Arsenic Contaminated Groundwater and Its Treatment Options in Bangladesh

Abstract

Arsenic (As) causes health concerns due to its significant toxicity and worldwide presence in drinking water and groundwater. The major sources of As pollution may be natural process such as dissolution of As-containing minerals and anthropogenic activities such as percolation of water from mines, etc. The maximum contaminant level for total As in potable water has been established as 10 µg/L. Among the countries facing As contamination problems, Bangladesh is the most affected. Up to 77 million people in Bangladesh have been exposed to toxic levels of arsenic from drinking water. Therefore, it has become an urgent need to provide As-free drinking water in rural households throughout Bangladesh. This paper provides a comprehensive overview on the recent data on arsenic contamination status, its sources and reasons of mobilization and the exposure pathways in Bangladesh. Very little literature has focused on the removal of As from groundwaters in developing countries and thus this paper aims to review the As removal technologies and be a useful resource for researchers or policy makers to help identify and investigate useful treatment options. While a number of technological developments in arsenic removal have taken place, we must consider variations in sources and quality characteristics of As polluted water and differences in the socio-economic and literacy conditions of people, and then aim at improving effectiveness in arsenic removal, reducing the cost of the system, making the technology user friendly, overcoming maintenance problems and resolving sludge management issues.

Assessing correlations between geological hazards and health outcomes: Addressing complexity in medical geology

“…As an example, chronic exposure to arsenic can lead to skin lesions and skin cancer (Naujokas et al, 2013), but in areas with high arsenic concentrations in water supplies, water can be treated within households, which acts to modify exposure levels and subsequent risk of disease over time (Jiang et al, 2012). These individual or household-level variations in exposure have the potential to weaken observed correlations between environmental components and health outcomes, resulting in incorrect interpretations.…”

Introductory Chapter: Serious Pollution of Soil and Groundwater and the Necessity of Bioremediation

“…However, As production rapidly increased because Ga-As and Se-As semiconductors were widely used in cellphones, personal computers, and other appliances, and the mining industry that had to produce As were rapidly increasing accompanied by the increased demand. As a result, huge amounts of crude ore, sediments, wastewater, and emission gasses containing As contaminated rivers, groundwater, and soil [25,26]. Serious health damage has occurred in inhabitants living in areas that surround mining industries.…”

Managing Water and Soils to Achieve Adaptation and Reduce Methane Emissions and Arsenic Contamination in Asian Rice Production

“…Based on an extensive, 14-year study of tubewells in Bangladesh, Chakraborti et al [256] suggest that as many as 36 million and 22 million residents might be drinking water from wells with arsenic concentrations in excess of 10 µg per liter and 50 µg per liter, respectively. The latter concentration is the current national drinking water standard for arsenic in Bangladesh, which several authors suggest is not sufficiently restrictive [257][258][259].…”