At least 300 residents in about 15 villages in Maharashtra’s Buldhana district recently experienced sudden and severe hair loss that has been linked to high levels of selenium, along with low levels of zinc, in their blood, The Times of India reported on Friday.

Jalna-based physician Himmatrao Bawaska, known for his research on scorpion bites, conducted a month-long investigation into the mass hair loss and told The Times of India that it could be attributed to wheat sourced from the public distribution system.

“We took wheat samples from the sarpanch of Bhongaon village,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “He became bald like the others in the village.”

Bawaska said that his team took blood and wheat samples from six residents in the affected villages, finding high levels of selenium and low levels of zinc in both for all subjects.

Reports had begun emerging in January about several residents experiencing inexplicable hair loss in several villages in Buldhana. The condition has since stopped and several of those affected have regained their hair as the roots were not affected, The Times of India reported.

The Indian Council of Medical Research and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi has collected blood samples from some affected residents. The Times of India quoted unidentified officials as saying that their investigation reports have been submitted to the health ministry.

Unidentified Indian Council of Medical Research officials also noted that wheat from the public distribution system could be a potential source of high blood selenium, according to the newspaper.

In January, The Hindu quoted unidentified officials from the Indian Council of Medical Research as saying that the scientific term for the condition was anagen effluvium, a type of hair loss that occurrs when hair in the growth phase is damaged.

Selenium is an essential trace element in the blood that helps with antioxidant defence, cardiovascular function and other metabolic processes. However, higher or lower than usual levels of selenium can harm the body.

Zinc, a nutrient found in the body, helps the immune system and metabolism function. It also supports hair growth.

Bawaska said that the normal amount of selenium in wheat ranges from 0.1 to 1.9 mg/kg. However, the selenium recorded in the unwashed wheat samples collected from the affected villages was around 14.52 mg/kg. The selenium levels in washed wheat sample was found to be around 13.61 mg/kg, the physician said.

“We checked the gunny bags in ration shops and found out that they have come from Punjab,” The Times of India quoted Bawaska as saying.