Bangladesh, arsenic contaminated water

Martin M, Violante A, Barberis E (2007a) Fate of arsenite and arsenate in flooded and not flooded soils of South West Bangladesh irrigated with arsenic contaminated water. J Environ Sci Health, Part A 42 1775-1783 Martin M, Violante A, Barberis E (2007b) Comparing surface interaction of arsenite and arsenate on soil colloids I Adsorption. Soil Sci Soc Am J (submitted)... 

It was subsequently discovered that many of these wells have high levels of arsenic in the water. It is estimated that 75 million people in Bangladesh are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water and that will result in 200,000 to 270,000 deaths from cancer each year. In addition, people suffer from skin changes on the palms of hands and soles of feet (for additional information see presentation). 

In Bangladesh in 1998, a case of chronic poisoning from an arsenic-contaminated water supply gained worldwide attention (see Box 2). 

Severe water problems are also faced in southeast Asia. For example, Bangladesh and adjacent parts of India suffer from arsenic contamination of groundwater. Specifically, arsenic poisoning of groundwater has affected more than 50% of the total area of Bangladesh. The gradual introduction of arsenic inyo the food chain is more than a possibility. Nitrate pollution is also a problem in these areas. 

Alam, M.B. and Sattar, M.A. (2000) Assessment of arsenic contamination in soils and waters in some areas of Bangladesh. Water Science and Technology, 42(7-8), 185-92. 

Yokota, H., Tanabe, K., Sezaki, M. et al. (2001) Arsenic contamination of ground and pond water and water purification system using pond water in Bangladesh. Engineering Geology, 60(1-4), 323-31. 

N/ Groundwater, drinking water, or porewaters Abundant literature exists on arsenic contamination problems in some countries (e.g. Bangladesh). In such cases, the tables in this appendix simply list a few of the more recent key references, which provide overall and concise summaries of the problems. For other regions and countries (e.g. Laos), arsenic contamination has been identified as a significant problem, but further details are not readily available. In these situations, the reference(s) with the limited information is listed. No public information is readily available on arsenic contamination in North Korea, many of the republics of the former Soviet Union, and... 

S. Murcott, Appropriate remediation technologies for arsenic-contaminated wells in Bangladesh, in Proc. Int. Conf. Arsenic in Ground Water in Bangladesh Sources and Remedies, Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, February 27-28, 1999. 

Arsenic in groundwater results from the water flowing through rocks in which arsenic is a constituent of minerals such as iron pyrites. The arsenic present in the water is therefore primarily in the inorganic form, such as arsenite and arsenate. Apart from Bangladesh, the problem of arsenic contamination (that is, levels above the WHO guideline value of o.oi mg/ litre) occurs in many countries of the world, including the USA, Australia,... 

Milton, A.H., Rahman, M. (2002). Respiratory effects and arsenic contaminated well water in Bangladesh. Int. J. Environ. Health... 

Rahman, M., and Hossain, K. S., 1999, Study Report on Source Detection of Arsenic Contamination in Bangladesh Groundwater Mitigation Measures Bangladesh Water... 

Millions of people in rural areas of Bangladesh are being slowly poisoned as they drink water contaminated with small but potentially fatal quantities of arsenic. Estimates by the World Bank claim that from 18 to 50 million people out of a total population of about 120 million in the country are at risk. Thousands are already showing symptoms of poisoning. Nineteen rural districts covering an area of 500 km near the border of Bangladesh and India have arsenic-contaminated wells. Of the... 

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