Arsenic in Groundwater: Poisoning and Risk Assessment

Arsenic-contaminated groundwater has created one of the world's largest environmental health crises. This book addresses the arsenic issue within a scientific and social science framework, with the context set by environmental and legal considerations. The text explores the methodological issues of spatial, quantitative, and qualitative enquiries on arsenic poisoning, for instance, using GIS to investigate the distribution of arsenic-laced water in space-time to uncover the pattern of variations over scales from meters to kilometers. The authors also include spatial risk maps that indicate the possible long-term strategies of mitigation.

Author Biography: Dr. Manzurul Hassan is Professor of Geography and Environment, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is also part-time faculty in the Department of Public Health, and in the Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. His research interests include the groundwater arsenic poisoning, medical waste management, climate change and human health, water supply and sanitation, and Geographical Information Systems. He has written a significant number of papers/chapters in peer-reviewed journals and books. He has a wide range of consulting experience in the above fields as well as monitoring and evaluation, air quality monitoring, and environmental assessment with many national and international organisations.

List of Figures List of Tables Preface Acknowledgment Author Chapter 1 Arsenic Poisoning through Ages: Victims of Venom Chapter 2 Groundwater Arsenic Catastrophe: The Global Scenario Chapter 3 Groundwater Arsenic Discontinuity: Spatial Mapping, Spatial Planning and Public Participation Chapter 4 Chronic Arsenic Exposure to Drinking Water: An Environmental Health Concern Chapter 5 Risk from Groundwater Arsenic Exposure: Epidemiological and Spatial Assessment Chapter 6 Arsenic-Induced Health and Social Hazard and Survival Strategies: Experiences from Arsenicosis Patients Chapter 7 Policy Response and Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh Chapter 8 Arsenic Poisoning in Bangladesh and Legal Issues of Responsibility Chapter 9 Epilogue and Way Forward Bibliography Index