Arsenic

The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to 24 states and four Union Territories in a matter regarding the presence of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater. The green panel observed that the presence of these metals or chemicals are "very serious" and requires "urgent preventive and protective steps". The panel was hearing a matter in which it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a media report that highlighted the presence of arsenic and fluoride beyond permissible limits in groundwater in some pockets of various states and Union Territories. The report stated that arsenic was detected in groundwater in parts of 230 districts across 25 states while fluoride was found in some pockets of 469 districts in 27 states, the tribunal noted in a recent order. A bench of Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel said the Central Ground Water Authority had submitted a report in which it admitted the presence of arsenic and fluoride in the districts

High arsenic concentration has been found in groundwater in 18 districts of Bihar, as well as its correlation with incidences of gallbladder cancer at these places, according to a new study, a senior official said. People in these districts are drinking water with arsenic concentration greater than the World Health Organisation's permissible limit of 10 microgram per litre, he said. The study by experts has found that out of the 38 districts, 18 have high arsenic contamination in groundwater. The worst-affected districts are Buxar, Bhojpur and Bhagalpur. The highest arsenic contamination (1906 ug/L) in groundwater is in Buxar, Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Chairman of the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB), told PTI. Now, arsenic as a possible risk factor for gallbladder cancer has been found in the study. Public health intervention in the form of removing arsenic from drinking water is the need of the hour in the endemic regions of Bihar and Assam. Tackling arsenic pollution may help

Scientists have found an increased probability of high arsenic levels in well waters in parts of India where previously arsenic hazard was generally not considered to be a major concern

NGT directed the agricultural department of the Uttar Pradesh government to conduct a study to assess the impact of arsenic on the food chain

arsenic exposure raises the risk of heart disease and its risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes