Pregnant women eating baked clay
could be exposing themselves and
their unborn child to toxic chemicals,
according to research by De Montfort
University (DMU) in Leicester, UK.
“Geophagy has been in
existence in virtually all
societies since ancient times
and is still prevalent in many
parts of the world and the
availability of sikor in the UK
shows that pregnant women
are still taking part in the
practice.”
The practice of eating clay, known as
geophagy, is an ancient tradition that
is widespread in many parts of the
world, particularly Africa and parts of
Asia, such as India and Bangladesh.
The clay, known as sikor, can be
purchased in the UK and is thought
to be used for medicinal and
nutritional purposes, especially by
pregnant women, who may have
certain mineral deficiencies.
Dr Parvez Haris, head of the
Biomedical and Environmental Health
group at DMU, and his team collected
sikor samples from ethnic shops in
three different UK cities.
Tests revealed the sikor, imported
from Bangladesh, contained high
levels of toxic elements, such as
arsenic, cadmium and lead, which
can cause cancer, kidney damage
and brain damage. Exposure to lead can also result in
premature delivery, stillbirth and
miscarriage.
They also calculated that a modest
consumption of 50g sikor per day
can result in exposure of three to six
times the tolerable daily intake for
arsenic and lead.
It is thought some people consume
as much as 500g per day.
In parts of the world were geophagy
is common, some women are also
exposed to arsenic through
contaminated drinking water, which
further increases the risk of health
problems.
Dr Haris said: "Geophagy has been in
existence in virtually all societies
since ancient times and is still
prevalent in many parts of the world
and the availability of sikor in the UK
shows that pregnant women are still
taking part in the practice.
"Tests on the sikor from Bangladesh
reveal that it contains a cocktail of
toxic chemicals that are known to be
harmful to humans. This is hugely
worrying not only for pregnant
women in the UK consuming the
material, but for women in India and
Bangladesh who may be drinking
arsenic contaminated water as well.
"It is vital the composition of
geophagy substances are thoroughly
characterised to safeguard health and
well-being of the consumers. Clay
used to make sikor may be derived
from polluted areas, containing
bacteria and highly toxic chemicals
which may further damage the health
of a mother and her child."
SOURCE De Montfort University