Causes and distribution of arsenic contamination in Bangladesh: evidence from the literature

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Nahar
Keyword(s):  
Water Policy ◽  
Human Error ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Pyrite Oxidation ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Precautionary Measure ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Tube Wells

In attempting to eliminate disease caused by drinking polluted surface water, millions of tube-wells were drilled in Bangladesh. However, owing to arsenic in groundwater, the availability of safe drinking water has declined from earlier achievement of 97% to 51.2%. This article reviews the causes and distribution of arsenic concentration in rural Bangladesh from a wide variety of literature. Scientists have converged to two hypotheses for causes of arsenic in groundwater: the pyrite oxidation hypothesis and the oxy-hydroxide reduction hypothesis. There is a positive correlation between arsenic content in irrigated groundwater and arsenic contained in soils. There is a significant presence of arsenic in rice and leafy vegetables. Today, arsenic is causing toxicity to human health and creating major social problems. This finding implies that, had there been a precautionary measure taken when a new technology tube-well was being introduced, in the form of testing water for harmful metals, the risk that the rural population is facing now could have been drastically reduced. This lack of precautionary measure, before starting a mass installation of tube-wells for drinking and irrigation should be seen as a “human error” and avoided in future water policy and planning.

scholarly journals The controlling of paleo-riverbed migration on Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the Red River Delta, Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-175
Author(s):  
Dang Tran Trung ◽  
Nguyen Thi Nhan ◽  
Than Van Don ◽  
Nguyen Kim Hung ◽  
Jolanta Kazmierczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Modeling ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Red River ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
Arsenic Mobilization ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Combination Of Methods

In the Red River Delta, the concentrations of Arsenic in groundwater of alluvial dominated systems are very high, exceeding the WHO’s permissible. The correlation between the Arsenic concentrations in groundwater and the age of Holocene sediment as a key controlling groundwater Arsenic concentration in the Red River delta has been investigated. The evolution of sediments in the Holocene is closely related to paleo-riverbed migration in the past. A combination of methods is implemented including remote sensing, multi-electrode profiling (MEP), gamma-logging, drilling, soil sample and groundwater modeling. The resul has identified the shape, sediment compositions and location of the six paleo-riverbed periods. The age of the paleo-riverbed is determined by drilling, soil sampling and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) in the laboratory. The oldest sediments is 5.9±0.4 ka BP in Phung Thuong near the mountain, the youngest one is from 0.4÷0.6 ka BP in H-transect near the Red River and the rest of the other is around 3.5 ka BP. The modeling results by using MODFLOW and MT3D show that the dynamics of paleo-riverbeds controlling Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the Red River Delta. When the river moved to another position, the current river position at that time was filled with younger sediments and became paleo-riverbed formation with reducing conditions, Arsenic content which was adsorbed in the previous stage then released into groundwater. Therefore, Arsenic concentration in groundwater of young Holocene sediments is higher than in older ones which elucidates that paleo-riverbed migration controls on Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the study area.

scholarly journals The controlling of paleo-riverbed migration on Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the Red River Delta, Vietnam

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-175
Author(s):  
Dang Tran Trung ◽  
Nguyen Thi Nhan ◽  
Than Van Don ◽  
Nguyen Kim Hung ◽  
Jolanta Kazmierczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Groundwater Modeling ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Red River ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
Arsenic Mobilization ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Combination Of Methods

In the Red River Delta, the concentrations of Arsenic in groundwater of alluvial dominated systems are very high, exceeding the WHO’s permissible. The correlation between the Arsenic concentrations in groundwater and the age of Holocene sediment as a key controlling groundwater Arsenic concentration in the Red River delta has been investigated. The evolution of sediments in the Holocene is closely related to paleo-riverbed migration in the past. A combination of methods is implemented including remote sensing, multi-electrode profiling (MEP), gamma-logging, drilling, soil sample and groundwater modeling. The resul has identified the shape, sediment compositions and location of the six paleo-riverbed periods. The age of the paleo-riverbed is determined by drilling, soil sampling and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) in the laboratory. The oldest sediments is 5.9±0.4 ka BP in Phung Thuong near the mountain, the youngest one is from 0.4÷0.6 ka BP in H-transect near the Red River and the rest of the other is around 3.5 ka BP. The modeling results by using MODFLOW and MT3D show that the dynamics of paleo-riverbeds controlling Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the Red River Delta. When the river moved to another position, the current river position at that time was filled with younger sediments and became paleo-riverbed formation with reducing conditions, Arsenic content which was adsorbed in the previous stage then released into groundwater. Therefore, Arsenic concentration in groundwater of young Holocene sediments is higher than in older ones which elucidates that paleo-riverbed migration controls on Arsenic mobilization in groundwater in the study area.

scholarly journals Spatial distribution of arsenic in groundwater in the northwestern Hanoi

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Thi Duyen Vu ◽  
◽  
Thi Mai Tran ◽  
Thi Kim Trang Pham ◽  
Mai Lan Vi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Red River ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Red River Delta ◽  
Arsenic Distribution ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater ◽  
Guideline Value ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Major River

Arsenic contamination in groundwater is commonly found in alluvial plains of major river basins, in which the Red river delta has also been reported to be contaminated with high levels of arsenic. In this study, groundwater from 50 household wells was collected to study the spatial distribution of arsenic in northwestern Hanoi. The results showed that arsenic concentration in groundwater varied in a wide range of less than 5 to 334 μg/l, of which up 62% of the wells exceeded the WHO guideline value of 10 μg/l for arsenic content in drinking water. Arsenic groundwater in this area is unevenly distributed throughout the area, high arsenic concentrations are found in a narrow band between Red river and Day river. This pattern of arsenic distribution is strongly related to the sediment age, sedimentary processes, and it is also modified by local groundwater flow parts and the occurrence of hydraulic connection between aquifers, which are observed in the study area. Arsenic is released into the groundwater during the reductive dissolution of arsenic-bearing minerals under the presence of organic matter.

Growth Effect and Accumulation of as on / in Two Vegetables in Three Types of Chinese Soil

2011 ◽  
Vol 347-353 ◽  
pp. 2048-2053
Author(s):  
Qing Bao Gu ◽  
Chang Sheng Peng ◽  
Qian Zhang ◽  
Fa Sheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Black Soil ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Growth Effect ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Arsenic Uptake ◽  
Soil Arsenic ◽  
Different Types

Greenhouse trials with brassica camprestris (BC) and raphanns sativns (RS) grown in three types of Chinese soils (Henan fluvo-aquic soil; Jilin black soil; and Hunan red soil) were conducted to evaluate the growth effect and accumulation of As on/in vegetables resulting from different arsenic contents in soils. The arsenic uptake rate of the vegetables response to type of soils and investigated plant species as well. Experimental results show that low arsenic content in soil has no effect on vegetable growth, but promote the biomass of vegetables. However, higher arsenic concentrations in soils lead to decrease in growth of both leaf- and root systems of the vegetables, especially when arsenic concentration is above 90 mg kg-1 in the soil. Arsenic levels in soils and vegetables correlated positively according to the experimental results. The tests also reveal that vegetables grown in alkali soils may accumulate more arsenic than that in acid soils, which suggests that arsenic in different types of soil may have different impacts on vegetables even with the same concentration. Arsenic concentration in RS is always higher than that in BC during the experiments, which indicates root vegetables may, have greater ability for arsenic uptake from soil than leafy vegetables potentially.

As(III) Removal by Dynamic Adsorption onto Amberlite XAD7 Functionalized with Crown Ether and Doped with Fe(III) Ions

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (7) ◽  
pp. 2330-2334
Author(s):  
Mihaela Ciopec ◽  
Adina Negrea ◽  
Narcis Duteanu ◽  
Corneliu Mircea Davidescu ◽  
Iosif Hulka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adsorption Process ◽  
Arsenic Removal ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Fixed Bed ◽  
World Health ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Arsenic Adsorption ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Organization

Arsenic content in groundwater�s present a wide range of concentration, ranging from hundreds of micrograms to thousands of micrograms of arsenic per litter, while the maximum permitted arsenic concentration established by World Health Organization (WHO) is 10 mg L-1. According to the WHO all people, regardless of their stage of development and their social economic condition, have the right to have access to adequate drinking water. The most efficient and economic technique used for arsenic removal is represented by adsorption. In order to make this remediation technique more affordable and environmentally friendly is important to new materials with advance adsorbent properties. Novelty of present paper is represented by the usage of a new adsorbent material obtained by physical - chemical modification of Amberlite XAD polymers using crown ethers followed by iron doping, due to well-known affinity of arsenic for iron ions. Present paper aims to test the obtained modified Amberlite polymer for arsenic removal from real groundwater by using adsorption in a fixed bed column, establishing in this way a mechanism for the adsorption process. During experimental work was studied the influence of competing ions from real water into the arsenic adsorption process.

scholarly journals Transfer of Arsenic from Groundwater and Paddy Soil to Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Grain: A Micro Level Study in Chandina, Comilla

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Habibur Rahman ◽  
Md. Mohashin Farazi ◽  
Kohinoor Begum ◽  
Md. Serazul Islam
Keyword(s):  
Oryza Sativa ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Agricultural Soil ◽  
Oryza Sativa L ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Permissible Limit ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Soil Arsenic ◽  
Micro Level

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the major food crops in many countries. As the cultivation of rice requires huge volume of water, long term use of Arsenic contaminated groundwater for irrigation may result in the increase of arsenic concentration in the agricultural soil and eventually accumulation in rice grains. A micro level study was conducted to investigate the transfer of arsenic from irrigation water and soil to rice plants in the arsenic affected 8 unions of Chandina upazilla, Comilla district. The level of arsenic in irrigation water (0.12±0.08 and 0.67±0.07 mg l-1) was much above the WHO permissible limit of 0.01 mg l-1 for drinking water and FAO permissible limit of 0.10 mg l-1 for irrigation water. The total soil arsenic concentrations ranged from 3.21±0.80 to 8.74±2.83 mg kg-1 dry weight of soil, which was below the maximum acceptable limit for agricultural soil of 20.0 mg kg-1 as recommended by the European Community. The accumulation of arsenic in the grain ranged from 0.12±0.04 to 0.58±0.06 mg kg-1 in Boro and 0.16±0.04 to 1.06±0.20 mg kg-1 in T. Aman. Except grain sample (T. Aman) of one union, the grains in both Boro and T. Aman of all unions did not exceed 1.0 mg kg-1 dry weight of arsenic (the permissible limit of arsenic in rice according to WHO recommendation). Thus, till now rice has remained harmless for consumption in the study area. The results clearly showed that the arsenic content in the grains of Boro rice is correlated to the intensity of arsenic contamination of irrigation water and soil. The Agriculturists 2014; 12(2) 74-82

Pilot-Scale Performance of Iron and Arsenic Removal from Contaminated Groundwater

2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biswaranjan Manna ◽  
Uday Chand Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Arsenic Removal ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Cost Evaluation ◽  
Contaminated Groundwater ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Hand Pump ◽  
Excess Iron ◽  
Tube Wells ◽  
Performance Results

Abstract Pilot-scale performance in reducing excess iron and arsenic from contaminated groundwater has been systematically reported. Here, a double column unit, the first packed with β-MnO2 and the second with crystalline FeOOH (goethite variety), with filters attached to the outlet of hand-pump tube-wells has been used in the field. Results showed that the filters generate 10,000 to 15,000 BV and 19,000 to 35,000 BV water with iron ≤ 0.3 mg/L and arsenic ≤10 µg/L from groundwater having influent iron and arsenic levels of 3.75 to 7.25 mg/L and 70 to 220 µg/L, respectively. The downflow rate of effluent water was 237.6 to 305.5 L/m2-min. The performance results were achieved with a single charging of the iron and arsenic removal media. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests of the waste (arsenic content: 2.4 g/kg) showed that it is not hazardous to the environment and does not pose any risk to users. Cost evaluation showed $US0.50 to 0.70 per 1000 gallons of treated water and, hence, the technology is cost-effective for countries such as India and Bangladesh.

scholarly journals Interaction of Arsenic with Zinc and Organics in a Rice (Oryza sativaL.)–Cultivated Field in India

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 646-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilip Kumar Das ◽  
T. K. Garai ◽  
S. Sarkar ◽  
Pintu Sur
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Zinc Sulfate ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Arsenic Concentration ◽  
Growth Period ◽  
Weight Basis ◽  
Arsenic Content ◽  
Farm Yard Manure ◽  
Continuous Flooding ◽  
Soil Weight

A laboratory experiment on an Inceptisol with pH 7.6, organic carbon 6.8 g kg–1, and 0.5MNaHCO3extractable arsenic 0.4 mg kg–1was conducted to study the interaction effect of graded levels of arsenic (0, 5, and 10 mg kg–1) with zinc (0, 10, and 20 mg kg–1) and organics (0, 1, and 2% on soil weight basis) separately on the mobilization of arsenic in soils.The results show that the amount of 0.5MNaHCO3extractable arsenic at pH 8.5 increased with the progress of submergence up to 35 days. However, the increase in arsenic concentration was correlated with decreasing application of graded levels of Zn as zinc sulfate. The intensity of reduction varied with varying levels of Zn, being higher (0.73–2.72 mg kg–1) in the treatment where Zn was at 10 mg kg–1and lower (0.70–1.08 mg kg–1) with Zn at 20 mg kg–1application.The amount of arsenic content in the soil significantly decreased with the application of varying levels of organics. However, such depressive effect was found more pronounced with well-decomposed farm yard manure than that of vermicompost. The results of field experiments showed that the grain yield between continuous flooding (4.84 t ha–1) and intermittent flooding up to 40 days after transplanting then continuous flooding (4.83 t ha–1) with the application of ZnSO4at 25 kg ha–1did not vary. The lowest grain yield (3.65 t ha–1) was recorded in the treatment where intermittent flooding was maintained throughout the growth period without the application of Zn. The amount of arsenic content was, however, recorded much lower in the treatment where intermittent flooding throughout the growth period was maintained with ZnSO4.

New Technology and Human Error

1989 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Abigail Sellen ◽  
Donald A. Norman ◽  
Jens Rasmussen ◽  
Keith Duncan ◽  
Jacques Leplat
Keyword(s):  
Human Error ◽  
New Technology
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