Indian-origin women fed radioactive rotis, claims UK study; MP calls for probe

A United Kingdom Opposition Labour Party MP and shadow minister for women and equalities called for a probe into an old study conducted on Indian-origin women in the 1960s, where they were reportedly fed “radioactive rotis” to fight iron deficiency. The news first surfaced in a BBC report which claimed that during a 1969 research trial about the iron deficiency in the city's South Asian population, around 21 Indian-origin women were given bread containing Iron-59, an iron isotope. The researchers wanted to study the concerns over widespread anaemia among South Asian women and believed it was a cause of traditional South Asian diets. The council said the study proved that “Asian women should take extra iron because the iron in the flour was insoluble.” "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.