Arsenic Concentration in Groundwater Reaches Alarming Levels

Dr Saeed Ahmad Ali
Lahore: Experts warned on Sunday that arsenic concentration in groundwater has reached alarming levels, and drinking arsenic-contaminated water is one of the major causes of arsenicosis, a clinical syndrome in people in urban centres in the country.
If water has been contaminated by toxic substances, reliable drinking water treatment is essential, they believe.
Professor of Chemistry Dr Muhammad Ijaz Bhatti said that inorganic arsenic is found in groundwater worldwide and is present as an ionic arsenate or uncharged arsenite, depending on the redox potential.
Water is ranked second only to oxygen in terms of its significance for human survival, being an essential element for the human body, he said. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of the human body’s weight consists of water, he said.
Adding drinking water is regarded as safe and suitable for consumption when it adheres to the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or the regulatory body of any region, Bhatti said.
Furthermore, one of the most fundamental human rights is access to safe and potable water, yet the majority of the world’s population, particularly in less economically advanced nations, is deprived of this essential commodity, regrets the WHO. Arsenic is a tasteless and odourless element that belongs to the nitrogen family in the periodic table.
He explained that it combines with other elements to form arsenical compounds in the form of inorganic and organic compounds. Inorganic derivatives are more toxic than organic products, and inorganic arsenic has been recognised as a substance that can cause cancer in humans. He said arsenic is predominantly found in groundwater as arsenate (V) and arsenide (III).
The main forms in which arsenic is found in the groundwater of the country are arsenide. In Pakistan, for instance, only 30 percent of the population has access to piped water, which is rarely subjected to thorough analysis for drinking water parameters, leaving 70 percent of the population drinking water of unknown quality.
Likewise, in Punjab, most people use groundwater for drinking purposes. Groundwater is pumped out through wells, hand pumps, and electric pumps.
Therefore, it is the need of the hour to measure the concentration levels of arsenic in drinking water pumped out from the ground in Lahore and other parts of the province, he said. Meanwhile, particularly in Lahore, regular studies have shown very high concentrations regionally, which can lead to chronic poisoning that is harmful to health.
In response to a query, he said that the treatment, GEH 102, is a high-performance adsorbent based on granular ferric hydroxide. Made in a patented manufacturing process, it was specially developed for the selective removal of arsenic from water, he said.
Recognised for its high quality and purity, GEH 102 adsorbent complies with all requirements of DIN EN 15029 for drinking water treatment. In addition, it is certified in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standard 61.
GEH 102 removes both arsenates and arsenites. Its adsorption capacity is dependent on the characteristics and composition of the water treated as well as the operating conditions due to drinking arsenic-contaminated water.
Meanwhile, in a recent study by the provincial Local Government and Community Development department in the Punjab province, 4,547 drinking water samples were collected and analysed using the atomic absorption spectrometry technique.
The study outcome revealed that arsenic levels in drinking water varied from 6 to 12 ng ml-1 with a mean value of 8.5 1.6 ng ml-1, which is below the recommended WHO guidelines of 10 ng ml-1 for drinking water.
Former LDA Director Aslam Langah told APP that environmental health hazards are not limited to the developing world; rather, environmental risks have also been generated in wealthier countries and are primarily attributed to urban air and water pollution.
Noted pulmonologist and critical care physician, Dr Muhammad Ahmad, said that the dramatic occurrences of rising respiratory disorders in the lungs and other organs that help you breathe, stomach, and asthma cases throughout the global cities were increasing at an alarming level.
He said that various environmental synthesis reports are giving precautionary warnings that further erosion of ecosystems (a major cause of the inclusion of arsenic compounds in underground water) could lead to an increase in existing diseases such as malaria and cholera, as well as a rising risk of new emerging viral diseases in the world.
In response to a query, Ahmad said that safe drinking or bathing water in megacities can impose serious risks (both acute and delayed) to human health. Adding microbe contamination to groundwater due to arsenic-rich levels and a high concentration of poisonous nutrients in sewage waters due to agricultural run-off are among the most serious threats.
Heavy metals such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium (Cr); pesticides; organic pollutants; microplastics; and emerging contaminants are posing challenges to human health, he elaborated.
Arsenic-rich compounds in water are responsible for various types of cancer, allergies, and neurological and cardiovascular disorders, resulting in a large number of deaths worldwide.
As a remedy, Dr Ahmad said in this connection that microbial contaminants, arsenic compounds, and toxic chemical contaminants created by anthropogenic activities should be controlled immediately by limiting human activities and giving them awareness.
These human activity outcomes are rapidly involving arsenic watering of crops and a variety of foods with increased potential that affect the natural hygiene value, environment, and human health, he further said.
The feature is released by APP