Arsenic-induced health crisis in peri-urban Moyna and Ardebok villages, West Bengal, India: An exposure assessment study

Jyoti Prakash Maity, Bibhash Nath, Sandeep Kar, Chien Yen Chen, Satabdi Banerjee, Jiin Shuh Jean, Ming Yie Liu, J. A. Centeno, Prosun Bhattacharya, Christina L. Chang, Subhas Chandra Santra

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Drinking of arsenic (As)-contaminated groundwater has adverse effects on health of millions of people worldwide. This study aimed to determine the degree of severity of As exposure from drinking water in peri-urban Moyna and Ardebok villages, West Bengal, India. Arsenic concentrations in hair, nail and urine samp les of the individuals were determined. Arsenical dermatosis, keratosis and melanosis were investigated through medical evaluation. We have evaluated the association between As exposure from drinking water, and keratosis and melanosis outcomes. The results showed that 82. 7 % of the sampled tube wells contain As concentrations above 10 μg/L, while 57. 7 % contain As concentrations above 50 μg/L. The hair, nail and urine As concentrations were positively correlated with As concentrations in drinking water. In our study population, we observed a strong association between As concentrations ranging 51-99 μg/L and keratosis and melanosis outcomes, although the probability decreases at higher concentration ranges perhaps due to switching away from the use of As-contaminated tube wells for drinking and cooking purposes. High As concentrations in hair, nail and urine were observed to be associated with the age of the study population. The level of As concentrations in hair, nail and urine samples of the study population indicated the degree of severity of As exposure in the study region.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)563-574
Number of pages12
JournalEnvironmental Geochemistry and Health
Volume34
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012 Oct

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Water Science and Technology
  • General Environmental Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology

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