Palanpur, Aug 5 (PTI) Three members of a family in Gujarat's Banaskantha district died in the span of two weeks due to `epidemic dropsy', a rare disease caused by the consumption of adulterated mustard oil, an official said on Thursday.
Seven members of Paliwal family in Kundi village fell sick after eating a dish cooked in locally milled mustard oil, said Epidemic Officer N K Garg.
While four of them recovered following treatment, Chhaganbhai Paliwal (52), his son Navin (24) and daughter Daksha (18) died between July 22 and August 5, he said.
"An analysis of the food they had eaten revealed that they died due to a disease called epidemic dropsy, caused by the consumption of mustard oil contaminated with argemone oil. It was not a deliberate adulteration by any seller, as the family used to procure mustard seeds in the village itself and get oil extracted from a local mill," Garg said.
Farmers sometimes pick argemone plants by mistake along with mustard, and seeds of the two plants get mixed, he said.
"We have already launched a campaign to make farmers aware of this danger. We have distributed two lakh pamphlets in villages," Garg said.
