Many people still fail to recognize the importance of arsenic water contamination issue as one of the world's biggest environmental and health threats. The hundreds of millions of people living in 21 countries of the world are said to be under significant threat from arsenic water contamination.
Arsenic is naturally occurring in many minerals from where it leaches into water from surrounding rocks and once in the water supply it is highly toxic and carcinogenic to anyone drinking this water. The additional problem with arsenic in water is that it is colorless and odorless meaning that people often do not recognize water polluted with arsenic.
The water samples taken in some Asian countries have showed concentration of arsenic more than ten times the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines as there seems to be inadequate effectiveness of technologies used to reduce arsenic contamination in water.
The WHO also reports that many people in affected regions, even when being aware of the problems with arsenic contamination, believe that they will not be affected by it.
Ensuring clean safe water from all people on this planet is essential from both social as well as ethical point of view. Developed countries should in this sense help developing countries from technological and financial point of view because clean water is essential ingredient for healthy life.
The last thing this world needs is yet another example of Bangladesh, where it is estimated that up to 77 millions people were exposed to arsenic water contamination in what World Health Organization described as the "largest mass poisoning of a population in history".
No comments:
Post a Comment