Understanding Arsenic

Arsenic, a natural constituent of the earth’s crust, is distributed extensively throughout the environment, permeating the air, water, and land. Its inorganic form is highly toxic and poses a significant threat to human health.

• Humans are exposed to high levels of inorganic arsenic through various means such as drinking contaminated water, using the same water in food preparation and irrigation of crops, industrial processes, consuming contaminated food, and through tobacco smoke.
• Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic, primarily through water and food, can lead to long-term arsenic poisoning. Skin lesions and skin cancer are the most common effects of this exposure.

The Impact of Arsenic Contamination

• The long-term exposure to arsenic is believed to be causing a ‘silent pandemic’ that could potentially affect large segments of the global population.
• Previous studies have indicated that arsenic exposure is particularly detrimental to those living in poverty.
  • It has been observed that the economically and nutritionally disadvantaged are more susceptible to cognitive impairment due to arsenic exposure.
• Arsenic exposure has been strongly associated with dietary habits , suggesting that inorganic and organic arsenic present in food is a significant contributor to arsenic exposure in many parts of India, even those areas where arsenic levels in groundwater are not naturally high.
  • Regions like West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Manipur have been identified as areas with high arsenic levels.
• The consumption of arsenic-contaminated food, particularly rice, which is a staple in South India, has been linked to high arsenic levels.
  • However, it is noteworthy that arsenic exposure can be mitigated: while water treatment is a viable but complex and expensive solution, certain cooking methods can reduce the naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice by over 50% and in white rice by 74%, without depleting the rice of its micronutrients.

Conclusion: Some common strategies include encouraging the use of piped water over groundwater extraction, setting up arsenic removal plants, and, if groundwater extraction is unavoidable, promoting the use of aquifers deeper than 100 m, as opposed to shallow aquifers which generally have higher arsenic concentrations.