Assessing risk of Arsenic poisoning to Bengal residents
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Chronic arsenic (As) toxicity in humans from the
ingestion of As-contaminated groundwater has been reported as ‘the
biggest As calamity in the world’ in many districts in Bangladesh
and the adjoining Gangetic region, West Bengal, India. There are
numerous cases of arsenic poisoning that have been reported. Many of
these cases are being referred to the Dhaka Community Hospital.
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School children in a Bangladesh village
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Assessing the risk of Arsenic poisoning to residents of the Bengal
region of the Indian sub-continent through the consumption of
As-contaminated food, Ray Correll (on behalf of the team), CSIRO
Environmetrics, Australia.
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Melanosis on the hands,
notice the missing finger
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Melanosis on the soles of feet
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CSIRO has a strong involvement in investigating this
problem. The CSIRO Environmetrics Group is part of a multi-disciplinary
team lead by Dr Ravendra Naidu of CSIRO Land and Water.
Current efforts are directed at:
- Assessing the arsenic load that is being placed on the
agricultural soils through contaminated irrigation water. A
later phase of the project will be directed to assess the
consequence of this.
- Quantifying the sources of dietary input of arsenic. This is
involving survey design and analysis. We have found that it is
necessary to actually go out to the villages when some of these
surveys are being undertaken.
- Developing an objective measure of arsenicosis in the patients
that have been admitted to Dhaka Community Hospital.
The work presents many scientific challenges. However, of prime
importance to the team is to ensure that we make an effective
contribution that will help the millions of people who are at
risk from arsenic poisoning.
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Volunteer nurse attending Bangladesh woman
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For more information
Contact: Ray
Correll Ph: +61-(0)8-8303-8769 Fax:
+61-(0)8-8303-8763
Or: Ravi Naidu
Ph: +61-(0)8-8303-8436 Fax: +61-(0)8-8303-8572
Or: Allan Adolphson
Ph: +61-(0)2-9325-3261 Fax: +61-(0)2-9325-3200
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