Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in West Bengal: Current Scenario, Effects and Probable Ways of Mitigation

Abstract

During the past two decades, Arsenic (As) contamination via groundwater has become a serious issue worldwide and is now a major concern in the Indo-Bangladesh Gangetic delta. Arsenic enters human body through contaminated groundwater consumed as drinking water. Food safety in this region is also facing severe consequences as bio-accumulation of Arsenic is occurring in food crops irrigated with As-contaminated water. Chronic exposure to Arsenic can cause not only cancerous and non-cancer health effects. Reports suggest that about 20 % population in West Bengal is highly affected. Various techniques are being introduced to provide arsenic-free drinking water at an affordable cost. But a rigorous change in habit and mind set for procuring safe drinking water in those surviving in As-contaminated zones is the most essential step towards curbing the fatal consequences of As exposure. Harvesting rain water and utilization of proper purification techniques can be considered a possible alternative of safe drinking water.

Effects of arsenic on reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense system in tomato plants

“…Terms & Introduction Arsenic (As) is a natural soil pollutant which has become ecotoxicologically relevant due to its past use in various applications and industrial activities (Abedin, Feldmann, and Meharg 2002;Requejo and Tena 2005;Hughes et al 2011;Roy et al 2014). Ground water pollution by arsenic has raised serious concern around the world, especially in many parts of Asian countries such as Bangladesh, China, and India (Abedin, Feldman, and Meharg 2002;Ahsan, Lee, and Kim 2010;Abbas and Cheema 2014;Dey et al 2014). Plants represent the primary route through which arsenic enters food webs (Hartley-Whitaker, Ainsworth, and Meharg 2001).…”

Comparative study on the influence of silicon and selenium to mitigate arsenic induced stress by modulating TCA cycle, GABA, and polyamine synthesis in rice seedlings

“…Among others, the increasing volume of different heavy metals in groundwater is becoming a common cause of environmental and ecological toxicity across the globe, affecting agriculture and crop production in a large extend; these, in turn, further put the human food safety and health at risk. One common such carcinogenic metal is arsenic (As) which has overreached the tolerable limit (> 0.01 mg L − 1 ) in groundwater of many parts of the world, including Bangladesh (Das et al 2009) and India especially West Bengal (Dey et al 2014). The rice is extremely potent for As accumulation from soil due to its irrigation by As contaminated ground water.…”

Natural Dietary Compounds in the Treatment of Arsenic Toxicity

“…Avoiding the consumption of water contaminated by As is the first recommended step to counteract the phenomena of arsenicosis [ 7 , 17 , 18 ]. Chelation therapy is the most widely used method for arsenicosis treatment, but it is associated with hepatotoxicity, neurotoxicity, blood abnormalities, and other adverse effects [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”