bihar.
Each participant provided written informed consent and was interviewed about breastfeeding duration and their child's growth and development.
The samples, collected in sterilized falcon tubes and kept at cool temperatures between 2°C and 6°C in a cool box. These were transported to Mahavir Cancer Sansthan & Research Centre (MCSRC) in Patna, Bihar for analysis. The uranium (U238) content was then measured using the Agilent 7850 LC-ICP-MS instrument at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Hajipur, Vaishali, Bihar.
The result of the study was astonishing, all 40 samples contained uranium 0 to 5.25 g/L.
The uranium concentrations varied significantly across districts:
Nalanda recorded the lowest mean concentration at 2.35 µg/L
Khagaria showed the highest mean at 4.035 µg/L
Katihar had the single highest individual reading at 5.25 µg/L
All detected levels in breast milk were well below this threshold.
However, here's the critical point: there is currently no specified permissible limit or benchmark for uranium concentration in breast milk itself, the study stated.
The study reveals that the uranium content in the breast milk was significantly high. It was found that 70% of the infant population had the potential to cause non-carcinogenic health effects based on hazard calculations.
Dr Ashok Sharma of AIIMS Delhi, a co-author of the study, told news agency ANI, "The study analysed breast milk from 40 lactating mothers and found uranium (U-238) in all samples. Although 70% of infants showed potential non-carcinogenic health risk, the overall uranium levels were below permissible limits and are expected to have minimal actual health impact on both mothers and infants."
The Katihar district samples showed particularly concerning levels, with the study noting that " it had hazardous levels of U238 in the breastmilk samples."
Uranium has a low affinity for milk components including lipids, proteins, and water. Instead, uranium binds to plasma proteins and preferentially accumulates in bones and kidneys due to its affinity for phosphates and carbonate groups.
The absence of specific transport mechanisms for uranium into breast milk, combined with its low affinity for milk components, results in relatively low uranium concentrations in breast milk compared to other tissues. Crucially, the primary route of uranium excretion is through urine, which further lowers the impact on the infant's body.
As the study states: “Uranium toxicity has the least impact on the exposed mother and their infants."
While the immediate risk appears minimal, the potential health effects of uranium exposure in infants cannot be entirely dismissed. The study outlines several concerning possibilities:
Kidney Damage: Uranium can cause nephrotoxicity and long term kidney damage.
Neurological Impact: Uranium can cause cognitive and behavioral problems and affect the neurological development of infacts.
Bone Accumulation: Uranium accumulates in bones and interferes with normal bone development and growth
Long-term Cancer Risk: it also increase the risk of getting cancer later in life
Immune System Disruption: Uranium can disrupt immune system development, making infants more vulnerable to infections and autoimmune conditions.
The study identifies two likely sources of uranium U238: contaminated drinking water and food crops cultivated in affected locations.
Bihar is not alone in facing this challenge. Elevated groundwater uranium levels have been reported in numerous states including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
A report by Duke University, USA, in association with the Central Ground Water Board (India) and State Ground Water departments confirmed that 151 districts in 18 states are partly affected by high concentrations of uranium in groundwater. The Indian Standard IS 10,500:2012 for Drinking Water specification has specified maximum acceptable limits for radioactive residues as alpha and beta emitters.
Recent studies on heavy metal contamination in Bihar have also reported arsenic, lead, and mercury poisoning in biological samples of the exposed population.
The study's authors conclude that uranium toxicity has "least impact on the exposed mother and their infants" given current concentration levels.
Despite these findings, the researchers deliver a clear and emphatic recommendation:
"It is recommended to emphasize that breastfeeding is the optimal method for infant nutrition, and its discontinuation should only occur based on clinical indication."
1. Kumar, Dr Arun & Agarwal, Radhika & Kumar, Kanhaiya & Kumar, Govind & Kumar, Shivam & Sharma, Megha & Pandey, Tejasvi & Ali, Mohammad & Abhinav, Dr & Kumar, Rajiv & Kumar, Dhruv & Gajbhiye, Rahul & Murti, Krishna & Dhingra, Sameer & Pothuraju, Naresh & Peraman, Ramalingam & Bishwapriya, Akhouri & Sharma, Ashok & Khandelwal, Chiranjiva & Ghosh, Ashok. (2025). Discovery of uranium content in breastmilk and assessment of associated health risks for mothers and infants in Bihar, India. Scientific Reports. 15. 10.1038/s41598-025-25307-7.
[VP]
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