Arsenic

Contamination in
Bangladesh
BY VALENTINA CHAWDHURY
Arsenic

 Arsenic is defined as an “element that occurs naturally in rocks and

soil and is used for a variety of purposes within industry and
agriculture.” (CDC, 2015)
 It is also a byproduct of copper smelting, mining, and coal burning.
 Arsenic is an element that can contaminate soil, water and plants
including other compartments of the ecosystem and ultimately
affect human health and well-being.
 Natural arsenic contamination in drinking water is a major concern
for public health in Bangladesh and other countries in South and
Southeast Asia, where people drink arsenic contaminated ground
water.
Bangladesh
• World’s 8th most populous country.
• Population: 153 million
• Area: 147,570 kilometers squared
 Background
 Although arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is a
common prevalence and affects millions in the country, it
was an unintended consequence of successful programs
from the 1970s that installed tube-wells across the region in
order to provide clean drinking water and prevent
diarrheal diseases.
 Tube-wells are long tubes drilled down about 20-100 m to
extract groundwater and were primarily designed for
irrigation purposes.
 During this time of well or tube-well installation, arsenic
contamination was not routinely tested for and therefore,
was not detected until health problems were identified in
the mid-1990s.
Why Is This An Issue?
Other Routes of Arsenic Ingestion
 Routes of arsenic intake include
respiratory exposure from dust and fumes
and oral exposure from water,
beverages, soil and food.
 The most common types of foods that
were found to be contaminated by
arsenic poisoning were cereal,
vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, milk and
meat.
 Cereal consumption contributed the
greatest proportion of total arsenic intake
in adults and children because it was
found to have the higher concentrations
of arsenic than other food items, and
was also consumed at a higher rate than
the other food items.
Health Issues From Arsenic

 Arsenic and lead have been considered to be the most toxic

elements in the environment and included in the United States
Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) list of priority pollutants.
 Health issues include: cancers, melanosis (hyperpigmentation or
dark spots and hypopigmentation or white spots), hyperkeratosis,
restrictive lung disease, peripheral vascular disease (blackfoot
disease), gangrene, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and ischemic
heart disease.
Arsenic and Pregnant Women

 65 of1,000 live-born infants in Bangladesh die before the age of one

due to polluted drinking water.
 Arsenic exposure may increase the risk of low birth weight, fetal loss
and, infant death.
 Women with lower socioeconomic status or low educational
attainment had higher fetal loss infant death and higher exposure to
arsenic.
Possible Solutions
 Although there have been numerous
studies done on the issue of arsenic
contamination in tube-wells in
Bangladesh, there has been no
concentration on long-term monitoring
of arsenic accumulation in arsenic
affected areas.
 Even though several studies and
researchers have contributed in
providing an arsenic estimation, there is
still a debate to identify the exact
source and transport process linked to
arsenic contamination.