Arsenic contamination in ground water and arsenicosis in Bangladesh

Arsenic contamination of ground water has been found in Rajarampur village in the Nawabgonj district of north-western Bangladesh. A recent survey has indicated that 11% of tubewell water contains arsenic in the range 0.01 mg/l to 0.05 mg/l, and 29% above the WHO maximum permissible limit of 0.05 mg/l. None of the water samples from tubewells of less than 60 ft depth showed arsenic levels above 0.05 mg/l. Of the 1273 people exposed to this contaminated water supply 7.5% showed clinical manifestations of arsenicosis. The majority of these (59.4%) were female. There were no cases below 7 years of age. The most frequently seen clinical manifestations were melanosis (98.9%), keratosis (92.7%), hyperkeratosis (45.8%), depigmentation (29.2%), anorexia (26.0%) and cough (25.0%).…