Arsenic exposure linked to respiratory infection, diarrhoea, says ICDDR,B

The people exposed to arsenic in Bangladesh may be at higher risk of childhood respiratory tract infection and diarrhoea, says a new study of icddr,b, reports UNB. The recent systematic review study found links between arsenic exposure and respiratory tract infections or diarrhoea. “The harmful effects of arsenic are well-known yet many people including pregnant women continue to drink contaminated water,” said Dr Anisur Rahman, head of icddr,b’s Matlab Health Research Centre and author of the review, in an icddr,b web post.

He said the arsenic problem lingered because of the failure to identify an effective strategy to mitigate the problem. “Experience from field-level interventions indicated that people once had limited knowledge of arsenic exposure. Despite knowing the risks many wanted continuous water flow which many water filters could not provide.

 Rainwater harvesting, as an alternative, did not work in many areas and deep tube-well water may contain other elements in high concentrations, harmful to health,” Dr Rahman observes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 20 to 40 million people in the country are exposed to arsenic through drinking water or food, the long-term effects of which include skin lesions, cancer of various organs, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and developmental defects.

Large-scale mitigation efforts had successfully reduced drinking water arsenic in rural Bangladesh, found another recent study conducted with icddr,b. Despite this, children still had elevated arsenic exposure through contaminated food. Use of arsenic-contaminated water from shallow pumps for irrigation can introduce arsenic into crops such as rice or paddy, contaminating food supply chains.Arsenic in staple food such as rice might have the most far reaching effect on a larger population.

Recent findings by icddr,b researchers provide further evidence that arsenic exposure affects lung function both in children and adults.

Arsenic exposure linked to respiratory infection, diarrhoea, says ICDDR,B

The people exposed to arsenic in Bangladesh may be at higher risk of childhood respiratory tract infection and diarrhoea, says a new study of icddr,b, reports UNB. The recent systematic review study found links between arsenic exposure and respiratory tract infections or diarrhoea. The harmful effects of arsenic are well-known yet many people including pregnant women continue to drink contaminated water, said Dr Anisur Rahman, head of icddr,bs Matlab Health Research Centre and author of the review, in an icddr,b web post. He said the arsenic problem lingered because of the failure to identify an effective strategy to mitigate the problem. Experience from field-level interventions indicated that people once had limited knowledge of arsenic exposure. Despite knowing the risks many wanted continuous water flow which many water filters could not provide. Rainwater harvesting, as an alternative, did not work in many areas and deep tube-well water may contain other elements in high concentrations, harmful to health, Dr Rahman observes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 20 to 40 million people in the country are exposed to arsenic through drinking water or food, the long-term effects of which include skin lesions, cancer of various organs, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and developmental defects. Large-scale mitigation efforts had successfully reduced drinking water arsenic in rural Bangladesh, found another recent study conducted with icddr,b. Despite this, children still had elevated arsenic exposure through contaminated food. Use of arsenic-contaminated water from shallow pumps for irrigation can introduce arsenic into crops such as rice or paddy, contaminating food supply chains.Arsenic in staple food such as rice might have the most far reaching effect on a larger population. Recent findings by icddr,b researchers provide further evidence that arsenic exposure affects lung function both in children and adults.