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Arsenic poisoning of Bangladesh groundwater

Author

Listed:
  • Ross Nickson

    (Geological Sciences, University College London)

  • John McArthur

    (Geological Sciences, University College London)

  • William Burgess

    (Geological Sciences, University College London)

  • Kazi Matin Ahmed

    (University of Dhaka)

  • Peter Ravenscroft

    (Mott MacDonald International Ltd)

  • Mizanur Rahmanñ

    (GWCII, Bangladesh Water Development Board)

Abstract

In Bangladesh and West Bengal, alluvial Ganges aquifers used for public water supply are polluted with naturally occurring arsenic, which adversely affects the health of millions of people. Here we show that the arsenic derives from the reductive dissolution of arsenic-rich iron oxyhydroxides, which in turn are derived from weathering of base-metal sulphides. This finding means it should now be possible, by sedimentological study of the Ganges alluvial sediments, to guide the placement of new water wells so they will be free of arsenic.

Suggested Citation

  • Ross Nickson & John McArthur & William Burgess & Kazi Matin Ahmed & Peter Ravenscroft & Mizanur Rahmanñ, 1998. "Arsenic poisoning of Bangladesh groundwater," Nature, Nature, vol. 395(6700), pages 338-338, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:395:y:1998:i:6700:d:10.1038_26387
    DOI: 10.1038/26387
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    Cited by:

    1. Aziz, Sonia & Boyle, Kevin & Akanda, Ali S. & Hanifi, M.A. & Pakhtigian, Emily L., 2022. "Early Warning Systems, Mobile Technology, and Cholera Aversion: Evidence from Rural Bangladesh," RFF Working Paper Series 22-24, Resources for the Future.
    2. Dipankar Chakraborti & Sushant K. Singh & Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman & Rathindra Nath Dutta & Subhas Chandra Mukherjee & Shyamapada Pati & Probir Bijoy Kar, 2018. "Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in the Ganga River Basin: A Future Health Danger," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Viet, P. H. & Con, T. H. & Ha, C. T. & Tin, N. V. & Berg, M. & Giger, W. & Schertenleib, R., 2003. "Arsenic removal technologies for drinking water in Vietnam," Conference Papers h033502, International Water Management Institute.
    4. Peter Atkins & Manzurul Hassan & Christine Dunn, 2007. "Environmental Irony: Summoning Death in Bangladesh," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(11), pages 2699-2714, November.
    5. Youngdae Yoon & Sunghoon Kim & Yooeun Chae & Yerin Kang & Youngshim Lee & Seung-Woo Jeong & Youn-Joo An, 2016. "Use of Tunable Whole-Cell Bioreporters to Assess Bioavailable Cadmium and Remediation Performance in Soils," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Faisal Hossain & Jason Hill & Amvrossios Bagtzoglou, 2007. "Geostatistically based management of arsenic contaminated ground water in shallow wells of Bangladesh," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 21(7), pages 1245-1261, July.
    7. Muhammad Bilal Shakoor & Nabeel Khan Niazi & Irshad Bibi & Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman & Ravi Naidu & Zhaomin Dong & Muhammad Shahid & Muhammad Arshad, 2015. "Unraveling Health Risk and Speciation of Arsenic from Groundwater in Rural Areas of Punjab, Pakistan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Tatsuya Makino & Keigo Noda & Keoduangchai Keokhamphui & Hiromasa Hamada & Kazuo Oki & Taikan Oki, 2016. "The Effects of Five Forms of Capital on Thought Processes Underlying Water Consumption Behavior in Suburban Vientiane," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-13, June.
    9. Mohammad A. Hoque & Adrian P. Butler, 2015. "Medical Hydrogeology of Asian Deltas: Status of Groundwater Toxicants and Nutrients, and Implications for Human Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-20, December.
    10. Khurshid Jahan & Anwar Zahid & Md Abul Ehsan Bhuiyan & Iqbal Ali, 2022. "A Resilient and Nature-Based Drinking Water Supply Source for Saline and Arsenic Prone Coastal Aquifers of the Bengal Delta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Wengeng Cao & Yu Ren & Qiuyao Dong & Zeyan Li & Shunyu Xiao, 2022. "Enrichment of High Arsenic Groundwater Controlled by Hydrogeochemical and Physical Processes in the Hetao Basin, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    12. Abu Mohd Naser & Thomas F. Clasen & Stephen P. Luby & Mahbubur Rahman & Leanne Unicomb & Kazi M. Ahmed & Solaiman Doza & Shadassa Ourshalimian & Howard H. Chang & Jennifer D. Stowell & K. M. Venkat Na, 2019. "Groundwater Chemistry and Blood Pressure: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-14, June.
    13. Laura A. Richards & Arun Kumar & Prabhat Shankar & Aman Gaurav & Ashok Ghosh & David A. Polya, 2020. "Distribution and Geochemical Controls of Arsenic and Uranium in Groundwater-Derived Drinking Water in Bihar, India," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    14. Madajewicz, Malgosia & Pfaff, Alexander & van Geen, Alexander & Graziano, Joseph & Hussein, Iftikhar & Momotaj, Hasina & Sylvi, Roksana & Ahsan, Habibul, 2007. "Can information alone change behavior? Response to arsenic contamination of groundwater in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 731-754, November.
    15. Tiffany VanDerwerker & Lin Zhang & Erin Ling & Brian Benham & Madeline Schreiber, 2018. "Evaluating Geologic Sources of Arsenic in Well Water in Virginia (USA)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-17, April.
    16. S. Chidambaram & R. Thilagavathi & C. Thivya & U. Karmegam & M. V. Prasanna & AL. Ramanathan & K. Tirumalesh & P. Sasidhar, 2017. "A study on the arsenic concentration in groundwater of a coastal aquifer in south-east India: an integrated approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 1015-1040, June.
    17. Zareena Begum I, 2012. "Arsenic Contamination in Water: A Conceptual Framework of Policy Options," Working Papers 2012-064, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    18. Con, T. H. & Hanh, N. T. & Berg, M. & Viet, P. H., 2003. "Release of arsenic from minerals to the water phase," Conference Papers h033501, International Water Management Institute.

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