Arsenic contamination of groundwater:A global synopsis with focus on the Indian Peninsula  

作　　者：E.Shaji M.Santosh K.V.Sarath Pranav Prakash V.Deepchand B.V.Divya 

机构地区：[1]Department of Geology,University of Kerala,Kariavattom Campus,Trivandrum 695581,India [2]School of Earth Sciences and Resources,China University of Geosciences(Beijing),29 Xueyuan Road,Beijing 100083,China [3]Department of Earth Science,University of Adelaide,Adelaide,SA 5005,Australia

出　　处：《Geoscience Frontiers》2021年第3期1-18,共18页地学前缘（英文版）

基　　金：KSCSTE,Govt.of Kerala for providing fellowship to K.V.Sarath under arsenic project(KSCSTE/5979/2017E&E dated 09-11-2018);NCESS(MOES),Govt.of India,Trivandrum for providing fellowship to Pranav Prakash under Mission-SGD project(MOES/P.O/NCESS/SGD-2018)。

摘　　要：More than 2.5 billion people on the globe rely on groundwater for drinking and providing high-quality drinking water has become one of the major challenges of human society.Although groundwater is considered as safe,high concentrations of heavy metals like arsenic(As)can pose potential human health concerns and hazards.In this paper,we present an overview of the current scenario of arsenic contamination of groundwater in various countries across the globe with an emphasis on the Indian Peninsula.With several newly affected regions reported during the last decade,a significant increase has been observed in the global scenario of arsenic contamination.It is estimated that nearly 108 countries are affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater with concentration beyond maximum permissible limit of 10 ppb recommended by the World Health Organization.The highest among these are from Asia(32)and Europe(31),followed by regions like Africa(20),North America(11),South America(9)and Australia(4).More than 230 million people worldwide,which include 180 million from Asia,are at risk of arsenic poisoning.Southeast Asian countries,Bangladesh,India,Pakistan,China,Nepal,Vietnam,Burma,Thailand and Cambodia,are the most affected.In India,20 states and 4 Union Territories have so far been affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater.An attempt to evaluate the correlation between arsenic poisoning and aquifer type shows that the groundwater extracted from unconsolidated sedimentary aquifers,particularly those which are located within the younger orogenic belts of the world,are the worst affected.More than 90%of arsenic pollution is inferred to be geogenic.We infer that alluvial sediments are the major source for arsenic contamination in groundwater and we postulate a strong relation with plate tectonic processes,mountain building,erosion and sedimentation.Prolonged consumption of arsenic-contaminated groundwater results in severe health issues like skin,lung,kidney and bladder cancer;coronary heart disease;bronchiectasis;hyper

关 键 词：Arsenic contamination Groundwater Indo-Gangetic alluvium Orogenic belts Global tectonics Asia 

分 类 号：X523[环境科学与工程—环境工程]