CKDU-What needs to be done
Posted on September 28th, 2014
R.M. GAMINI RAJAPAKSE [B.Sc. Hon. (Peradeniya), Ph.D. and D.I.C.
The Editor of “The ISLAND” Newspaper,
I have studied over 300 journal articles and WHO reports pertinent to Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Aetiology (CKDU) prevailing in Sri Lanka, and together with my opinions and studies, I prepared a detailed presentation on “CKDU REVISITED”, which I presented as Invited Lectures at our Medical Faculty (University of Peradeniya), Science Faculty (University of Peradeniya), Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS), Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnolgy (SLINTEC), Annual Sessions of the Soil Science Society (SRICANSOL), University of Peradeniya Senate (Open to
Public) and the last one last Thursday at the SLASS Auditorium (Jointly Organized by the SLASS and NASSL, Open to Public). Assistant Secretary to His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka and his team were also present at the SLASS for this lecture. This Assistant Secretary is an Eminent Science Graduate with Postgraduate Qualifications in several disciplines. We had a follow up chat in which he requested me to send my presentation. Thus, the presentation is in the Presidential Secretariat now to realize true science as opposed to frauds and nonscience.
With the Patronages of our Vice-Chancellor, University of Peradeniya (Professor Atula Senaratne) and Dean, Faculty of Medicine (Professor M.D. Lamawansa), we have formed “The CKDU Centre of University of Peradeniya”, at the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, where the working team is comprised of Nephrologists, Pathologists, Distinguished General Practitioners, Sociologists, Chemists, Geologists, Experts in Crop Science, Statisticians, Veterinary Scientists, Allied Health Scientists, Dental Scientists and others. This CKDU is a multidisciplinary problem that requires input from all these angles to identify its root causes (multi-causative disease) and to find ways and means to eradicate it. We are nearly there now, but, of course, it is as of now, too premature to come to concrete conclusions.
Meantime, we have organized a musical show for November 01st night at Dharmajara Auditorium where the singers are patients who have undergone kidney transplants, 10 of them selected from 100 of kidney transplanted individuals including Master Ananda Perera, Raju Bandara and Bandara Athauda. Honourable Minister of Health is the Chief Guest of the occasion. The collection will be used to improve Kandy Hospital’s Nephrology Unit; surprisingly the unit has only 30 Dialysis Machines for each patients to dialyze 4 hours per session 3 times a week! There are over 60,000 CKDU patients. To further strengthen this unit, I have contacted my expatriate students abroad who are now Professors of almost all US Universities and some others are holding key positions in US Industries. They are willing to help us to improve this Nephrology Unit and the fund raising will be done properly through the University’s Accounts Section.
We can easily disprove the so called “Glyphosate Hypothesis” and we have done so. Based on this unproven hypothesis, which can be proven wrong, the safest weed killer called Roundup (Active Ingredient is
Glyphosate) has been banned. This act will result in 40% reduction in rice yield (according to experts of our Agriculture Faculty and also those of the Agriculture Department) and the poor farmers will definitely fall from pot to fire and the reduced rice production will lead to starvation in the near future. Banning glyphosate will not solve the problem of CKDU in whatever the way, since glyphosate has NOTHING to do with CKDU. This banning is promoted by a group of people who have some hidden agendas. We, as scientists, are totally against fooling scientifically illiterate farmers who produce our staple food.
As such, we, the members of the academic staff of the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya, discussed this very important National Issue and sent an Open Letter to His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka explaining the gravity of the problem. We have attached this letter for your reference and for further actions please. We hope that you would publish it in your Newspaper; the newspaper popular among our academic community also.
I have another article explaining why the banning of glyphosate will not help solve the problem of CKDU, which I will send to you in due course.
Best Regards!
R.M. GAMINI RAJAPAKSE [B.Sc. Hon. (Peradeniya), Ph.D. and D.I.C.
(Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of London), C.Chem, FNASSL] Senior Professor in Chemistry, Coordinator, M.Sc. Programme in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Department of Chemistry, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya 20400 Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Engineering and Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, Japan.
September 28th, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Looks like an advert on Glyphosate. If the problem is not agrochemicals or glyphosate, then what it is?. Please explain with facts and figures here so that we all can read. Anything even remotely connected with CKDu should be banned. It does not matter what the economic consequences are; people’s lives are more important. You scientists are there to talk about the safety aspects and ensure that first, economic matters second. Do not keep arguing until the whole farmer community is wiped out.
Today I received an email from a Professor who was connected with agriculture in SL and now employed overseas with the announcement of the development of a water purifying equipment that has been used to remove the heavy metals from the drinking water of Rajarata people. According to him it has been tested on affected areas and has been successful in reduced the heavy metal content in their blood. It seems it has already been patented in SL. If it is correct we will make arrangements to manufacture this inexpensive device in large scale and distribute on a non profit making basis among the NCP people.
September 29th, 2014 at 12:30 am
Funny thing is these various scientist are out there suddenly not to save lives but to disprove the so called “Glyphosate Hypothesis”.
September 29th, 2014 at 2:10 am
CKDu is not somebody’s dream or a fiction. It is real and people are dying.
Just like Lanka Web declare a disclaimer at the end of every article published here, those experts writing for or against the actions of the GOSL or the officials writing on behalf of authorities should declare that they are not benefiting in anyway from research work or papers being written on this subject. There had been allegation that some of these experts children are studying in universities of the countries selling these chemicals at the expense of companies marketing them.