Special research for kidney ailment

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, yesterday stated that the government was conducting a special research with the World Health Organization to find out the cause of kidney diseases in the Rajarata area.

He also stated that the government had not given up its responsibility in finding solutions to this problem. He was responding to a special statement made by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament.

He also stated that several canoes have been forwarded as the reasons for this ailment, such as cadmium and algae. But now, some say the root cause of the disease is Arsenic contained in Agrochemicals. But the universities have not been able to say exactly that this was the reason for the disease.

Agrochemicals contain arsenic only in permissible levels. He added that water and chocolate too contain Arsenic in permissible levels.

He also said that the relevant sections have not come to an agreement to do the double blind test to finalize the root cause of this disease.