Heavy metal content in water caused mysterious disease in AP

Eluru:  Lead and nickel content in drinking water and milk was primarily established as the root cause of the mysterious disease in Eluru city of Andhra Pradesh, which so far claimed one life and left over 500 people sick.
Based on the preliminary findings of the expert teams from AIIMS and other state and central institutions, health officials presented a report to Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy here on Tuesday.
A CMO release said lead and nickel were found to be the causative agents for the mysterious disease, citing a report prepared by the AIIMS experts.
The disease saw people suddenly falling unconscious after suffering from fits and nausea since Saturday night.
The symptoms, according to GGH doctors, included a bout of epilepsy for 3-5 minutes, memory loss for a few minutes, anxiety, vomiting, headache and back pain.
“More tests are being conducted by Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and other institutes and the results are expected soon.