Water poisoning arsenic-contaminated

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. 

Zaldivar, R. Arsenic contamination of drinking water and foodstuffs causing endemic chronic poisoning. Beitr. Path. Anat. 1974 151 384-400... 

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

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... 

Arsenic poisoning is a serious concern in areas with naturally contaminated water supplies, such as Bangladesh s ground water. Some estimates are as high as 20 percent of all wells around the world suffer some sort of arsenic contamination, which can lead to both skin and bladder cancers (and ultimately death). 

Cases of poisoning by drinking water contaminated with arsenic have been reported.2... 

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