‘Unseen threat’: Bihar confirms uranium exposure; Odisha faces unanswered questions

The recent revelation that measurable traces of uranium have been found in the breast milk of mothers in parts of Bihar has jolted public-health discourse across Eastern India. 

Given that uranium reserves, and by implication, uranium-bearing geology, are present in several districts of Odisha, experts have warned that similar environmental and public-health risks cannot be ruled out entirely.

Uranium in Soil, Rocks & Possibly Water

A landmark survey by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration & Research (AMD) in 2008 discovered uranium traces in multiple districts across Odisha- Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur.

Particularly in Sundergarh and Sambalpur, the survey identified uranium at 19 and 12 different locations respectively. Officials at the time had noted the 'possibility' that Odisha could emerge as a key uranium-bearing region after states such as Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Given this geologic background, experts say there exists a real possibility that uranium, naturally occurring in soil and rock, could leach into groundwater or be taken up by crops, especially in mineral-rich zones and in areas with mining or land-disturbance activity. 

What the Bihar Breast-Milk Study Implies

The recent breast-milk contamination study in Bihar showed that uranium ingested, likely via water and food, may be transferred, in trace-amounts, to infants via lactation. While the presence of uranium in breast milk does not automatically translate into disease, prolonged exposure, especially in early childhood, may pose risks to kidney function, bone development, or other long-term health outcomes.

Given that uranium in the environment does not respect administrative boundaries, but depends on geology, mining activity and water-use patterns, the same mechanisms of exposure that appear to operate in Bihar may well function in Odisha too, especially in uranium-bearing districts.

Why Odisha Could Be Vulnerable & What Remains Unknown

Widespread uranium-bearing geology: The 2008 survey demonstrated that uranium is not isolated to one or two pockets, at least eight districts, across the mineral belt of Odisha, show uranium presence.

Overlap with mining and mineral regions: Many of the uranium-bearing districts in Odisha also have a history of mining (iron ore, bauxite, other minerals) and land disturbance, which increases the risk of uranium mobilisation into water or soil, potentially contaminating water sources or agricultural produce.

Lack of biomonitoring data: Unlike the recent study in Bihar, there is, as yet, no known, publicly available, peer-reviewed study reporting uranium in breast milk (or other human biological samples) from Odisha. This gap means that while the risk is plausible, it remains unverified.

Changing land and water use patterns: As agriculture, irrigation, mining or industrial activities expand, there may be increased disturbance of soil/rock strata, which can accelerate leaching of uranium into groundwater. Without careful environmental and public-health surveillance, this may pose a rising risk.

Public-health experts argue that Odisha must treat the Bihar finding as a warning signal, not a cause for alarm, but a prompt for proactive action like testing groundwater, soil and locally grown food crops, especially in the eight uranium-bearing districts, for uranium and other heavy-metal/radio-nuclide contamination.

‘A Silent Threat to Society’

“The real danger of uranium lies in its silent nature. Common people may consume it unknowingly, without any immediate symptoms to alert them to the hidden risk. Uranium exposure is often invisible, colourless in water, tasteless in food and can quietly enter the body long before anyone realises if anything is wrong. Even at low levels, long-term and unknowing ingestion of uranium can be hazardous as it may affect bone health and kidneys. When uranium slowly permeates to groundwater or crops, it can disproportionately affect infants, pregnant women and rural families who mostly depend on local sources,” said Dr Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra, a Physicist.

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“Uranium exposure is an invisible, unseen threat to society,” Mohapatra told OTV.

Hence, collecting and analysing biological samples from residents of high-risk zones to assess actual exposure is also necessary.