Shyamapada Pati

Arsenic groundwater contamination and its health effects in Patna district (capital of Bihar) in the middle Ganga plain, India.

We investigated the extent and severity of groundwater arsenic (As) contamination in five blocks in Patna district, Bihar, India along with As in biological samples and its health effects such as dermatological, neurological and obstetric outcome in some villages. We collected 1365 hand tube-well water samples and analyzed for As by the flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HG-AAS). We found 61% and 44% of the tube-wells had As above 10 and 50 μg/l, respectively, with maximum concentration of 1466 μg/l. Our medical team examined 712 villagers and registered 69 (9.7%) with arsenical skin lesions. Arsenical skin lesions were also observed in 9 children of 312 screened. We analyzed 176 biological samples (hair, nail and urine). Out of these, 69 people had arsenical skin lesions and rest without skin lesions. We found 100% of the biological samples had As above the normal levels (concentrations of As in hair, nail and urine of unexposed individuals usually ranges from 20 to 200 μg/kg, 20-500 μg/kg and <100 μg/l, respectively), indicating many people are sub-clinically affected. Arsenical neuropathy was observed in 40.5% of 37 arsenicosis patients with 73.3% prevalence for predominant sensory neuropathy and 26.7% for sensor-motor. Among patients, different clinical and electrophysiological neurological features and abnormal quantitative sensory perception thresholds were also noted. The study also found that As exposed women with severe skin lesions had adversely affected their pregnancies. People including children in the affected areas are in danger. To combat As situation in affected areas, villagers urgently need (a) provision of As-safe water for drinking and cooking, (b) awareness about the danger of As toxicity, and (c) nutritious food.

Groundwater arsenic contamination in the Ganga-Padma-Meghna-Brahmaputra plain of India and Bangladesh.

magnitude of arsenic groundwater contamination, and its related health effects, in the Ganga-MeghnaBrahmaputra (GMB) plain—an area of 569,749 km2, with a population of over 500 million, which largely comprises the flood plains of 3 major river systems that flow through India and Bangladesh. Design: On the basis of our 17-yr–long study thus far, we report herein the magnitude of groundwater arsenic contamination, its health effects, results of our analyses of biological and food samples, and our investigation into sources of arsenic in the GMB plain Setting: The GMB plain includes the following states in India: Uttar Pradesh in the upper and middle Ganga plain, Bihar and Jharkhand in the middle Ganga plain, West Bengal in the lower Ganga plain, and Assam in the upper Brahmaputra plain. The country of Bangladesh is located in the Padma-Meghna-Brahmaputra plain. In a preliminary study,1 we identified arsenic in water samples from hand-operated tubewells in the GMB plain. Levels in excess of 50 ppb (the permissible limit for arsenic in drinking water in India and Bangladesh) were found in samples from 51 villages in 3 arsenic-affected districts of Uttar Pradesh, 202 villages in 6 districts in Bihar, 11 villages in 1 district in Jharkhand, 3,500 villages in 9 (of a total of 18) districts in West Bengal, 2,000 villages in 50 (of a total of 64) districts in Bangladesh, and 17 villages in 2 districts in Assam. Study Populations: Because, over time, new regions of arsenic contamination have been found, affecting additional populations, the characteristics of our study subjects have varied widely. We feel that, even after working for 17 yr in the GMB plain, we have had only a glimpse of the full extent of the problem. Protocol: Thus far, on the GMB plain, we have analyzed 145,000 tubewell water samples from India and 52,000 from Bangladesh for arsenic contamination. In India, 3,781 villages had arsenic levels above 50 ppb and 5,380 villages had levels exceeding 10 ppb; in Bangladesh, the numbers were 2,000 and 2,450, respectively. We also analyzed 12,954 urine samples, 13,560 hair samples, 13,758 nail samples, and 1,300 skin scale samples from inhabitants of the arsenic-affected villages. Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in the Ganga-Padma-

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in the Ganga River Basin: A Future Health Danger

This study highlights the severity of arsenic contamination in the Ganga River basin (GRB), which encompasses significant geographic portions of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tibet. The entire GRB experiences elevated levels of arsenic in the groundwater (up to 4730 µg/L), irrigation water (~1000 µg/L), and in food materials (up to 3947 µg/kg), all exceeding the World Health Organization’s standards for drinking water, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s standard for irrigation water (100 µg/L), and the Chinese Ministry of Health’s standard for food in South Asia (0.15 mg/kg), respectively. Several individuals demonstrated dermal, neurological, reproductive, cognitive, and cancerous effects; many children have been diagnosed with a range of arsenicosis symptoms, and numerous arsenic-induced deaths of youthful victims are reported in the GRB. Victims of arsenic exposure face critical social challenges in the form of social isolation and hatred by their respective communities. Reluctance to establish arsenic standards and unsustainable arsenic mitigation programs have aggravated the arsenic calamity in the GRB and put millions of lives in danger. This alarming situation resembles a ticking time bomb. We feel that after 29 years of arsenic research in the GRB, we have seen the tip of the iceberg with respect to the actual magnitude of the catastrophe; thus, a reduced arsenic standard for drinking water, testing all available drinking water sources, and sustainable and cost-effective arsenic mitigation programs that include the participation of the people are urgently needed.

Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in Bengal Delta and Its Health Effects

Arsenic contamination of groundwater has been detected in more than 70 countries and has become a major public health concern worldwide (Bundschuh et al. Environ Geochem Health 32:307–315, 2010). Arsenic contamination in groundwater of Southeast Asian regions received significant interest in recent years. In this region, countries affected with As in groundwater include Bangladesh, several states of India, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Vietnam, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, several provinces of China (Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Jilin, Shandong, Qinghai, Sichuan, Anhui, Heilongjiang, Henan, Gansu, Jiangsu, Yunnan and Hunan) and lowlands of Sumatra in Indonesia (Rahman et al. Environ Geochem Health 31:9–21, 2009; Yu et al. Environ Health Perspect 115:636–642, 2007).