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Arsenic Crisis News
December 2002 / January 2003 V3 N03
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+ Highlights
+ Upcoming Meetings & Conferences
Updated Conference Webpages & Sites
+ Selected Recent Media Articles Online
+ New & Newly Discovered Scientific/Technical Publications
On & Off Line
+ New & Newly Discovered Web Sites & Web Pages
Updated Websites & Web Pages
+ New & Newly Discovered Real World Stuff
+ Publication & Other Details
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ACN is published by the Arsenic Crisis Info Centre, (c) ACIC.
Website
http://www.bicn.com/acic. Editor Sara Bennett.
Email addresses appear in this newsletter with a space before & after
the @ symbol. To send email to an address, you must first remove the
spaces.
Long URLs that spill over onto more than one line may *not* work if
clicked on. To visit these locations, you must cut and paste the
*entire* URL (all lines of it) into the address pane of your browser.
See end of message for how to subscribe, unsubscribe, submit, etc.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights of this issue include:
- Meharg & Rahman find *much* higher levels of arsenic in some
samples of Bangladesh rice (highest was 1.7 ug/g) grown in soils with
elevated arsenic levels from irrigation with arsenic-contaminated
water. Naidu & Huq find very elevated arsenic levels in samples of a
number of types of Bangladesh vegetable crops (and negligible amounts
in others).
- Harvey et al. present new evidence and arguments that groundwater
withdrawals for irrigation may be contributing to the release of
arsenic to groundwater in Bangladesh aquifers under reducing
conditions
- Rahman et al. compare lab and field test kit results, and find that
field test kits mis-classify as safe/unsafe a significant proportion
of tubewells
- Chakraborti writes about re-visiting Madanpur, an arsenic-affected
village in Murshidabad, West Bengal, ten years on, and finding a
whole new generation of children showing signs of arsenic poisoning,
and many of the children of his last visit now young adults with
serious arsenic illnesses
- The GOB is preparing a national plan to combat arsenic
contamination of groundwater to integrate the efforts of donor
agencies and other organizations.
- NGOs Arsenic Information & Support Unit (NAISU) has web-published
"Arsenic 2002, an overview on arsenic issues in Bangladesh, and an
update of WaterAid's "Arsenic 2000" report.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS & CONFERENCES AND UPDATED CONFERENCE WEBPAGES &
SITES
Columbia University SBRP Seminar - Tuesday, February 18th, 2003 at
12:00 pm
The Columbia Superfund Basic Research Program is pleased to sponsor a
talk by Dr. Chris X. Le, Professor and Canada Research Chair,
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta,
Edmonton, AB., Canada. Dr. Le will be speaking on "Arsenic
speciation, metabolism, and interaction with proteins." The seminar
will be held in Humphrey's Auditorium, Vanderbilt Clinic 14-240,
Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, NYC. (The easiest route
is to enter Physicians and Surgeons building, 630 W. 168th Street, go
to 14th floor, take a left, and proceed to the Humphreys Auditorium.)
The rest of the agenda for the February seminar will be announced in
a reminder next month.
The seminar is open to anyone interested in these topics.
Please see our website at
http://superfund.ciesin.columbia.edu for
more information on Columbia's Superfund Basic Research Program.
If you have any questions regarding Dr. Le's visit, please contact
Dr. Tom K. Hei, Columbia University, 212-305-8462. For other
inquiries regarding the Columbia SBRP program feel free to contact
either the Division of Environmental Health Sciences of the Mailman
School of Public Health (212-305-3464) or Meredith Golden at CIESIN
(845-365-8968).
Thank you for your continued interest--
Meredith Golden
CIESIN at Columbia University
Geosciences
PO Box 1000, 61 Route 9W
Palisades NY 10964
phone: 845-365-8968
fax: 845-365-8922
email mgolden @ ciesin.columbia.edu
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Papers now online
The papers for "Arsenic in Drinking Water - An International
Conference at Columbia University, New York, 26-27 November 2001" are
now available online.
See
http://superfund.ciesin.columbia.edu/reg_frame
set.html?agenda.html&2
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SELECTED RECENT MEDIA ARTICLES ONLINE
Articles from other sources than News From Bangladesh are presented
first, then the NFB articles. Within these two categories article
appear by publication date, most recent first.
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http://www.nature.com/nsu/021118/021118-11.html
Irrigation taints Bangladeshi rice with arsenic - food, as well as
drinking water contaminated with poison. 22 November 2002. By Tom
Clarke. (c) WHO/TDR
Arsenic is getting into rice, Bangladesh's staple crop, through
irrigation water pumped from contaminated soils, researchers have
found. Another study shows that the act of pumping water for
irrigation can raise its arsenic levels. The findings worsen the
outlook for Bangladesh's water safety crisis....
Where there were arsenic-tainted irrigation pumps, [Meharg & Rahman]
found high levels of arsenic in soils. Rice from contaminated
regions, contained dangerous levels of arsenic. Rice from elsewhere
did not. Three samples contained more than 1.7 milligrams of arsenic
per kilogram of rice. The maximum safe level for food in Australia
... is one milligram per kilogram.
Rice comprises 73% of a Bangladeshi's caloric intake and arsenic is
in much of the country's groundwater.
Pumping makes a big difference
At one experimental site in Bangladesh, Harvey's team found that
irrigation wells could be compounding the arsenic problem as they
draw water through aquifers.... When water rich in organic matter
flows through aquifers it feeds bacteria; higher levels of arsenic
result, they find.
Eventually pumping could remove arsenic from aquifers if it draws
clean water through. But the finding points to the need to understand
the effect of irrigation pumping on arsenic contamination.
"Hopefully these findings could be useful for future planning of
wells," says Harvey.
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http://www.igb.fraunhofer.de/WWW/Presse/Jahr/2002/
en/PI_Bioadsorber0210.en.html
Technology Update - Bran filters chlorinated hydrocarbons and arsenic
out of waste water. Source Water And Sanitation Weekly Issue No.
45-47, 25 Nov 2002, reprinted from Alphagallileo, 11 Oct 2002.
Researchers of Fraunhofer IGB together with GUTec mbH have succeeded
in filtering carcinogenic substances out of industrial waste water
with bio-adsorbers using bran. With the aid of the newly developed
system, arsenic can be bound almost completely, apart from 0.004
milligrams per liter, and hexachlorcyclohexane can be bound apart
from 0.13 micrograms per liter. This reduces the concentration far
below the statutory limit values of these pollutants for disposing
waste water. The system is highly flexible as far as the process is
concerned: at 2,5 meters long, 1,3 meters wide and 2 meters high, it
can be used at different locations. It can be operated continuously
fully automatically as well as in batch mode.
Contact: Henrike Henschen, Fraunhofer IGB, tel: +49 711 790 4031,
email
info @ igb.fhg.de.
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At:
http://www.sos-arsenic.net/english/toxic-effect/asinfood.html
Arsenic in the food chain. Bangladesh Observer, 17 Jun 2002.
A study on "Arsenic in groundwater of Bangladesh: Contamination in
the Food Chain" jointly conducted by the Department of Soil, Water
and Environment of Dhaka University and the Common-wealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) examined a thousand
samples of crops, cereals and vegetables, a thousand samples of soil
and 400 samples of water from 50 upazilas in 15 most affected
regions. These samples were analysed in laboratories within the
country and in Australia.... Dr Ravi Naidu from Australia, the team
leader and Prof S M Imamul Huq of the Department of Soil, Water and
Environment, DU, jointly carried out the research....
"We have detected significant amount of arsenic transferred from
groundwater to crops", says Dr Ravi Naidu, although many crops are
still safe. The researchers also studied samples of cooked food
collected from the affected areas and found the level of arsenic in
rice was 0.35 mg/kg, 0.81 mg/kg in vegetable curry, 0.33 mg/kg in
spinach, 0.39 mg/kg in fish curry and 0.27 mg/kg in pumpkin....
arsenic was not found in cooked lentil, brinjal and egg...
The highest concentration of arsenic was found in arum, which was 150
mg per kg. The level was 5.1 mg/kg in bean, 20.1 mg/kg in tomato,
0.83 mg/kg to 1.1 mg/kg in papaya, 1.8 to 2.7 mg/kg in cauliflower,
0.05 to 7.2 mg/kg in cabbage, 1.9 to 4.5 mg/kg in leafy vegetables,
red spinach and stalks of spinach, 1 mg/kg in wheat and 5.3 mg/kg of
rice in the affected areas.
...the study showed that potato, bitter gourd, brinjal, snake gourd
(chichinga), kakrol, ladies finger, palwal, large leafy spinach,
pumpkin, sweet potato, turmeric, ginger and green chili are safe as
presence of arsenic in them are insignificant and does not pose a
threat.
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http://web.mit.edu/civenv/html/people/alumni_newsl
etters/winter_02/art5.htm
Search for cleaner water causes major problems with arsenic in
Bangladesh public water supply. Civil and Environmental Engineering
at MIT, 16(2), Winter 2001-02.
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NEWS FROM BANGLADESH ARTICLES
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-30.htm
Nationwide survey on arsenic begins - 30 Dec 02
A nationwide survey on arsenic detection in groundwater has begun
under Bangladesh Arsenic Mitigation and Water Supply Project
(BAMWSP). Under the three-month project, water samples of 30 lakh
tube-wells in 147 upazilas of the country will be tested. Besides,
arsenic-affected people will also be identified. The survey has
already been conducted in 42 upazilas and it is expected to be
completed by February next, an official handout said yesterday. On
completion of the survey, the government will ensure supply of
arsenic-free water in the affected areas.
As part of the programme, the survey teams, equipped with test kits
and leaflets, will create awareness among the people about the danger
of arsenic.
The project is being implemented under the supervision of Local
Government Division and Public Health Engineering Department, the
handout said. - UNB
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-26.htm
Nat'l arsenic mitigation plan afoot - 26 Dec 02
For the first time, the government is preparing a national plan to
combat arsenic contamination of groundwater in the country. Sources
said the national plan is aimed at 'integrating' the efforts of donor
agencies and other organisations in this field and resolving the
arsenic problem in a 'well- coordinated way'.
A group of experts and officials at the Local Government, Rural
Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Ministry has been formulating the
'umbrella plan' and it is likely to be finalised within a fortnight.
The sources mentioned that so far donors prepared schemes for
mitigating arsenic contamination and the government acted on the
basis of those. But this time the government itself is formulating
the plan.
The need for a national plan was felt as isolated efforts by donors
and other organisations in certain areas of the country to fight
arsenic contamination have not proved so effective. The UNICEF,
DANIDA, UNDP, Swiss Development Corporation and the World Bank have
been working in this field separately.
In such a situation, the LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan
Bhuiyan initiated formulation of the umbrella plan, sources pointed
out. Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Mannan Bhuiyan said, a
'concept paper' has already been pre pared and the national plan now
being finalised would be the first government-formulated one to
resolve arsenic problem. "We will invite all donors, especially those
working in this field, to join us in the fight against arsenic
contamination."
He said the WB and other donor agencies have appreciated the
government initiative and agreed to work under the plan. The worst
affected areas would be given priority in implementation of the
national plan. The minister further said the government has also
planned to ensure supply of arsenic-free water through pipeline in
all villages of the country in stages. - The Daily Star
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-16.htm
Tk 8.60 cr Japanese grant for arsenic mitigation project - 16 Dec 02
The Government of Japan will provide 184 million yen equivalent to Tk
8.60 crore for a UNICEF-funded arsenic mitigation project in
Bangladesh. The project is designed to ensure the supply of safe
drinking water to some 2,000 communities directly benefiting some 4
million people. A memorandum of understanding to this effect was
signed here today (Sunday) at the conference room of Local Government
Division of LGRD Ministry. State Minister for LGRD Ziaul Haq Zia was
present during the signing of the MOU. Japanese Ambassador in Dhaka
Jiro Kobayeshi and UNICEF representative in Bangladesh Morten
Giersing signed the agreement, said an official release.
...Ziaul Haq Zia said the grant will help complete the work of
blanket testing, patient identification and provision for safe
drinking water options in 14 upazilas of 8 districts. The Department
of Public Health Engineering is working to implement the project with
technical assistance from UNICEF. Referring to two Japanese projects
on arsenic in Bangladesh, Japanese Ambassador Jiro Kobayashi called
for urgent, concerted and coordinated action in this regard. He
stressed on multi-sectoral approach involving relevant government
ministries, NGOs and development partners to thwart the challenges of
arsenic contamination in groundwater.... - UNB
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-14.htm
Irrigation to produce arsenic-tainted rice - 14 Dec 02
The arsenic that has contaminated much of Bangladesh's drinking water
supply is also getting into its rice, according to a new study by
American Chemical Society... [same as BBC article above] - The New
Nation
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-12.htm
Arsenic mitigation: 6 projects to be taken under one umbrella - 12
Dec 02
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan has said the
government will bring six ongoing arsenic mitigation projects under
one umbrella programme. "There are six projects now being
implemented in the country and it will be easier to coordinate these
if all the projects are brought under one umbrella project," he said.
The Minister was addressing an awareness building meeting on arsenic
mitigation at Shibpur Upazila Parishad premises in the district on
Wednesday.
...UNICEF is funding arsenic mitigation programmes in country's 45
upazilas. Similar programmes are in progress in 199 upazilas under
the supervision of Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE).
The World Bank, DANIDA, World Vision and other NGOs are funding
similar projects in 223 upazilas.
...[Bhuiyan] praised the role of DPHE as it is doing various works of
arsenic mitigation at a very low cost, almost half of the cost of
other organisations for doing the same. Bhuiyan said the government
has a plan to supply tap water across the country through pipeline.
He urged the people to use surface water after boiling.
Colin Davis said UNICEF has been working on arsenic mitigation in
Bangladesh since 1996 and tested 300,000 tube-wells of the project
area that identified 200 hot spots. In 1999, some 1.2 million
tube-wells were tested, he said. "In our next step, we will increase
our effort to provide safe water in the priority areas," Colin said.
He informed that they are going to disclose a research based findings
on food chain early next year, which will identify the foods, should
be avoided for arsenicosis.
UNICEF funded DPHE with cash and technical support of around US$ 10
million so far under "DPHE-UNICEF Community Based Arsenic Mitigation
Project", now under implementation in 25 upazillas. Earlier, they
funded for five upazilas in one phase and 15 other upzilas in another
phase. Under the same project, 3200 arsenicosis patients were
identified in 20 upazilas. UNICEF officials said Shibpur is one of
the upazilas where 13,062 tube-wells were tested and arsenic was
found in 460 or 3.52 percent wells.- UNB
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-11.htm
Rising arsenic contamination; community based national programme
suggested - 11 Dec 02
World Bank (WB) country director Fredrick T Temple yesterday
emphasised formulating a comprehensive community based national
programme to mitigate the rising arsenic contamination in the
country. Like the success of the Oral Rehydration Saline (ORS)
programme, Temple wanted the arsenic mitigation problem to succeed.
He was exchanging views with local journalists here at Pabna
Community Clinic (PCC) auditorium this afternoon after inaugurating
the eight day long celebration of the clinic's 12th anniversary and
victory day. Correspondents of different national and local dailies
were present at the meeting.
Appreciating PCC activities in detecting arsenic contamination in the
district, Temple also suggested the government consider encouraging
private sector enterprises like the PCC in the mitigation programmes.
"A community based system as the PCC can serve as the model for fast
solutions to problems ", he opined.
The country representative of WB, however, came down heavily upon the
government's role in arsenic mitigation. Expressing his
disappointment, he said the government failed to deal with the
problem promptly due to lack of seriousness on their part. Replying
to a question, the WB country chief said shortcomings of government
programmes and lack of national approach were the causes of poor
results nation wide. The government could not even formulate a
well-coordinated idea to work with the US $ 32.6 million WB aid on
the arsenic sector. Last September, the time for framing ideas was
extended up to June next year. "If the government cannot make good
use of the extended period, WB will be forced to withdraw its aid ".
- The Daily Star
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-12-01.htm
Tk 6.1m project for arsenic free water in Satkhira - 1 Dec 02
SATKHIRA, Nov 30 (BSS): The Public Health Engineering Department
(PHED) has taken up a programme to install 99 arsenic free Deep
Tubewells (DT) and 78 Pond Sand Filter (PSF) in six upazilas of the
district at a cost of Taka 61,20,621 during the current fiscal year.
Official sources said installation of these DT and PSF will be
started from first week of December and will be completed by June
next to ensure supply of arsenic free pure drinking water to the
rural people of the district. Of the total 29 Deep Tubewells (DT) and
6 Pond Sand Filters (PSF) will be installed in sadar upazila, 5 DT
and 17 PSF will be sunk in Kalaroa, 17 DT and 14 PSF in Tala, 15 DT
and 13 PSF IN Assasuni, 15 DT and 13 PSF in Kaligonj, 18 DT and 15
PSF in Shymnagar upazila.
The PHED has also taken up a programme to test tubewells water to
detect arsenic in five upazilas of the district in the current month.
An official sources said, a total of 41667 tubewells will be brought
under the arsenic testing programme, of them 2252 tubewells in
Assasuni upazila, 3168 in Kaligonj, 31150 in Tala, 1251 in Shymnagar
and 3846 in Sadar upazila.
To detect arsenic in the tubewells water several NGO's with the help
of local upazila PHED started a survey at ward level under the
Bangladesh arsenic mitigation water supply project. PHED put red mark
on the arsenic contaminated tubewells and advised the people not to
drink water from those tubewells. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-11-23.htm
Comprehensive programme to fend off arsenic menace - 23 Nov 02
The government has undertaken a comprehensive programme to mitigate
the arsenic problem and ensure countrywide supply of safe drinking
water, reports BSS. Official sources said the programme has been
taken up in view of the fast growing demand for safe drinking water
due mainly to rapid urbanisation, population growth and increased
public awareness against arsenic contamination of water.
The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives
through the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) is
implementing various projects of this programme both in urban and
rural areas. Four city corporations, 257 municipalities and all
rural areas are being covered by this programme, Ministry sources
said.
They said safe drinking water is now being supplied in 91
municipalities and city corporation areas while the scheme is under
implementation in 73 municipalities. Another 94 municipalities will
be covered by the programme soon. LGED installed 1,210,000 tubewells
for safe drinking water and distributed 3,074,000 low- priced
sanitary latrines in rural areas last year.
At present, 29 projects at a cost of Taka 4.13 billion (413 crore)
have been undertaken and four of them have already been completed
while the remaining 25 are still under implementation, officials
said. Meanwhile, a total of 18,650 tubewells have been installed
while 70,000 sanitary latrines, 25 deep tubewells, 129.1 kms of
pipeline, five overhead water tanks and three water treatment plants
have been built. Under the technical assistance projects, water in
14,491 tubewells out of the total 51,001 tested in 411 upazilas of 61
districts were found contaminated by arsenic.
As many as 170 deep tubewells were installed to measure the arsenic
level in the underground water. As many as 5,516 shallow tubewells
and 679 deep tubewells are being installed while 679
Pond-Sand-Filters are being constructed in the country under the
government initiative.
The government has already constructed two arsenic eradication plants
in Satkhira and Manikganj towns and undertaken a project with own
funds to supply pure drinking water from 4,400 ponds by removing
arsenic and salinity. Meanwhile, the Action Research Programme has
taken up projects in four upazilas for collection and preservation of
rainwater as an alternative source of pure drinking water.
Besides, DANIDA under its technical assistance programme is carrying
out another such project in 11 upazilas of eight coastal districts,
the sources said. The government has also undertaken several other
projects in the light of the recommendations made in the
International Conference on Arsenic Mitigation here in January last.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia inaugurated the conference.
However, the daily supply of pure water in Dhaka city is 1.52 billion
(152 crore) litres now against the demand of 1.60 billion litres.
The total supply was 1.14 billion litres till October last year while
the rest is being provided by the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant.
This plant was installed at a cost of Taka 5.84 billion, Taka 1.66
billion less than the original allocation, the sources said, adding
its second phase has already been undertaken for implementation at a
cost of Taka 2.65 billion, the sources said. Chittagong WASA
installed two deep tubewells, two pump houses and completed other
physical construction in the port city at a cost of Taka 1.59 billion
last year.
The Third Interim Water Supply Project and extension of the Mohra
Plant are under process. Besides, the implementation of the Maduna
Ghat Water Supply Project is in progress, the sources said. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-11-16.htm
NGO Forum operates arsenic project - 16 Nov 02
Nov 15 : NGO Forum along with three other non-government
organisations have been working under a research project in 14
villages of two upazilas of the district since 1999 to find a
sustainable answer to arsenic, a ground water chemical contamination
that have posed a serious threat to public health across the country.
Sources said out of 176 tube-wells in the village 72 have been
detected highly arsenic contaminated and 54 persons as arsenicosis
patients. Forty one percent villagers have somehow become direct
victims of arsenic, said Engineer Dipak Roy, who is working in the
Water and Sanitation Partnership Research Project in the areas.
Engineer Dipak said though they have been conducting a research based
pilot project in 14 villages of Charghat and Bagha, they are now
trying to replicate their already found successes to other affected
villages in the district through advocacy programmes and hardware
supports. He also informed that most of the people have become aware
of the contamination and its subsequent consequences to their lives.
As a result, the people have started drinking waters from rains, dug
wells and ponds through proper system and filtration.
When asked about any problem in drinking rainwater, arsenic affected
Bhanu Begum replied in the negative and said she did not feel any
pathogenic disturbances or dysentery since setting up a rainwater
harvesting plant at her home for last three years. - The Independent
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-11-09.htm
'Supply safe drinking water' to all people to check arsenic - 9 Nov 02
Speakers at a seminar in the city called Thursday for supplying safe
drinking water to the people of all strata to check water-borne
health hazards, report BSS. The seminar on "new drinking water
quality management systems that could be applied for arsenic
mitigation" was attended by representatives of the Bangladesh
Government, World Bank (WB), UNICEF, Department of Public Health
Engineering (DPHE) and other concerned agencies interested in arsenic
and water quality. Held at Dhaka Community Hospital, it was
organised by the AusAID- funded Bangladesh Australia Centre for
Arsenic Mitigation Project.
The new management framework is based on the principles of `Hazard
Analysis' and `Critical Control' points used internationally in the
food industry, and the international quality management system (ISO
9001). Dr Nadebaum, a Technical Director of Bangladesh-Australia
Centre for Arsenic Mitigation, said, "The new approach uses a
risk-based approach and ensures that the major risks in any water
supply system are identified and controlled at the most appropriate
point in the system. The approach can reduce costly monitoring of
water quality."
The new framework was developed in Australia to provide for best
practice management of drinking water supplies, and the systems are
already in place in some of Australia's water authorities. Australia
is working in close coordination with the World Health Organisation
(WHO) in this regard. The aim is to apply the principles of this
management approach to the selection and management of appropriate
community-based water supply systems in Bangladesh within the Arsenic
Mitigation Project.
This centre has been established within the Dhaka Community Hospital
as part of the AusAID project. The centre has programs to determine
the most effective way of addressing the serious groundwater arsenic
problem in Bangladesh. Dhaka Community Hospital has been
implementing the programs, built on the community health care work,
across the country. Chairman of the Hospital Trust Dr Quamruzzaman,
said, "The Centre is carrying out important research to determine the
most effective way of providing water free of arsenic to villages
throughout Bangladesh and determining whether residual arsenic in
soils and food crops could be a problem. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-11-01.htm
Leafy vegetables, reduced rice yield may have links with arsenic! - 1
Nov 02
By Monowar Hossain
Leafy vegetables, grown in areas where groundwater is highly
contaminated by arsenic, are feared to have been absorbing the metal,
said experts engaged in framing strategy under the water management
plan.
Simultaneously, substantial reduction in rice yields from what was
expected in the same areas is widely believed to be due to the
presence of arsenic in groundwater in high percentage, they said.
Foreign and international organisations are conducting research to
find out whether and to what extent arsenic is entering the food
chain. A lot will depend on the research findings.
Until the presence or absence of arsenic in food chain is
scientifically established, development of a long-term arsenic
mitigation and nutritional improvement strategies would hang on for
quite a long time, said executives in different wings of the ministry
of health and family welfare. The groundwater with arsenic at a very
high percentage has rocked the present public health service and
nutritional strategies.
The entry of arsenic in food chain (leafy vegetables, paddy/rice
etc.), if found to be at non- acceptable level, would cause another
blow to the existing public health and nutrition improvement
strategies, they said privately. Information has it that Bangladesh
water quality standard permits arsenic up to 0.05mg/L, which is five
times higher than the WHO guidelines of 0.01mg/L. In some places in
the country up to 2.4mg/L of arsenic which is about 250 times the
Bangladeshi standard has been identified by various national and
international health groups, NGOs etc.
Arsenic in high concentration was found in groundwater from hand
tubewells and deep tubewells in many parts of the southwest,
northeast, southeast and along the Ganges river. Testings of
groundwater from tubewells suggest that people in 60 districts in
Bangladesh might have been affected by arsenic contamination in
various degrees.
The Australian Centre for Irrigation, Agriculture and Research
(ACIAR) is investigating the evidence of arsenic entering the food
chain. The food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is conducting a
study to determine the possible effects of arsenic on stunting rice
stalks. - The Financial Express
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-10-23.htm
Rain water harvesting gains ground in Sylhet -23 Oct 02
Oct 22 : Rain water harvesting (RWH) system is gaining ground in
different parts of Sylhet district in recent times. It is gathered
that rain water harvesting plants set up in different parts of the
district have ensured arsenic free water for a large number of people
of the district, particularly in rural areas in recent times. Rain
water harvesting plants have been set up in various parts of the
district with the initiative of NGO Forum, a leading NGO.
This correspondent recently visited different parts of the district
and saw a large number of people using arsenic free water from the
rain water harvesting plants.
" We are greatly benefited by rain water harvesting plants. We have
no fear of being attacked with arsenic contamination", Jhunu Rani Das
(50), a housewife of village Mitrimahal, 16 km off the Sylhet city
under Goainghat upazila, told this correspondent with a happy grin.
"Most of the tube-wells of the district are contaminated with
arsenic. That's why we store rain water for use", said another
housewife of the village. "Arsenic contamination had created panic in
the village and it's surrounding areas. Now that panic is gone", said
another inhabitant of the village. The people of the village store
rain water during the rainy season and use throughout the year. The
water is used for various purposes including drinking. The rural
people heaved a sigh of relief with the introduction of the rain
water harvesting method.
The members of several families stored the rain water through RWH
system and use safe water round the year. Rain water harvesting
system is a new technology which was introduced by NGO Forum with the
inhabitants of the Mitrimahal village in Goainghat upazila in 2000.
At least nine rain water harvesting projects have been set up in
several villages of Goainghat upazila. The users have to pay one
fifth cost for each RWH the rest of the cost is borne by NGO Forum,
some villages told this correspondent. Per RWH plant costs Tk 4,500.
- The Independent
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-10-14.htm
30m drinking arsenic contaminated water - 14 Oct 02
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said in city
Sunday that the real field level services had to be extended with
highest efficiency and effectiveness for mitigation of the miseries
of the arsenic victims of the country, reports BSS.
"There had been enough work for awareness creation but we have even
failed to provide necessary information regarding proper treatment to
the victims of arsenic contamination," he said while speaking at a
roundtable on "Safe Water Supply and Arsenic Mitigation'' organised
by Local Government Division. The minister said the problem of
arsenic contamination had been overplayed.
It is not that grave the way it has been described by many but it has
to be tackled with much more practical approach. The minister
underlined the need for adopting appropriate technology of providing
safe drinking water on priority basis to face the arsenic problem in
a pragmatic way.
The minister told the roundtable that the biggest arsenic mitigation
project funded by World Bank had some defects like non-involvement of
the public health department who are responsible for supplying pure
drinking water. He said the defects are being removed from the
largest project that would be implemented with sincerity and
transparency soon. Bhuiyan said the local experts should be involved
in the research and other works for the mitigation of the arsenic
problems.
The roundtable was told that 30 million people of the country are
drinking arsenic contaminated water from 27 per cent tube wells
across the country. State minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Ziaul
Huq Zia and Local Government Secretary AYBI Siddiqui spoke on the
occasion. Joint Secretary of Local Government Division Syedur Rahman
presented the keynote paper. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-10-11.htm
WB help assured in arsenic-free water supply - 11 Oct 02
World Bank country director Frederic T Temple has assured necessary
assistance in implementing projects for supplying arsenic-free
drinking water through pipeline throughout the country. The assurance
came when he called on LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan
Bhuiyan at his office in the city Thursday. Besides, Frederic Temple
discussed matters of mutual interests with the Minister during the
meeting. Local Government Secretary AYBI Siddiqui, World Bank
environment expert Paul J Martin and adviser Shubrata Dhar were
present on the occasion, said an official release.- UNB
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-09-21.htm
Arsenic contaminated tube-well waters create panic - 21 Sep 2002
Sept 20: Arsenic contaminated tube-well waters have created a panic
among the people in all the eight upazilas of the district.
According to Chandpur Public Health Engineering Department (PHED),
about 50.000 people of the district have been attacked with arsenic
related diseases. The PHED has already started testing the
proportion of arsenic contents in tube-wells waters throughout the
district. With limited resources, the PHED authority is unable to
tackle this alarming situation.... So far, the PHED authority has
examined about 1000 tube-wells in different areas of the district and
found arsenic contamination in the waters of most of the tube wells.
The PHED authority has so far sealed off about 1000 tube-wells with
red warning signboards. More tube-wells are likely to be sealed off
very soon.... Tests of arsenic contamination in drinking water at SDC
laboratory of PHED, Dhaka cost Taka 300 to Taka 500, which is
impossible for the general public.
The Executive Engineer of PHED, Chandpur told BSS that steps are
being taken to examine different tube wells in all the eight upazilas
of the district. Due to the arsenic contamination in the tube-wells
water many people are drinking boiled water. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-08-08.htm
Donors not interested in safe water projects: Mannan Bhuiyan - 8 Aug
02
Minister for Rural Development and Cooperatives Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan
yesterday said that the donors were interested in carrying out
experiments and sensitizing people, but they were not much interested
in safe water projects and to pinpoint ways to solve the arsenic
problem.
He said this while speaking at the launching ceremony of the "
Bangladesh State of Arsenic 2001" and "Bangladesh Arsenic Chitra
2001," two publications of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of
Bangladesh (FEJB).
The Minister said "If things go on in this manner, it will require
many more years to find a solution". He said that people were aware
enough about arsenic, but that effective mitigation measures were the
prime need of the hour.... [He] said that safe water was a
fundamental right and that the mere marking of tube wells red and
green would not solve the problem. He added : We have no clear idea
about the treatment of arsenic victims and what measures we can take
to stop the menace.
The Minister said that to provide safe drinking water in the Barind
region the government was planning to introduce deep tube wells in
the area using the existing irrigation infrastructure along with
laying emphasis on increased surface water usage.- The Independent
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-07-18.htm
Arsenic Poisoning in West Bengal : A Dubious Tradition - 18 Jul 02
Dipankar Chakraborti
Madanpur is a remote village of total population of about 300.
Madanpur is situated in Murshidabad district, at Bhagabangola Block
and under Akhriganj Gram Panchayet. Murshidabad is one of the most
arsenic affected districts of West Bengal. Madanpur is one of those
innumerous villages of West Bengal whose importance is its mere
existence. I traveled with our medical group to Madanpur for an
arsenic survey on 4th February, 1992. There were no roads leading to
Madanpur. Anybody deciding to go there had to overcome a
pseudo-expedition and had to undertake a laborious trek over dirty
and dust of barren tracks for a duration of about three hours. We
registered a shocking 150 member with arsenical skin lesion almost
half of their population. They believed that God's curses and sins
of their previous birth were what were causing the diseases.
I tried to imbibe among them the knowledge that they were suffering
of arsenic toxic substance present in their hand tubewell water. The
only medicine of this disease is water safe to arsenic, fresh fruits
and vegetables. Though meat, fish and egg do help, but, for those
poor villagers they were an ecstasy. I tested tubewells of the
neighboring village and found a few to be free of the harmful
arsenic. I asked the Madanpur people to drink water of those. They
showed dissent over the proposal and most declared that it was
difficult to fetch water from such distance. Madanpur had three
tubewells. On an average those three tubewells pumped up water with
arsenic quantity over 715 m g/l.
Madanpur symbolized the massive toxic power of the arsenic to corrode
out human life. A village senior and arsenic patient pointed towards
his daughter-in-law, proclaimed beauty once, now carried only traces
of that by gone brilliance. The beauty has been devoured by arsenic.
I was surrounded by children. The children all aged between 6 - 11
years and shockingly about 40% of them were arsenic victims with skin
lesions.
Those children shook my stupor. I took a photograph (Photograph-1, at
http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/images/nfb
/nfb-2002-07-18a.jpg ) of that tragic lot. It was printed on the
first page of the souvenir published commemorating the International
conference on arsenic, in Calcutta, February 1995. I spoke to the
government, the newspapers - I attempted to make people aware. Then
gradually the diabolic proportions of arsenic at Madanpur sunk
Lethe-wards in my memory.
10 years later I was again working at Bhagabangola Block of
Murshidabad district. I met many old faces, I missed many of them.
Those seriously ill, previously, have passed away. Those who have
survived were anatomically little better than mere brittle skeletons.
A good proportion has turned decrepit. Many have developed wounds,
which have not healed and are leading to cancer. The diseased
themselves imparted information on a major number of newly infested
villages. Arsenic has attained epidemic stature.
During December 18-22, (2001) and March 1-5, (2002) we made a survey
at a few blocks of Bhagabangola. To our utter horror, we detected
1947 arsenic patients, 20 probable cancer patients (Photograph-2,
http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/images/nfb
/nfb-2002-07-18b.jpg ) and 70 probable Bowen's disease
[intraepithelial squamous cell carcinoma of the skin] patients.
Murshidabad district's 30,000 tubewell water analysis for arsenic and
patient detecting have placed us face-to-face to a disastrous
statistics, in Murshidabad alone, we expect 10 lakh people consuming
water with arsenic content over 50 microgram per liter (which is the
maximum permissible limit of WHO) and may be 1 lakh have arsenicosis
out of a total 50 lakh population.
On 3rd March, 2002 while working at Najirpur village of Akhriganj
Gram- Panchayet I came across the information about the village
Madanpur again. Initially the thoughts of the prevalent terrible
transportation system declared against my wish to have a visit to the
village. The denizens supplied lots of hope in the tune of
information that now car may go up to Badhpur village and then only a
10-15 minutes walk will get us to Madanpur. We decided to go to the
Madanpur village.
A nostalgia gripped me at the sight of the rural setting of the
village. Madanpur stood unchanged before my eyes. The uneven
landforms, small huts, thatched roofs took me for a trip down the
memory lane. The picture registered 10 years back seemed intact
without even the mildest stain. I searched frantically for that
senior villager I met 10 years before. The villagers informed me that
he was no more but his once beautiful daughter-in-law still was there.
The lady, was now biologically 30 years old, yet, appearance wise,
she looked like a lady of an age almost half a century. Panting with
a baby in her laps, the lady epitomized the decay of the disease over
the last decade. I queried off Guddu, Tony, Babu ... those who were
featured in the once famous picture of the affected children in the
souvenir. The lady replied that some of them who were in working
condition are at their respective work places. Others, relieved of
their working ability have taken shelter into their houses. She also
called on some of them. The boys of the ill-famous picture were now
beyond their youth. In fact they seemed to have lived their entire
life in the 10 years that have slipped through the careless fingers
of time. They were plagued by the cold touch of death. Devoid of
élan- vital they seemed like walking carcasses which the
carrion-eater called arsenic has nibbled up slowly.
But I was surrounded by children who carried prominent signs of
arsenicosis (Photograph-3, at
http://bicn.com/acic
/resources/infobank/images/nfb/nfb-2002-07-18c.jpg). I wondered who
they were? Were they the same children that of the photograph? No,
they were a new generation. Yet they shared the same qualities of
those in the picture. I felt that I have walked into the picture,
which I took ten years ago. I felt that time has not moved a step
since then. Rather the tradition of death, as the arsenic has put it
forward, has been continuous. It has successfully overcome the
effects of Chronos.
Though ironic, I incidentally remembered a childhood anecdote from
the feature India (Bharatbarsha) by the famous writer Wazed Ali. The
author once revisited Calcutta after 40 years and to his dismay
discovered a very queer picture. He caught a glimpse of an old
shopkeeper, bespectacled and wearing a vest, reading out the big Epic
Ramayana aloud to his grandchildren who have flocked him. The author
was mesmerized. This scene was familiar to him. He saw it after 40
long years! He felt the rich vein of culture running down the
mega-structure called India. Amused, the author commented, "the
tradition still continues!" Sadly arsenic portrays a similar picture
of unfazed tradition.
Dipankar Chakraborti is Director and Head School of Environmental
Studies
Jadavpur University Kolkata - 700 032 India. Email dcsoesju @
vsnl.com
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-07-17.htm
Arsenic A Human Tragedy And Not Just A Newspaper Story - 17 Jul 2002
Sylvia Mortoza
Anew article on arsenic published in the New York Times publicises
the extent of the damage done to people's health but it is not really
telling us anything we don't already know. In fact we at this
newspaper have been constant in our own evaluation of the situation
and have continuously brought our readers up to date on what is
happening where, when and why. We have also provided readers with
information on what measures are being taken to bring relief to the
affected people. Yet despite this, the biggest tragedy to hit us is
still not recognized by potential victims or by those who live in
Dhaka and feel they are safe from harm.
The inability of people to comprehend what they cannot see or
understand is sad. That something they cannot see or taste and comes
from below the ground can possibly do them harm, especially as it
does not seem to affect everyone, is simply beyond their
comprehension. As Dr. Allen H. Smith says, "It seems like nonsense to
people, telling them the water is killing them when it looks so clean
and nice."
Yes it does look so clean and nice and it tastes good too but it
hides its true nature as a killer, but how is anyone going to
convince them that the arsenic in the water is a slow, sadistic
killer. But with Bangladesh in the midst of the "largest mass
poisoning of a population in history," tens of thousands of people
mainly villagers are showing the outward signs of arsenic
poisoning....
Continued at
http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infoba
nk/nfb/2002-07-17.htm
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-07-16.htm
Deep-tubewells for arsenic areas this year - 16 Jul 2002
The government will take up a project to treat surface water for
supplying through pipeline to the arsenic-affected areas of the
country, reports BSS. LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan
Bhuiyan said this while replying to a question followed by several
supplementaries in the Jatiya Sangsad Monday. Explaining objective of
the project, he said the government had thought of such a project for
supplying pure water to the people in view of the disastrous arsenic
contamination gripping most parts of the country. Earlier, replying
to the main question raised by M Nurul Amin Talukder of BNP
(Netrakona), Bhuiyan said the government would allocate deep tube-
wells to the arsenic-affected upazilas during the current fiscal.
"The allocation of deep tube-wells would be made on availability of
funds from the ADP," he said, adding, the number of such deep
tube-wells would be fixed for each upazila in line with a physical
development programme, which is now being formulated. The
supplementaries were raised by Zainal Abedin Azad (BNP), Mufti
Mohammad Abdus Sattar Akon (Jamaat), Sardar Shakhawat Hossain Bakul
(BNP) and Dr Salek Chowdhury (BNP). The minister said that a
countrywide drive was now underway to ascertain the level of arsenic
contamination in different areas of Bangladesh. - BSS
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http://bicn.com/acic/resources/infobank/nfb/2002-07-14.htm
Water supply thru' pipes in arsenic areas directed - 14 Jul 2002
The LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan directed
Saturday to supply drinking water using pipes from deep tube wells on
priority basis to every household in the country, including the
arsenic affected areas, reports BSS.
He also stressed the need for supply of surface water after proper
purification in the arsenic contaminated areas, an official press
release said. The minister was addressing a presentation meeting on
installation of deep tube wells in the arsenic affected areas in the
conference room of the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry in the city.
Bhuiyan directed the concerned officials to integrate officials and
employees of the Public Health Engineering Department in installation
of deep tube wells, examination of arsenic, maintenance and other
activities.
Deputy Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Advocate Ruhul Quddus
Talukdar Dulu, Secretary of the Local Government Division AYBI
Siddiqui were, among others, present on the occasion. - UNB
=====================================================================
NEW & NEWLY DISCOVERED SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS ON & OFF LINE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
AusAID, 2002: Arsenic in drinking water in Vietnam. Draft, March.
Abstract: The occurrence of arsenic in drinking water sourced from
groundwater is emerging as a problem in Vietnam, and other Mekong
countries. In Bangladesh and West Bengal, arsenic has typically been
found in tubewells at considerable depths. In Vietnam and other
Mekong countries the arsenic occurs in both deep and shallow
groundwater. The paper canvasses options for addressing the problem
in Vietnam.
Full text at:
http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/pdf/health/ArsenicV.pdf
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Abedin M.J. and Meharg A.A., 2002: Relative toxicity of arsenite and
arsenate on germination and early seedling growth of rice (Oryza
sativa L.). Plant and Soil, June, 243(1), pp. 57-66.
[No online abstract found. Full text is available online to
purchasers and subscribers at:
http://www.ingenta.
com/isis/searching/Availability/ingenta?pub=infobi
ke://klu/plso/2002/00000243/00000001/05088022&unc=
1023894747&targetId=1039842369204&WebLogicSession=
Pfq8QdzijNPBtgT3Eito|4861733672597450598/-10528143
29/6/7051/7051/7052/7052/7051/-1 ]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Alam M.G.M.; Allinson G.; Stagnitti F.; Tanaka A.; Westbrooke M.,
2002: Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh groundwater: a major
environmental and
social disaster. International Journal of Environmental Health
Research, 1 September 2002, 12(3), pp. 235-253.
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Anawar, H. M.; Komaki, K.; Akai, J.; Takada, J.; Ishizuka, T.;
Takahashi, T.; Yoshioka, T. and Kato, K., 2002: Diagenetic control
on arsenic partitioning in sediments of the Meghna River delta,
Bangladesh. Environmental Geology, Vol. 41 (7), 816-825.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Anawar, H. M.; Akai, J.; Komaki, K.; Terao, H.; Yoshioka, T.; Toshio
Ishizuka, T.; Safiullah, S.; Kato, K., 2003: Geochemical occurrence
of arsenic in groundwater of Bangladesh: sources and mobilization
processes. Journal of Geochemical Exploration (in press, online
available by Science Direct).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
DeMarco, M.J., SenGupta, A.K. and Greenleaf, J.E., 2003: Arsenic
removal using a polymeric/inorganic hybrid sorbent. Water Research
37, 164-176.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Desesso, John M., 2001: Teratogen update - inorganic arsenic.
Teratology 63, 170-173.
Abstract: Background - Inorganic arsenic has been used by many
laboratories to study the pathogenesis of exencephaly in rodents.
These studies, which used predominantly injection exposures, coupled
with the paucity of epidemiology data, resulted in the erroneous
inference that inorganic arsenic should be considered a human
teratogen.
Methods - This study assembles and assesses literature analyses of
older human and animal investigations together with the results of
new experimental studies. These recent studies were performed
according to modern regulatory guidelines, and relevant exposure
routes (inhalation and ingestion) were used to evaluate the potential
risk of developmental effects in humans.
Results - The existing epidemiological data are inadequate to support
risk assessment because of the failure to confirm or measure arsenic
exposure during early gestation and the deficiencies in accounting
for potential confounding factors. The animal data revealed that
inorganic arsenic caused malformations in offspring only when it was
injected into the veins or peritoneal cavity of pregnant animals
during early gestation. Exposure via inhalation or oral ingestion,
even at concentrations that were nearly fatal to pregnant females,
caused no arsenic-related malformations. Conclusions: Inorganic
arsenic poses virtually no danger to developing offspring when
maternal exposure occurs by relevant routes (oral and inhalation) at
concentrations that are likely to be experienced in the environment
or in the workplace.
Rest at:
http://www.teratology.org/updates/64pg170.pdf
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Frisbie, Seth H; Ortega, Richard; Maynard, Donald M; Sarkar,
Bibudhendra, 2002: The concentrations of arsenic and other toxic
elements in Bangladesh's drinking water. Environmental Health
Perspectives 110(11), 1147-1153.
Abstract: For drinking water, the people of Bangladesh used to rely
on surface water, which was often contaminated with bacteria causing
diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, and other life-threatening diseases. To
reduce the incidences of these diseases, millions of tubewells were
installed in Bangladesh since independence in 1971. This recent
transition from surface water to groundwater has significantly
reduced deaths from waterborne pathogens; however, new evidence
suggests disease and death from arsenic (As) and other toxic elements
in groundwater are affecting large areas of Bangladesh. In this
evaluation, the areal and vertical distribution of As and 29 other
inorganic chemicals in groundwater were determined throughout
Bangladesh. This study of 30 analytes per sample and 112 samples
suggests that the most significant health risk from drinking
Bangladesh's tubewell water is chronic As poisoning. The As
concentration ranged from < 0.0007 to 0.64 mg/L, with 48% of samples
above the 0.01 mg/L World Health Organization drinking water
guideline. Furthermore, this study reveals unsafe levels of
manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr). Our
survey also suggests that groundwater with unsafe levels of As, Mn,
Pb, Ni, and Cr may extend beyond Bangladesh's border into the four
adjacent and densely populated states in India. In addition to the
health risks from individual toxins, possible multimetal synergistic
and inhibitory effects are discussed. Antimony was detected in 98%
of the samples from this study and magnifies the toxic effects of As.
In contrast, Se and Zn were below our detection limits in large
parts of Bangladesh and prevent the toxic effects of As.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Habib, M. A.; Miono, S.; Sera, K.; Futatsugawa, S., 2002: PIXE
[particle induced x-ray emission] analysis of hair in arsenic
pollution, Bangladesh. International Journal of Pixe, 12(1/2), 19-34.
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Harvey, Charles F., Asish R. Basu, Stein B. Jacobsen, Robert J.
Poreda, Carolyn B. Dowling, and Pradeep K. Aggarwal, 2002:
Groundwater flow in the Ganges delta. Science May 31; 296: 1563 (in
Technical Comments). At
http://www.sciencemag.org
/cgi/content/full/296/5573/1563a?maxtoshow=&HITS=1
50&hits=150&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=arsenic&searchi
d=1042686999665_1152&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&f
date=1/1/2002&tdate=12/31/2002
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Harvey, Charles F.; Swartz, Christopher H.; Badruzzaman, A.B.M.;
Keon-Blute, Nicole; Yu, Winston; Ali, M. Ashraf; Jay, Jenny; Beckie,
Roger; Niedan, Volker; Brabander, Daniel; Oates, Peter M.; Ashfaque,
Khandaker N.; Islam, Shafiqul; Hemond, Harold F.; Ahmed, M. Feroze,
2002: Arsenic mobility and groundwater extraction in Bangladesh,
Science, v. 298, p.1602-1606.
Abstract: High levels of arsenic in well water are causing
widespread poisoning in Bangladesh. In a typical aquifer in southern
Bangladesh, chemical data imply that arsenic mobilization is
associated with recent inflow of carbon. High concentrations of
radiocarbon-young methane indicate that young carbon has driven
recent biogeochemical processes, and irrigation pumping is sufficient
to have drawn water to the depth where dissolved arsenic is at a
maximum. The results of .field injection of molasses, nitrate, and
low-arsenic water show that organic carbon or its degradation
products may quickly mobilize arsenic, oxidants may lower arsenic
concentrations, and sorption of arsenic is limited by saturation of
aquifer materials.
Full text at:
http://web.mit.edu/civenv/parsonsla
b/HarveySciBangladesh.pdf
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Jain, C. K., and I. Ali, 2000. Arsenic: occurrence, toxicity and
speciation techniques. Water Research, 34(17), 4304-4312. Abstract:
The occurrence of arsenic in natural water has received significant
attention during recent years. Arsenic exists in the environment in a
number of valency states. The valency state of arsenic plays an
important role for its behavior and toxicity in the aqueous system.
The toxicity and bioavailability of arsenic can only be determined if
all its forms can be identified and quantified. Therefore, the aim of
this article is to provide a general description of the occurrence of
arsenic in the environment, its toxicity, health hazards, and
measurement techniques for speciation analysis. Different techniques
used for speciation of arsenic, viz., spectrometric, chromatographic,
electrochemical, etc. have been discussed.
Abstract online, full text available to subscribers/purchasers, at
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleUR
L&_udi=B6V73-41C2PK6-V&_coverDate=12%2F31%2F2000&_
alid=0&_rdoc=1&_fmt=summary&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cd
i=5831&_sort=d&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVer
sion=0&_userid=10&md5=06181ce4de9a4c50ce5fb2d03895c67b .
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J. Mahata, A. Basu, S. Ghoshal, J.N. Sarkar, A.K. Roy, G. Poddar,
A.K. Nandyb, A. Banerjee, K. Raya, A.T. Natarajan c, R. Nilsson d,
A.K. Giri, 2002: Chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid
exchanges in individuals exposed to arsenic through drinking water in
West Bengal, India. Mutation Research 400559, 1-11.
Abstract: Arsenic contamination in groundwater has become a
worldwide problem. Currently an unprecedented number of people in
West Bengal, India and Bangladesh are exposed to the ubiquitous
toxicant via drinking water in exposure levels far exceeding the
maximum recommended limit laid down by WHO. This arsenic epidemic
has devastated nine districts of West Bengal encompassing an area of
38,865 km2 leading to various clinical manifestations of chronic
arsenicosis. We conducted a human bio-monitoring study using
chromosomal aberrations (CA) and sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) as
end points to explore the cytogenetic effects of chronic arsenic
toxicity in the population of North 24 Parganas, one of the arsenic
affected districts inWest Bengal. Study participants included 59
individuals residing in this district where the mean level (±S.E.)
of arsenic in drinking water (ug/l) was 211.70±15.28. As age
matched controls with similar socio-economic status we selected 36
healthy, asymptomatic individuals residing in two unaffected
districts-Midnapur and Howrah where the mean arsenic content ofwater
(ug/l) was 6.35±0.45. Exposurewas assessed by standardized
questionnaires and by detecting the levels of arsenic in
drinkingwater, nails, hair and urine samples. In the exposed group
the mean arsenic concentrations in nails (ug/g), hair (ug/g) and
urine (ug/l) samples were 9.04±0.78, 5.63±0.38 and
140.52±8.82, respectively, which were significantly high (P <
0.01) compared to the corresponding control values of 0.44±0.03,
0.30±0.02 and 5.91±0.49, respectively. Elevated mean values (P
< 0.01) of the percentage of aberrant cells (8.08%) and SCEs per cell
(7.26) were also observed in the exposed individuals in comparison to
controls (1.96% and 5.95, respectively). The enhanced rates of CAs
and SCEs among the residents of North 24 Parganas are indicative of
the cytogenetic damage due to long term exposure to arsenic through
consumption of contaminated water.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Meharg A.A. and Rahman M.M., 2003: Arsenic contamination of
Bangladesh paddy field soils: implications for rice contribution to
arsenic consumption. Environ. Sci. Technol., 37 (2), 229 -234.
Abstract: Arsenic contaminated groundwater is used extensively in
Bangladesh to irrigate the staple food of the region, paddy rice
(Oryza sativa L.). To determine if this irrigation has led to a
buildup of arsenic levels in paddy fields, and the consequences for
arsenic exposure through rice ingestion, a survey of arsenic levels
in paddy soils and rice grain was undertaken. Survey of paddy soils
throughout Bangladesh showed that arsenic levels were elevated in
zones where arsenic in groundwater used for irrigation was high, and
where these tube-wells have been in operation for the longest period
of time. Regression of soil arsenic levels with tube-well age was
significant. Arsenic levels reached 46 ug g-1 dry weight in the most
affected zone, compared to levels below 10 ug g-1 in areas with low
levels of arsenic in the groundwater. Arsenic levels in rice grain
from an area of Bangladesh with low levels of arsenic in groundwaters
and in paddy soils showed that levels were typical of other regions
of the world. Modeling determined, even these typical grain arsenic
levels contributed considerably to arsenic ingestion when drinking
water contained the elevated quantity of 0.1 mg L-1. Arsenic levels
in rice can be further elevated in rice growing on arsenic
contaminated soils, potentially greatly increasing arsenic exposure
of the Bangladesh population. Rice grain grown in the regions where
arsenic is building up in the soil had high arsenic concentrations,
with three rice grain samples having levels above 1.7 ug g-1.
Full text at:
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/article.cgi/esthag/200
3/37/i02/html/es0259842.html
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Mitra, A. K.; Bose, B. K.; Kabir, H.; Das, B. K.; Hussain, M., 2002:
Arsenic-related health problems among hospital patients in southern
Bangladesh. Journal of Health Population and Nutrition, 20(3),
198-204. [ICDDR,B researchers]
Abstract: To assess the health effects of arsenic poisoning and to
determine the relationship among duration and severity of skin
lesions, exposure dose of arsenic, and nutritional status of people,
150 patients attending the Dermatology Outpatients Department of
Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital, Barisal, Bangladesh, were
included in this cross-sectional study. The study was conducted
during January-December 2000. Records of patients were collected
prospectively using a pre-tested questionnaire, which included
information on demography, sources of water for drinking and cooking,
duration and amount of drinking-water obtained from shallow
tubewells, clinical presentations, complications, and physical and
laboratory findings. Water samples from tubewells currently being
used by individual patients were examined. Nine percent of the
patients were unaware that arsenic-contaminated water causes
diseases. Due to lack of alternative water supplies, 25% of the
subjects were still drinking water from contaminated tubewells.
About 18% did not complain of any clinical symptoms, except that
their skin lesions were ugly-looking, and 82% had moderate or severe
skin lesions. Thirty-one percent of the water samples had arsenic
concentrations 10-fold higher than the permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L
in Bangladesh and 50-fold higher than the WHO guideline value of 0.01
mg/L. The mean arsenic concentration in water was significantly
associated with the severity of disease. Body mass index correlated
inversely (r = -0.298, p = 0.013) with the duration of disease after
controlling for age. The findings suggest the need to enhance public
awareness on negative health effects of arsenic poisoning in rural
Bangladesh. From a public-health perspective, effective intervention
strategies need to be developed to curb the exposure, strengthen
rapid diagnostic facilities, establish effective treatment facilities
in rural areas, and improve the nutritional status of people.
[Abstract at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez
/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12430755&dopt=Abstract ]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Debapriyo Mukherjee, Mrinalkumar Sengupta,
Uttam Kumar Chowdhury, Diliplodh, Chittaranjanchanda, Shibtoshroy,
Md. Selim, Quazi Quamruzzaman, Abul Hasnat Milton, S. M. Shahidullah,
Md. Tofizurrahman, and Dipankar Chakraborti, 2002. Effectiveness and
reliability of arsenic field testing kits: are the million dollar
screening projects effective or not? Environmental Science &
Technology, 36(24), 5385-5394.
Abstract: The exposure of millions to arsenic contaminated water
from hand tube wells is a major concern in many Asiatic countries.
Field kits are currently used to classify tube wells as delivering
arsenic below 50 Ìg/L (the recommended limit in developing
countries) as safe, painted green or above 50 Ìg/L, unsafe and
painted red. More than 1.3 million tube wells in Bangladesh alone
have been tested by field kits. A few million U.S. dollars have
already been spent and millions are waiting for the ongoing projects.
However, the reliability of the data generated through field kits is
now being questioned. Samples from 290 wells were tested by field
kits and by a reliable laboratory technique to
ascertain the reliability of field kits. False negatives were as
high as 68% and false positives up to 35%. A statistical analysis of
data from 240 and 394 other wells yielded similar rates. We then
analyzed 2866 samples from previously labeled wells and found 44.9%
mislabeling in the lower range (<50 Ìg/L) although mislabeling was
considerably reduced in the higher range. Variation of analytical
results due to analysts and replicates were pointed out adopting
analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Millions of dollars are
being spent without scientific validation of the field kit method.
Facts and figures demand improved, environmentally friendly
laboratory techniques to produce reliable data.
Full text at:
http://phys4.harvard.edu/~wilson/ES_and_T.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Rasul S.B.; Munir A.K.M.; Hossain Z.A.; Khan A.H.; Alauddin M.;
Hussam A., 2002: Electrochemical measurement and speciation of
inorganic arsenic in groundwater of Bangladesh. Talanta, 16 August,
58(1), pp. 33-43.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SenGupta, A.K. and Greenleaf, J.E. (2002). Chapter entitled " Arsenic
in subsurface water: its chemistry and removal" pp265-306 in
Environmental Separation of Heavy Metals (Ed. A. K. SenGupta). Lewis
Publishers, A CRC Press Co., Boca Raton, FL.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SenGupta, A.K., Gupta, A. and Deb, A. (2001) Arsenic crisis in Indian
subcontinent: local solution to a global problem. Water 21: IWA
Magazine, December, 2001: 34-37.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
USEPA, 2002: Proven alternatives for aboveground treatment of
arsenic in groundwater. Engineering Forum Issue Paper. October.
Available at
http://www.clu-in.org/download/techdr
ct/tdarsenic_issue_paper.pdf . The referring page is
http://clu-in.org/arsenic .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
USEPA, 2002: Arsenic treatment technologies for solid, waste, and
water. September. "The purpose of this report is to provide a
synopsis of the availability, performance, and cost of 13 arsenic
treatment technologies for soil, water, and waste....This report is
intended to be used as a screening tool for arsenic treatment
technologies. It provides descriptions of the theory, design, and
operation of the technologies; information on commercial availability
and use; performance and cost data, where available; and a discussion
of factors affecting effectiveness and cost. As a technology
overview document, the information can serve as a starting point for
identifying options for arsenic treatment. The feasibility of
particular technologies will depend heavily on site-specific factors,
and final treatment and remedy decisions will require further
analysis, expertise, and possibly treatability studies." Available
at
http://www.clu-in.org/download/techdrct/tdarsenic_report.pdf . The
referring page is
http://clu-in.org/arsenic .
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yost, L.J., R.A. Schoof, and R. Aucoin. 1998. Intake of inorganic
arsenic in the North American diet. Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess.
4:137-152.
=====================================================================
NEW & NEWLY DISCOVERED WEB SITES & WEB PAGES
UPDATED WEBSITES & WEB PAGES
-----------------------------------------------------------------
British Geological Survey News Release: Bangladesh claims against the
British Geological Survey. 28 Aug 2002. At http:
//www.bgs.ac.uk/scripts/news/view_news.cfm?id=116.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
British Geological Survey Briefing: Bangladesh claims against the
British Geological Survey. 14 Aug 2002. At http:
//www.bgs.ac.uk/scripts/briefings/view_brief.cfm?id=166
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Website & "Arsenic 2002" Report From NGOs Arsenic Information &
Support Unit of the NGO Forum For Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation
"It is our pleasure to inform you that NGOs Arsenic Information &
Support Unit (NAISU) has recently launched a web site
(
http://www.naisu.info). We have also published 'Arsenic 2002, an
overview on arsenic issues in Bangladesh' [an update of WaterAid's
Arsenic 2000] which was an outcome of the integrated efforts of all
relevant organizations working on arsenic has been live up on this
web site. You are most cordially invited to visit the web site.
['Arsenic 2002' is available online at
http://www.naisu.info/final_arsenic_2002.pdf and
http://www.naisu.info/arsenic_2002.htm
"We like to express our utmost gratitude to all who extended their
kind cooperation for the development of the document 'Arsenic 2002'"
"Your any further comments on the document 'Arsenic 2002' will be
highly appreciated."
Dr. Ziaul Hasan Rumi
Technical Specialist
NGOs Arsenic Information & Support Unit (NAISU),
NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply & Sanitation
Email ziahasan @ ngof.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Telefilm on Arsenic Poisoning - Bangladesh
Communication Initiative website, 15 September 2001
Summary: The Asian Development Bank has given a grant to the
Bangladesh NGO, FEMCOM, to produce a television film to raise
awareness about arsenic poisoning, its symptoms and how it can be
prevented. The project involves production of 5 25-minute episodes of
a telefilm entitled, "Water is Life, Water is Death." The final
product will be broadcast on TV and disseminated to community groups
and NGOs.
Main Communication Strategies: 5 25-minute episodes of a telefilm.
The episodes will show i) how water is tested for arsenic
contamination, ii) alternative sources of safe drinking water, iii)
symptoms of arsenicosis iv) cures for arsenicosis, v) social costs of
arsenicosis, vi) the role of men and women in managing drinking water
supplies, and vii) social support for victims of arsenicosis.
The film is intended for a general audience in Bangladesh and is
presented in the form of a story. The story begins with a village
girl who was very popular amongst the children because she used to
tale stories about fairies, and ghosts from underground. A boy of a
neighboring village is smitten with her. The parents of the boy
propose their marriage. At the registration of the marriage, the
father of the groom discovers some spots in the bride's hands.
Afterwards the marriage proposal was cancelled. In the story many
such "cases" come forward and social issues are dealt with. In the
process, engineers test the water in tube wells, mark the affected
ones in red and the other ones in green, doctors treat patients who
are at the primary stage of the disease, there is discussion and
demonstration of the less expensive local food, nutrition issues,
need for testing the tube wells every six months, and low cost
technology with pitchers and buckets for reducing contamination.
The film has been developed as a story of rural areas like Bangla
movies, not as a documentary or educational video. The film
incorporates information and messages along the story line. The film
is in Bangla, with plans for English subtitles - some channels in
India have shown interest as some areas of India are also affected by
arsenic.
Partners: Asian Development Bank and FEMCOM. Source Letters from
Bartlet W. Edes (8/12/01) and Ferdousi Sultana (8/15/01) to The
Communication Initiative.
For more information contact: Ferdousi Sultana fsultana @ adb.org OR
Nargis Akhter, Director, FEMCOM femcom @ bangla.net.
At:
http://www.comminit.com/pds9-2001/sld-2998.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Household Sand Filtration Construction and Production Guidelines
Website
Medair, a Swiss NGO active in relief and development work, has
recently added technical information on household sand filtration to
their website.
The information includes blueprints, construction guidelines,
material lists and a very detailed photo guide, providing all
information necessary for the fabrication of household level slow
sand filters, as well as the mould necessary for producing these
concrete filters.
Medair has implemented successful sand filter projects in Machakos
District, Kenya and in Mozambique. Preparations are underway for a
similar programme in Madagascar.
In Kenya six local technicians were trained in construction,
maintenance and marketing of the filters. After one year 400 filters
had been sold to rural households. After Medair withdrew its support,
two technicians continued the project. By Jan 2002 they had sold over
1,000 filters and opened 4 new workshops in additional villages.
Web address:
http://www.medair.org/MEDAIR%20Sand%2
0Filtration%20Pages/default.htm
Contact: Adriaan Mol, Medair Madagascar adriaan_mol @ hotmail.com or
fortdauphin @ medair.automail.com ; Jitu Patani, Titan Industries,
Nairobi, Kenya, jawaharpatani @ hotmail.com ; Cleo Wiesent-Brandsma,
Consultant, Nairobi, Kenya, brandsma @ iconnect.co.ke
=====================================================================
NEW & NEWLY DISCOVERED REAL WORLD STUFF
Offline-only print publications & newsletters, videos, research in
progress, test kits, removal technologies, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
BOOK: Small Community Water Supplies: Technology, People and
Partnership
Edited by Jo Smet and Christine van Wijk
In 1981 IRC first published Small Community Water Supplies and the
book has been a regular bestseller. A large part of its appeal has
been that it is one of the few textbooks to link water supply science
and technology with the specific needs of small communities in
developing countries. This completely revised edition with
contributions from 29 authors from different countries provides a
general introduction to a wide range of technologies. Among the
topics covered are: planning and management of small water supplies,
community water supplies in Central and Eastern European countries,
water quality and quantity, integrated water resources management,
artificial recharge, rainwater harvesting, spring water tapping,
groundwater withdrawal, water lifting, surface water intake, water
treatment, aeration, coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation,
multi-stage filtration, desalination technology, disinfection,
household level water treatment, technologies for arsenic and iron
removal from ground water, and emergency and disaster water supply.
Target audience: Engineers and other staff involved in water supply
programmes and projects, and students
Published with financial support from the Ministry of Housing,
Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Netherlands.
Series: Technical Paper no 40, 585 pages, 270 technical
illustrations, references. EUR34.
Can be ordered online at
http://www.irc.nl/product
s/publications/title.php?id=147
=====================================================================
PUBLICATION & OTHER DETAILS
+ ACN is published by Sara Bennett from Dhaka. Publication schedule:
irregular.
+ ACN items may be freely reprinted with this attribution: "Source:
ACN Arsenic Crisis News - web
http://bicn.com/acic - email acic @
bicn.com"
+ ACIC/ACN encourages all arsenic crisis stakeholders to submit
information by to email acic @ bicn.com
+ Other arsenic information services:
Discussion group at egroups.com -
arsenic-crisis - combines former groups arsenic-source,
arsenic-safewater, and arsenic-medical
Website -
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Includes links to conferences, major media coverage,
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organizations, etc. with site search capability.
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urceid=32390&categoryid=rn_home
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