Team tackles arsenic poison threat
Team tackles arsenic poison threat
2008-08-28Newsfeed
Widespread arsenic poisoning in India and Bangladesh is being tackled by a research team at Queen's University Belfast.
Widespread arsenic poisoning in India and Bangladesh is being tackled by a research team at Queen's University Belfast.
More than 70 million people have been exposed to contaminated drinking water and rice that is linked to rising cancer rates.
The problem has been caused by a drive to provide clean water by digging wells, which have been found to contain high levels of the deadly chemical.
One in every 10 people with high long-term concentrations of arsenic in their water will die from it. This is the highest known mortality rate from any environmental exposure.
The Belfast team has created a low-cost technology to make groundwater safe for farming and drinking.
It works by putting oxygen into groundwater then returning it into permeable rock below the surface. Increased levels of oxygen slow arsenic release from the soil. A trial plant has been built near Calcutta.
Team co-ordinator Dr Bhaskar Sen Gupta said: "There has until now been no viable technology available for decontaminating groundwater on a large scale that can ensure safe irrigation and potable water.
"This project developed by Queen's is the only method which is eco-friendly, easy to use and deliverable to the rural community user at an affordable cost."
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
