FSSAI Demands Immediate Report from Andhra Government Over Milk Contamination Tragedy
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has formally requested a comprehensive report from the Andhra Pradesh state government and is actively monitoring the alarming situation involving alleged adulterated milk that has resulted in multiple fatalities and hospitalizations in East Godavari district. This development follows official sources confirming that four individuals have tragically lost their lives while approximately fifteen others required urgent medical attention after consuming contaminated milk products in Rajamundry.
Investigation Uncovers Critical Details About Contaminated Milk Distribution
Authorities have clarified that preliminary laboratory testing has not detected any traces of urea in the suspected milk samples connected to this devastating incident. However, initial epidemiological assessments have strongly identified milk consumption as the probable trigger for the sudden kidney complications reported among affected residents. In response to these findings, law enforcement officials have taken decisive action by apprehending a milk vendor from Narasapuram village in Korukonda mandal and seizing his unauthorized dairy operation as part of the ongoing criminal investigation.
Extensive sample collection efforts have been implemented, with officials gathering specimens from seventy-five of the one hundred five families supplied by the detained vendor. These samples are currently undergoing rigorous laboratory analysis to determine the precise chemical or biological agents responsible for the suspected illnesses. The district administration has mobilized rapid response teams comprising surveillance officers, medical specialists, microbiologists, and nephrologists to address the public health emergency in affected communities.
Massive Surveillance Operation and Medical Screening Conducted
Fourteen dedicated field surveillance teams have conducted thorough visits to nearly six hundred eighty households, screening approximately nine hundred sixty families throughout the region. This extensive operation has identified more than two hundred ninety individuals from one hundred ten families who required medical evaluation, with authorities collecting three hundred fifteen blood samples for comprehensive testing. District Collector Keerthi Chekuri confirmed that among these samples, three hundred thirteen displayed normal results while two showed elevated levels of urea and creatinine, indicating potential kidney impairment.
The Animal Husbandry Department has established a specialized team of four veterinary doctors who collected forty-one milk samples along with cattle feed and water specimens. These critical samples have been dispatched to the Veterinary Biological Research Institute for detailed forensic analysis to identify potential contamination sources within the dairy supply chain.
Chemical Coolant Leak Emerges as Potential Contamination Source
District Superintendent of Police provided crucial investigative details indicating that the vendor stored milk at his residential premises using a freezer containing two separate containers. The vendor reportedly filled six distribution cans from storage tanks, with some containers holding freshly collected milk while others contained stored product. Authorities now suspect that one contaminated can may have been distributed to households where the fatal incidents occurred.
Police investigators have revealed that a chemical coolant leak from the vendor's freezer equipment may have directly caused the four tragic fatalities. This theory suggests that refrigeration chemicals potentially infiltrated the milk supply during storage, creating a toxic mixture that led to severe health consequences for consumers.
District Collector Chekuri emphasized that with all relevant government departments implementing coordinated response measures, the immediate crisis situation is currently under control. The comprehensive investigation continues as authorities work to establish definitive causation and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
