Visakhapatnam: Milk drawn from affected cattle is unsafe said Veterinarians

Visakhapatnam: After four days of the vapour leak from LG Polymers, Animal Husbandry Department officials have cautioned the locals not to consume milk from the cattle affected by styrene inhalation in all the five villages surrounding the plant.

On May 7, the incident claimed 12 lives and impacted hundreds of people. As many as 25 head of cattle, a number of poultry birds, stray dogs and reptiles died.  Vasu PotnuruClose to 25 special teams from the Animal Husbandry Department have been deployed to save the life of the livestock. At present, 252 cows and buffaloes are getting treated by an army of veterinary doctors.

Referring to the incident, Joint Director of the Animal Husbandry Department D Rama Krishna told The Hans India that styrene leakage is first-of-its-kind incident in the country. "That's the very reason why we have collected the samples of the livestock's blood and milk for testing in the lab.

However, to be on safe side, we have already directed the farmers to dump the milk drawn from the cattle for a month," said Rama Krishna. Since there is a possibility of fodder and water getting contaminated due to styrene leak, the officials asked the farmers not to feed the cattle with the leftover fodder. "The supply of fodder and water will be taken care by the department," said the officials.

Five teams continue to monitor the cattle that are in critical condition. In a step to help the cattle recover fast, vitamin supplements and saline are being administered to the cattle in the villages – RR Venkatapuram, Nandamuri Nagar, Kamparapalem, Padmanabha Nagar, and SC/BC Colony.

After inhaling the toxic vapour on the fateful day, most of the farm animals in all the five villages stopped consuming food. "This apart, they are also suffering from skin allergies, respiratory problems, cataract eye and dullness," explains L. Ganesh Naidu, a veterinary doctor.

Keeping this in view, Animal Husbandry Department officials mention that the milk in the adjoining villages of the plant is unsafe for consumption for a period of 30 days.