Indian man Shankar Lal, President of Akhil Bhartiya Gau Sewa Singh, an outfit closely associated with right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), made sweeping assertions that cow dung and urine possesses extraordinary abilities to absorb harmful radiations, even nuclear radiations too.
A claim that was brushed off by various Indian scientists and researchers instantly. Lal counting upon the benefits of cow dung and urine stressed that if applied at the back of the mobile phone, it will reduce the emission of harmful rays from the electronic devices. A bizarre assertion created a frenzy on social media.
Shankar Lal, in his interview to Indian Express, was adamant to prove the utilities of cow’s waste material for human health. According to him the secret to his fitness at the age of 76, is that “We drink urine and have extracts from her dung,” which has kept him healthy.
Emissions from the digestive tracts of cows include methane and other greenhouse gases, but cows are not known to produce dung that can absorb radiation.
Adding that, “We make pregnant women eat cow dung and urine paste to ensure a normal delivery. We treat all deadly diseases with cow dung.” However, he insisted that the gobar (dung) and mutra (urine) should be of a desi cow, “not western monsters like Jersey or Holstein”. Their dung and milk, he claimed, “are nothing but poison”.
He disclosed that he applies fresh cow dung behind his cell phone to protect himself from harmful radioactive emissions from it. “If it can treat cancer, why can’t it save us from a phone’s microwaves?” Lal asked an intriguing question.
Several Indian scientists and researchers have expressed their bewilderment on Lal’s assertions and stated that cow dung may have antiseptic properties, can even be used for insulating house walls but cannot absorb nuclear radiations. Hence, such assertions are purely based on myths.
Virender S. Chauhan, former director of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology stated that “To prove any such theory, someone has to first experiment. Apply the dung to one sample of mobile phones and measure their emissions against phones that are not coated with dung,”
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Physicist Vikram Soni dismissing the claims explained that “Emissions from the digestive tracts of cows include methane and other greenhouse gases, but cows are not known to produce dung that can absorb radiation.” Adding that, its dung does not have the properties of absorbing radioactive rays.
Pakistan’s Minister for Environment Zartaj Gul Wazir shared the video on her social media account, and people had fits of laughter.
Finally the solution to a nuclear attack….by an Indian scientist.#NASA 🤪🙏✌️🙉🤣 pic.twitter.com/YXAMawtEvC
— Zartaj Gul Wazir (@zartajgulwazir) September 13, 2019
@NASA @NASA_Technology please clear your position on this matter as this Indian guy us saying there is research available from @NASA that if you put cow dung manure on your body one can protect itself from radioactive ☢️/radiation please clarify your position or take legal action
— Ammad noor (@AmmadNoor) September 13, 2019
Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow pic.twitter.com/7wIbVldbHR
— Shakeel Ahmad Bhatti (@SShakeel_Bhatti) September 13, 2019