Arsenic in groundwater in the Bengal Delta Plain: slow poisoning in Bangladesh

Arsenic in groundwater in the Bengal Delta Plain: slow poisoning in Bangladesh
复制标题

孟加拉三角洲平原地下水中的砷:孟加拉国缓慢中毒

DOI:
10.1139/a01-007
复制
发表时间:
2001
影响因子:
5.7
通讯作者:
Prosun Bhattacharya
Prosun Bhattacharya
中科院分区:
环境科学与生态学2区
文献类型:
--
作者:
A. Mukherjee;Prosun Bhattacharya

文献摘要

被引文献

相似文献

本文的目的是提供一个概述的问题,广泛发生的砷在孟加拉国的地下水,土地与大量的降水,地表水和地下水资源。由于地表水存在微生物污染的潜在风险,因此依赖地下水作为饮用水的替代来源。自1960年代以来,孟加拉国为提供安全饮用水和维持湿地农业,对地下水的开采急剧增加。地下水中砷的浓度升高,对该地区的公共健康构成严重威胁。居住在广大地区的近6000万至7500万人面临砷暴露的潜在风险,数千人已经受到慢性砷中毒的影响。地下水中砷的来源是地质成因的,并限制在全新世沉积含水层。从冲积含水层的砷的动员主要是通过沉积物内的铁氢氧化物的还原溶解机制,而不是由黄铁矿的氧化,已经假设的其他工人。在使用高砷地下水进行灌溉的地区,种植的蔬菜和水稻中砷的浓度也很高,这一事实进一步加剧了这一问题。居民的饮食习惯也是摄入砷的重要途径。目前正在国家和国际一级进行研究,以缓解孟加拉国的砷危机。除了在受影响地区确定无砷管井供饮用外,还建议采用低成本的除砷技术在家庭一级净化地下水。慢性砷中毒患者的康复和农村社区的砷教育计划必须由孟加拉国政府紧急解决。
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the problems concerning the widespread occurrences of arsenic in groundwater in Bangladesh, a land with enormous resources of precipitation, surface water, and groundwater. Because of the potential risk of microbiological contamination in the surface water, groundwater was relied on as an alternate source of drinking water. Exploitation of groundwater has increased dramatically in Bangladesh since the 1960s to provide safe water for drinking and to sustain wetland agriculture. The presence of arsenic in the groundwater at elevated concentrations has raised a serious threat to public health in the region. Nearly 60-75 million people inhabiting a large geographical area are at potential risk of arsenic exposure, and several thousands have already been affected by chronic arsenicosis. The source of arsenic in groundwater is geogenic and restricted within the Holocene sedimentary aquifers. Mobilization of arsenic from the alluvial aquifers is primarily effected through a mechanism of reductive dissolution of the iron oxyhydroxides within the sediments, rather than by the oxidation of pyrite, as has been hypothesized by other workers. The problem is further accentuated by the fact that arsenic is also found at elevated concentrations in vegetables and rice grown in the areas where high-arsenic groundwater is used for irrigation. Dietary habits among the population are also an important pathway for arsenic ingestion. Studies are in progress at national as well as international levels to alleviate the arsenic crisis in Bangladesh. Besides the identification of arsenic-free tubewells in the affected areas for drinking purposes, purification of groundwater at household level by low-cost arsenic removal techniques is suggested. Rehabilitation of the patients with chronic arsenicosis and arsenic education programs for rural communities must be addressed urgently by the government of Bangladesh.