title: Groundwater arsenic contamination throughout China.
abstract: Arsenic-contaminated groundwater used for drinking in China is a health threat that was first recognized in the 1960s. However, because of the sheer size of the country, millions of groundwater wells remain to be tested in order to determine the magnitude of the problem. We developed a statistical risk model that classifies safe and unsafe areas with respect to geogenic arsenic contamination in China, using the threshold of 10 micrograms per liter, the World Health Organization guideline and current Chinese standard for drinking water. We estimate that 19.6 million people are at risk of being affected by the consumption of arsenic-contaminated groundwater. Although the results must be confirmed with additional field measurements, our risk model identifies numerous arsenic-affected areas and highlights the potential magnitude of this health threat in China.
authors: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Rodríguez-Lado
authors: Guifan
authors: G
authors: Sun
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Berg
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Zhang
authors: Hanbin
authors: H
authors: Xue
authors: Quanmei
authors: Q
authors: Zheng
authors: C Annette
authors: CA
authors: Johnson
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D004326:Drinking; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D014943:Global Health; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic