title: Confirmation of elevated arsenic levels in groundwater of Myanmar.
abstract: Millions of villagers across South and Southeast Asia are exposed to toxic levels of arsenic (As) by drinking well water. In order to confirm the field-kit results that Myanmar is also affected, a total of 55 wells were tested in the field in January 2013 and sampled for laboratory analysis across seven villages spanning a range of As contamination in the lower Ayeyarwady basin. Elevated concentrations of As (50-630 μg/L) were measured in wells up to 60 m deep and associated with high levels of Fe (up to 21 mg/L) and low concentrations of SO4 (<0.05 mg/L). Concentrations of As <10 μg/L were measured in some shallow (<30 m) grey sands and in both shallow and deep orange sands. These results indicate that the main mechanism of As release to groundwater in Myanmar is the reductive dissolution of Fe oxyhydroxides, as in the neighboring Bengal, Mekong, and Red River basins. Concentrations of As in groundwater of Myanmar are therefore unlikely to change rapidly over time and switching to existing low-As wells is a viable way of reducing exposure in the short term. However, only 17 of the 55 well owners interviewed correctly recalled the status of their well despite extensive testing in the region. A renewed effort is thus needed to test existing wells and new wells that continue to be installed and to communicate the health risks of exposure to As for infants, children, and adults.
authors: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA. Electronic address: avangeen@ldeo.columbia.edu.
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: van Geen
authors: Water Resources Utilization Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
authors: Kyi Htut
authors: KH
authors: Win
authors: Water Resources Utilization Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
authors: Than
authors: T
authors: Zaw
authors: Geology Department, Sittwe University, Sittwe, Myanmar.
authors: Win
authors: W
authors: Naing
authors: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA.
authors: Jacob L
authors: JL
authors: Mey
authors: Environmental Sciences, Barnard College, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Brian
authors: B
authors: Mailloux
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D060587:Groundwater / Q000737:chemistry*; D002052:Myanmar; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenic; Groundwater; Public health