Peer-reviewed studies from several Indian states have detected traces of chemical pesticides in breast-milk samples, underscoring a public-health concern that demands urgent attention in Jammu and Kashmir as well. In Kolkata and Nadia, research published in Environmental Pollution reported the presence of organochlorine pesticides, pyrethroids and related chemicals, with higher average concentrations of most substances in Kolkata. In Assam's Dibrugarh and Nagaon, a study in Science of the Total Environment found residues of DDT and HCH, while another investigation in the same journal documented β-HCH, DDT, DDE, endrin, endosulfan, cypermethrin and chlorpyrifos in breast milk from Punjab. A 2018 study in Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology detected persistent organic pollutants including DDT and HCH in samples from Bathinda and Ludhiana, and a pilot study in Haryana found p,p'-DDT in 4% and p,p'-DDE in 5% of the samples tested.

 

These findings, however, are based on selected samples collected under different research conditions and do not represent every mother or infant in these regions, nor do they establish a nationwide estimate. Yet they point to a larger, unsettling reality: persistent pesticides continue to linger in the environment and move through the food chain, reaching even the most vulnerable. For a region like Jammu and Kashmir, where women work extensively in orchards and fields alongside male family members—often more than men in parts of Jammu province—the absence of similar studies is a glaring gap.

 

Jammu and Kashmir's orchardists and farmers are documented for very high use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides. Official agriculture data indicate that the Union Territory uses around 3.69 kg of chemical pesticides per hectare, far above the roughly 0.62 kg per hectare in Punjab and Haryana, about 0.50 kg in Himachal Pradesh and approximately 0.22–0.29 kg as the national average. Research linked to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) has estimated that Kashmir's orchards receive about 7,750 metric tonnes of fungicides and 3,186 metric tonnes of insecticides annually, with farmers often exceeding recommended spray schedules.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelApproximately 70% of chemical pesticides applied during sprays go to waste, remaining in air and soil or leaching into groundwater and flowing into lakes and rivers. Farmers, their family members and people living near orchards are thus prone to exposure through air and water.

 

It becomes imperative, therefore, to conduct a study in Jammu and Kashmir to check chemical pesticide residues in the breast milk of lactating mothers who work in orchards and fields. Such research would not only fill a critical knowledge gap but also inform public-health policy, occupational safety guidelines and environmental regulation in a region where agriculture and horticulture are lifelines for countless households. The evidence collected from a few states of India highlights the need for stronger pesticide monitoring, safer farming practices, regular testing of food, water, soil and human samples, greater use of integrated pest management and strict enforcement of pesticide regulations.

 

Breastfeeding should not be stopped because of these reports without medical advice. The best course is that pregnant women and lactating mothers be strictly advised not to work in agricultural fields and orchards where the usage of agrochemicals is high, while authorities accelerate efforts to reduce hazardous pesticide use and promote residue-free food. The larger concern of environment experts is the continued presence of persistent pesticides in the environment and food chain—a slow poison that demands immediate action, not just committees.

 

 

Anuj Kumar Verma is an environmental advocate and policy writer based in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. His work focuses on pesticide overuse, food safety, pollution and sustainable agriculture in the Himalayan region. Email: verma.anujjk@gmail.com