title: Effectiveness of arsenic mitigation program in Bangladesh--relationship between arsenic concentrations in well water and urine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arsenic in drinking water remains a major public problem in Bangladesh, although arsenic mitigation programs began there a decade ago. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of this program by determining the relationship between current arsenic levels in well water and the high level of urinary arsenic excretion.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Pabna district of Bangladesh between May and July 2005. We included 174 married couples and collected their drinking water from 138 wells. The allowable limit for arsenic in drinking water is 50 microg/L in Bangladesh, while the normal level of urinary arsenic is < or =40 microg x 1.5 L(-1) x day(-1) by Dhaka Community Hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 348 subjects, 304 exceeded the urinary arsenic level of 40 microg x 1.5 L(-1) x day(-1). Of all wells, 44.2% had arsenic levels >50 microg/L. Multiple-adjusted odds ratios of urinary arsenic level >40 microg x 1.5 L(-1) x day(-1) were 8.90 (95% CI: 3.31-23.93) for the arsenic level in well water of 11-50 microg/L, and 53.07 (11.91-236.46) for that of 51-332 microg/L, compared with < or =10 microg/L. When the Bangladeshi standard arsenic level in drinking water of 50 microg/L was used, the sensitivity in detecting subjects with a urinary arsenic level >40 microg x 1.5 L(-1) x day(-1) was 50%, although when the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value of 10 microg/L was used, it was 76.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Green marked wells, which the Bangladesh government regards as safe, are not always safe. The mitigation programs should use the WHO guideline arsenic level to determine the safety of well water for drinking.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, Osaka City University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Ahsan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.forename: Tomoshige
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Kyoko Kogawa
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hata
authors.forename: Maiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikebe
authors.forename: Fashiur
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Parvez
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Ginji
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Endo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine*; D001459:Bangladesh; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis* / Q000592:standards; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic