TY - JOUR
T1 - Geochemical characterization of arsenic-affected alluvial aquifers of the Bengal Delta (West Bengal and Bangladesh) and Chianan Plains (SW Taiwan)
T2 - Implications for human health
AU - Nath, Bibhash
AU - Maity, Jyoti Prakash
AU - Jean, Jiin Shuh
AU - Birch, Gavin
AU - Kar, Sandeep
AU - Yang, Huai Jen
AU - Lee, Ming Kuo
AU - Hazra, Rasmani
AU - Chatterjee, Debashis
N1 - Funding Information:
The principal author (BN) would like to thank Top100 University Advancement Centre, National Cheng Kung University for financial support during his field trip to India and Bangladesh, and postdoctoral fellowship between 2006 and 2008. National Science Council of Taiwan is also thanked for partial financial support (Grant NSC93-2116-M-006-007). National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center, Hsinchu, Taiwan is thanked for access to the BL14A beamline facility. We also thank two anonymous reviewers, Associate Editor (Dr. Dave Polya) and the Executive Editor (Prof. Ron Fuge) for their comments to substantially improve the manuscript. Dr. Kazi Matin Ahmed and his students are thanked for arranging and helping in the field trip to Manikgonj town, Bangladesh.
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - Major ion and trace element analyses were performed on groundwater samples collected from the Bengal Delta (Chakdaha municipality, West Bengal and Manikgonj town, Bangladesh) and Chianan Plains (SW Taiwan) to compare geochemical characteristics. Results showed that concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Cl and SO4 were generally higher in Chianan Plain (CNP) groundwaters, while high Ca was observed in Bengal Delta Plain (BDP) groundwater. Measured As concentrations in groundwaters of BDP and CNP showed large variations, with mean As concentrations of 221μg/L (range: 1.1-476μg/L) in Chakdaha, 60μg/L (range: 0.30-202μg/L) in Manikgonj, and 208μg/L (range: 1.3-575μg/L) in CNP groundwater. The Fe-reduction mechanism was found to be the dominant geochemical process in releasing As from sediment to groundwater in Chakdaha, West Bengal, however the Mn-reduction process was dominant in groundwaters of Manikgonj, Bangladesh. In Chianan Plain groundwater, a combination of geochemical processes (e.g., bacterial Fe-reduction, mineral precipitation and dissolution reactions) controlled release of As. Fluorescence spectral patterns of the groundwater showed low relative fluorescence intensity (RFI) of dissolved humic substances in BDP groundwater (mean: 63 and 72 QSU, Chakdaha and Manikgonj, respectively), while high RFI was observed in CNP groundwater (mean: 393 QSU). The FT-IR spectra of the extracted humic acid fractions from sediments of Chianan Plain showed a stronger aliphatic band at 2850-3000cm-1 and a higher resolved fingerprint area (from 1700 to 900cm-1) compared with BDP sediments. The geochemical differences between the study areas may play a crucial role in the clinical manifestation of Blackfoot disease observed only in Chianan Plain, SW Taiwan.
AB - Major ion and trace element analyses were performed on groundwater samples collected from the Bengal Delta (Chakdaha municipality, West Bengal and Manikgonj town, Bangladesh) and Chianan Plains (SW Taiwan) to compare geochemical characteristics. Results showed that concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Cl and SO4 were generally higher in Chianan Plain (CNP) groundwaters, while high Ca was observed in Bengal Delta Plain (BDP) groundwater. Measured As concentrations in groundwaters of BDP and CNP showed large variations, with mean As concentrations of 221μg/L (range: 1.1-476μg/L) in Chakdaha, 60μg/L (range: 0.30-202μg/L) in Manikgonj, and 208μg/L (range: 1.3-575μg/L) in CNP groundwater. The Fe-reduction mechanism was found to be the dominant geochemical process in releasing As from sediment to groundwater in Chakdaha, West Bengal, however the Mn-reduction process was dominant in groundwaters of Manikgonj, Bangladesh. In Chianan Plain groundwater, a combination of geochemical processes (e.g., bacterial Fe-reduction, mineral precipitation and dissolution reactions) controlled release of As. Fluorescence spectral patterns of the groundwater showed low relative fluorescence intensity (RFI) of dissolved humic substances in BDP groundwater (mean: 63 and 72 QSU, Chakdaha and Manikgonj, respectively), while high RFI was observed in CNP groundwater (mean: 393 QSU). The FT-IR spectra of the extracted humic acid fractions from sediments of Chianan Plain showed a stronger aliphatic band at 2850-3000cm-1 and a higher resolved fingerprint area (from 1700 to 900cm-1) compared with BDP sediments. The geochemical differences between the study areas may play a crucial role in the clinical manifestation of Blackfoot disease observed only in Chianan Plain, SW Taiwan.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79953722806&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79953722806&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.01.029
DO - 10.1016/j.apgeochem.2011.01.029
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79953722806
SN - 0883-2927
VL - 26
SP - 705
EP - 713
JO - Applied Geochemistry
JF - Applied Geochemistry
IS - 5
ER -
