Chronic Kidney Disease in Sri Lanka

There is a mystery kidney disease that for years has been killing thousands of farmers in Sri Lanka's rice basket — and as it spreads, locals are becoming increasingly fearful. In 20 years the disease has killed up to 20,000 people and sickened up to 400,000 more; some villages report it causes as many as 10 deaths a month. As the disease progresses and kidneys fail, sufferers become unable to pass liquids on their own and are prohibited from drinking more than just a bottle of water a day — their extremities retain water and become fat with fluid. Its cause is not yet known, though there are long-held suspicions that agrochemicals are to blame, and Sri Lanka is lacking in the dialysis required to effectively treat the many sufferers.

Though no cases have been reported outside of the North Central province's dry zone, where farming was transformed in the 1960's and 70's following the introduction of modern techniques, the disease has slowly spread from two districts to seven. A report published by the World Health Organisation two years ago could not find a clear cause for the disease, though it pointed to cadmium, pesticides and other factors, such as arsenic, as possibilities.

This Workshop will bring together experts in order to discuss the growing problem and figure out possible avenues for finding solutions.