Changes in arsenic exposure in Araihazar, Bangladesh from 2001 through 2015 following a blanket well testing and education campaign

BACKGROUND: Concentrations of arsenic (As) are elevated in a large proportion of wells in Bangladesh but are spatially variable even within a village. This heterogeneity can enable exposed households to switch to a nearby well lower in As in response to blanket (area-wide) well As testing. OBJECTIVES: We document the evolution of As exposure in Araihazar, Bangladesh following a blanket well testing and education campaign, as well as the installation of a considerable number of low As community wells. METHODS: area of Araihazar upazila for nearly 12,000 participants enrolled in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS). We observe changes in participants' well water and urinary As concentrations following interventions to lower their exposure and use logistic regression to…