Impact of safe water for drinking and cooking on five arsenic-affected families for 2 years in West Bengal, India

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 218; no. 2; pp. 185 - 201
• Main Authors: Mandal, B.K, Chowdhury, T.R, Samanta, G, Mukherjee, D.P, Chanda, C.R, Saha, K.C, Chakraborti, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 30.07.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Arsenic - urine; Arsenic in urine (metabolites); Biological and medical sciences; Child; Contamination from other sources; Cooking; Dermatological features; Drinking; Environmental Exposure; Environmental pollutants toxicology; Female; Groundwater arsenic contamination; Hair; Humans; India; Infant; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nails; Study group drinking safe water; Toxicology; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Supply - standards; Asia; West Bengal; India; Hair; Nails; Dermatological features; Contamination from other sources; Study group drinking safe water; Groundwater arsenic contamination; Arsenic in urine (metabolites); Human; Urine; Drinking water; Skin disease; Cooking; Rural environment; Arsenic; Toxicity; Rate; Metal; Biological material; Biological monitoring; Hair (head); Toxicokinetics; Nail(anatomy); Chemical contamination; Ground water
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/S0048-9697(98)00220-4

The groundwater in seven districts of West Bengal, India, covering an area of 37 000 km 2 with a population of 34 million, has been contaminated with arsenic. In 830 villages/wards more than 1.5 million people, out of the total population, drink the arsenic-contaminated water. Safe water from a source having <0.002 mg l −1 arsenic has been supplied for 2 years to five affected families comprising 17 members (eight of them with arsenical skin-lesions) of different age groups for impact assessment study in terms of loss of arsenic through urine, hair and nail. The study indicates random observable fluctuations of arsenic concentration in urine among members on different scheduled sampling days with a declining trend, particularly during the first 6 months. Furthermore, the investigation showed that despite having safe water for drinking and cooking, the study group could not avoid an intake of arsenic, time and again, through edible herbs grown in contaminated water, food materials contaminated through washing, and the occasional drinking of contaminated water. After minimizing the level of contamination, a noteworthy declining trend after 8 months was observed in urine, hair and nails in all the cases, but not to that level observed in a normal population, due to prevailing elevated background level of arsenic in the area. The eight members, who had already developed skin lesion, are far from recovering completely, indicating a long-lasting damage. Statistical interpretation of the data are considered.