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UNTESTED WELL WATER CAN CONTAIN ARSENIC IN SOME AREAS
THIS NEWSLETTER IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOTHING IN THIS CONTENT CONSTITUTES MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. ALWAYS CONSULT A QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL BEFORE MAKING ANY HEALTH RELATED DECISIONS.
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OKAY BACK TO THE VILLAGE WELL 🪣
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WELLS INSTALLED FOR PURE WATER 🚰
Millions Of Tubewells Were Installed In Bangladesh
They Were Meant To Provide What Was Called Pure Water
The Goal Was To Prevent Gastrointestinal Disease
Water From Those Tubewells Went Untested For Arsenic
Tubewells Are The Main Drinking Water Source In Rural Bangladesh
Arsenic Was First Identified In Tubewell Water In 1993
Bangladesh's Public Health Engineering Department Detected It
The Department Found Four Contaminated Tubewells In One Village
That Village Was Chamagram In Nawabganj District
Contamination Was Later Detected In Almost All Sedimentary Areas
Fifty Million People In Bangladesh Were Estimated To Be At Risk
The Exposure Risk Came From Drinking Contaminated Tubewell Water
A 2000 Paper In A WHO Journal Described Millions Of People Exposed
It Called This The Largest Poisoning Of A Population In History
The WHO Lists Other Countries With High Groundwater Arsenic Too
They Include India Mexico China And The United States
That Agency Estimates 140 Million People In At Least 70 Countries
Those People Have Been Drinking Water Above The WHO Guideline
That Guideline Is 10 Micrograms Per Litre And Is Provisional
Bangladesh's Fifty Million Figure Counts People At Risk Of Exposure
The WHO Figure Counts People Who Have Been Drinking Above It
These Two Numbers Measure Different Things
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HOW ARSENIC REACHES WATER AND RICE 🍚
A Review Explains Where Bangladesh's Groundwater Arsenic Comes From
The Country Is Largely Located On The Bengal Basin
That Basin Was Formed By The Ganga Brahmaputra And Meghna Rivers
Those Rivers Deposited Large Volumes Of Sediment Containing Arsenic
That Sediment Came Mainly From The Himalayas
Arsenic Is Leaching From These Sediments Into Groundwater
The Exact Way It Leaches Is Not Clear
Contamination Turns Up More Often In Tubewells 15 To 50 Metres Deep
It Is Not Common In Tubewells Deeper Than 150 Metres
In Some Areas It Is Also Found In More Deeply Installed Tubewells
Drinking Is Not The Only Way People Are Exposed
The WHO Also Names Water Used To Prepare Food
Water Used To Irrigate Food Crops Is On Its List Too
Crops Such As Rice Can Take Up Arsenic From Irrigation Water
Cooking Water Can Add Arsenic To A Meal
The Bangladesh Review Cites A Daily Intake For Contaminated Areas
That Estimate Was 1017.9 Micrograms Per Person Per Day
Rice And Vegetables Supplied 54.3% Of That Intake
Drinking Water Supplied The Other 45.7%
That Review Also Gives A Separate Figure For Water Alone In Men
It Reports Men There Ingest 1.734 Milligrams A Day From Water
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WHAT HEALTH AGENCIES SAY ABOUT WELLS 📋
The WHO Advises Keeping Arsenic As Low As Reasonably Possible
When Resources Allow It Also Calls For Levels Below The Guideline
Its Fact Sheet Lists Several Ways To Reduce Arsenic In Water
One Is Replacing High Arsenic Groundwater With Low Arsenic Sources
It Names Rainwater And Treated Surface Water
Both Are Described As Microbiologically Safe
Low Arsenic Water Can Then Be Used For Drinking Cooking And Irrigation
High Arsenic Water Can Be Used For Bathing And Washing Clothes
Testing Water For Arsenic Levels Is Another Suggestion
Tubewells Or Hand Pumps Can Then Be Painted Different Colours
That Tells High And Low Arsenic Sources Apart
The WHO Says This Can Be A Low Cost Way To Rapidly Reduce Exposure
That Is When Effective Education Comes With It
Blending Low Arsenic Water With Higher Arsenic Water Is Also Listed
Central Or Domestic Arsenic Removal Systems Are Listed As Well
In The United States Drinking Water Has Its Own Arsenic Limit
The Environmental Protection Agency Set It At 0.01 Parts Per Million
US Private Wells Are Not Regulated Under The Safe Drinking Water Act
Most State Governments And Laws Do Not Regulate Them Either
Private Well Owners Are Responsible For Safe Water At Home
The 2000 Paper Also Looked Beyond Bangladesh
It Said Drinking Groundwater Worldwide Should Be Tested
