UK Shocker: When Indian-origin women were given radioactive chapatis in the 1960s

The story of the British rule of India is one of inhumane exploitation and racial bias. They were kicked out in 1947, but the colonial mindset persisted. Britons are today debating a matter from the 1960s. A UK Opposition Labour Party member of Parliament and shadow minister for women and equalities has called for a statutory inquiry into medical research dating back to the 1960s that led to Indian-origin women being given chapatis containing radioactive isotopes to combat iron deficiency, reported PTI. Let’s take a closer look. Also read: Who Let the Dog Out? How Britain’s Rishi Sunak continues to break rules Study to check “widespread anaemia” Around 21 Indian-origin women identified through a general practitioner (GP) in the city were given bread containing Iron-59, an iron isotope, as part of a research trial in 1969 into iron deficiency in the city’s South Asian population. According to BBC, the women were seeking medical help from a city GP for minor ailments. Participants’ homes were sent chapatis containing Iron-59, an iron isotope with a gamma-beta emitter. In order to ascertain how much iron had been absorbed, their radiation levels were later evaluated at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell in Oxfordshire. The women didn’t speak much English. According to The Guardian, neither did they provide their informed consent nor were they aware that isotopes were being given to them. The study, which was led by Cardiff University’s Professor Peter Elwood and supported by the MRC, was initially investigated in the 1995 Channel 4 documentary Deadly Experiments, which prompted a probe by the MRC in 1998.

According to a report, the MRC claimed that the study showed “Asian women should take extra iron because the iron in the flour was insoluble.” According to the investigation, the risks to the health of the participants “were very low,” and their radiation exposure was comparable to “about an additional three months of background radiation (or) one chest X-ray taken at that time.” In a statement, the MRC stated that it was still dedicated to upholding the highest standards, including “commitment to engagement, openness, and transparency.” “The issues were considered following the broadcast of the documentary in 1995 and an independent inquiry was established at that time to examine the questions raised,” the statement said. According to the British outlet, the study was conducted because researchers were concerned about the high rate of anaemia among South Asian women and thought the problem might be related to traditional South Asian diets. Also read: Opponents and obstacles: The array of forces against India’s Independence struggle Call for an investigation Taiwo Owatemi, who is the MP for Coventry in the West Midlands region of England, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) recently that she is “deeply concerned” for the women and families impacted by the study. “My foremost concern is for the women and the families of those who were experimented on in this study,” said Owatemi.

“I will be calling for a debate on this as soon as possible after Parliament returns in September followed by a full Statutory Inquiry into how this was allowed to happen, and why the recommendation of the MRC (Medical Research Council) report to identify the women was never followed up so that they can share their stories, receive any support needed, and so that lessons are learnt,” she added. Zarah Sultana, the Coventry South MP, also supported Owatemi and called for an investigation into the incident. The Guardian quoted Sultana as saying, “I am shocked that this study was allowed to happen in the way that it did, and that in spite of it having been exposed decades ago, the South Asian community in Coventry has still not had a full explanation of what happened.” “I therefore support calls for a statutory inquiry into this study and the way these women were treated, ensuring that the community gets answers to what happened,” she added. Also read: Why India’s success shames the history of the West What’s the plan Owatemi said that she was collaborating with University of Warwick scholars who were looking for the research’s female participants. “Our plan is to try to identify the women and work with them to advise them about what happened and give them a voice,” a team representative stated, adding, “But we’re trying to design a research methodology to find them in a way that wouldn’t cause panic in the community.” “Academic practices are so different now and they are constantly being updated but unfortunately for these 21 women, it was a case that the consent probably wasn’t informed,” The Guardian quoted the representative as saying. The absence of follow-up morbidity studies on the participants to look for any long-term health impacts outraged Owatemi, who said that the women should be named so “they can share their stories, receive any support needed, and so that lessons are learned”. She said, “I will be calling for a debate on this as soon as possible after parliament returns in September followed by a full statutory inquiry into how this was allowed to happen.” With inputs from agencies