title: Assessment of arsenic exposure from groundwater and rice in Bengal Delta Region, West Bengal, India.
abstract: Arsenic (As) induced identifiable health outcomes are now spreading across Indian subcontinent with continuous discovery of high As concentrations in groundwater. This study deals with groundwater hydrochemistry vis-à-vis As exposure assessment among rural population in Chakdaha block, West Bengal, India. The water quality survey reveals that 96% of the tubewells exceed WHO guideline value (10 μg/L of As). The groundwaters are generally anoxic (-283 to -22 mV) with circum-neutral pH (6.3 to 7.8). The hydrochemistry is dominated by HCO(3)(-) (208 to 440 mg/L), Ca(2+) (79 to 178 mg/L) and Mg(2+) (17 to 45 mg/L) ions along with high concentrations of As(T) (As total, below detection limit to 0.29 mg/L), Fe(T) (Fe total, 1.2 to 16 mg/L), and Fe(II) (0.74 to 16 mg/L). The result demonstrates that Fe(II)-Fe(III) cycling is the dominant process for the release of As from aquifer sediments to groundwater (and vice versa), which is mainly controlled by the local biogeochemical conditions. The exposure scenario reveals that the consumption of groundwater and rice are the major pathways of As accumulation in human body, which is explained by the dietary habit of the surveyed population. Finally, regular awareness campaign is essential as part of the management and prevention of health outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani 741 235, West Bengal, India. dbchat2001@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: Debashis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Dipti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Halder
authors.forename: Santanu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumder
authors.forename: Ashis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Biswas
authors.forename: Bibhash
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nath
authors.forename: Prosun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Subhamoy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhowmick
authors.forename: Aishwarya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee-Goswami
authors.forename: Debasree
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Rasmani
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hazra
authors.forename: Palash B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.forename: Debankur
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Abhijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bundschuh
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D012275:Oryza / Q000737:chemistry*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic