-
Mrinal K Sengupta,
Amitava Mukherjee,
Md A Hossain,
Sad Ahamed,
Mohammad M Rahman,
Dilip Lodh,
Uttam K Chowdhury,
Bhajan K Biswas,
Biswajit Nayak,
Bhaskar Das,
Kshitish C Saha, Dipankar Chakraborti,
Subhash C Mukherjee,
Garga Chatterjee,
Shyamapada Pati,
Rabindra N Dutta,
Quazi Quamruzzaman
Archives of Environmental Health An International Journal 12/2003; 58(11):701-2.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The pandemic of arsenic poisoning due to contaminated groundwater in West Bengal, India, and all of Bangladesh has been thought to be limited to the Ganges Delta (the Lower Ganga Plain), despite early survey reports of arsenic contamination in groundwater in the Union Territory of Chandigarh and its surroundings in the northwestern Upper Ganga Plain and recent findings in the Terai area of Nepal. Anecdotal reports of arsenical skin lesions in villagers led us to evaluate arsenic exposure and sequelae in the Semria Ojha Patti village in the Middle Ganga Plain, Bihar, where tube wells replaced dug wells about 20 years ago. Analyses of the arsenic content of 206 tube wells (95% of the total) showed that 56.8% exceeded arsenic concentrations of 50 micro g/L, with 19.9% > 300 micro g/L, the concentration predicting overt arsenical skin lesions. On medical examination of a self-selected sample of 550 (390 adults and 160 children), 13% of the adults and 6.3% of the children had typical skin lesions, an unusually high involvement for children, except in extreme exposures combined with malnutrition. The urine, hair, and nail concentrations of arsenic correlated significantly (r = 0.72-0.77) with drinking water arsenic concentrations up to 1,654 micro g/L. On neurologic examination, arsenic-typical neuropathy was diagnosed in 63% of the adults, a prevalence previously seen only in severe, subacute exposures. We also observed an apparent increase in fetal loss and premature delivery in the women with the highest concentrations of arsenic in their drinking water. The possibility of contaminated groundwater at other sites in the Middle and Upper Ganga Plain merits investigation.
Environmental Health Perspectives 08/2003; 111(9):1194-201. · 7.04 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Homeopathic medicine is commonly believed to be relatively harmless. However, treatment with improperly used homeopathic preparations may be dangerous. CASE REPORTS: Case 1 presented with melanosis and keratosis following short-term use of Arsenic Bromide 1-X followed by long-term use of other arsenic-containing homeopathic preparations. Case 2 developed melanotic arsenical skin lesions after taking Arsenicum Sulfuratum Flavum-1-X (Arsenic S.F. 1-X) in an effort to treat his white skin patches. Case 3 consumed Arsenic Bromide 1-X for 6 days in an effort to treat his diabetes and developed an acute gastrointestinal illness followed by leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and diffuse dermal melanosis with patchy desquamation. Within approximately 2 weeks, he developed a toxic polyneuropathy resulting in quadriparesis. Arsenic concentrations in all three patients were significantly elevated in integument tissue samples. In all three cases, arsenic concentrations in drinking water were normal but arsenic concentrations in samples of the homeopathic medications were elevated. CONCLUSION: Arsenic used therapeutically in homeopathic medicines can cause clinical toxicity if the medications are improperly used.
Journal of toxicology. Clinical toxicology 02/2003; 41(7):963-7.
-
Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 02/2003; 38(1):xi-xv. · 1.19 Impact Factor
-
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman,
Badal Kumar Mandal,
Tarit Roy Chowdhury,
Mrinal Kumar Sengupta,
Uttam Kumar Chowdhury,
Dilip Lodh,
Chitta Ranjan Chanda,
Gautam Kumar Basu,
Subhash Chandra Mukherjee,
Kshitish Chandra Saha, Dipankar Chakraborti
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: To understand the magnitude of the arsenic calamity in West Bengal, a detailed study spanning 7 years was made in North 24-Parganas, one of the nine arsenic affected districts. Area and population of North 24-Parganas district are 4093.82 sq. km and 7.3 million, respectively. Fourty eight thousand and thirty water samples were analyzed from hand tubewells of North 24-Parganas in use for drinking, cooking and 29.2% of the tubewells were found to have arsenic above 50 microg/L, the maximum permissible limit of World Health Organization (WHO) and 52.8% have arsenic above 10 microg/L, WHO recommended value of arsenic in drinking water. Out of the 22 blocks of North 24-Parganas, in 20 blocks arsenic has been found above the maximum permissible limit and so far in 16 blocks people have been identified as suffering from arsenical skin lesions. From the generated data, it is estimated that about 2.0 million and 1.0 million people are drinking arsenic contaminated water above 10 microg/L and 50 microg/L level, respectively in North 24-Parganas alone. So far, in our preliminary study 33,000 people have been examined at random from arsenic affected villages in North 24-Parganas and 2274 people have been registered with arsenical skin lesions. Extrapolation of the available data indicates about 0.1 million people may be suffering from arsenical skin lesions from North 24-Parganas alone. A sum of 21,000 hair, nail, and urine samples analyses from arsenic affected villages show 56%, 80%, and 87% people have arsenic in biological specimen more than normal/toxic (hair) level, respectively. Thus, many may be subclinically affected. Due to use of arsenic contaminated groundwater for agricultural irrigation, rice and vegetable are getting arsenic contaminated. Hence there is an additional arsenic burden from food chain. People from arsenic affected villages are also suffering from arsenical neuropathy. A followup study indicates that many of the victims suffering from severe arsenical skin lesions for several years are now suffering from cancer or have already died of cancer.
Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 02/2003; 38(1):25-59. · 1.19 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Urinary arsenic is generally considered as the most reliable indicator of recent exposure to inorganic arsenic and is used as the main bio-marker of exposure. However, due to the different toxicity of arsenic compounds, speciation of arsenic in urine is generally considered to be more convenient for health risk assessment than measuring total arsenic concentration. Additionally, it can give valuable information about the metabolism of arsenic species within the body. In our study, for exposed group--42 urine samples were collected from Datterhat (South) village of Madaripur district, Bangladesh and an average arsenic concentration in their drinking water was 376 microg/L (range 118 to 620 microg/L). For control group, 27 urine samples were collected from a non-affected district, Badhadamil village of Medinipur district, West Bengal, India, where arsenic concentration in their drinking water is below 3 microg/L. The arsenic species in the urine were separated and quantified by using HPLC-ICP-MS. The sum of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites was also determined by FI-HG-AAS. Results indicate that average total urinary arsenic metabolites in children's urine is higher than adults and total arsenic excretion per kg body weight is also higher for children than adults. For arsenic species between adults and children, it has been observed that inorganic arsenic (In-As) in average is 2.36% and MMA is 6.55% lower for children than adults while DMA is 8.91% (average) higher in children than adults. The efficiency of the methylation process is also assessed by the ratio between urinary concentration of putative product and putative substrate of the arsenic metabolic pathway. Higher values mean higher methylation capacity. Results show the values of the MMA/In-As ratio for adults and children are 0.93 and 0.74 respectively. These results indicate that first reaction of the metabolic pathway is more active in adults than children. But a significant increase in the values of the DMA/MMA ratio in children than adults of exposed group (8.15 vs. 4.11 respectively) indicates 2nd methylation step is more active in children than adults. It has also been shown that the distribution of the values of DMA/MMA ratio to exposed group decrease with increasing age (2nd methylation process). Thus from these results we may infer that children retain less arsenic in their body than adults. This may also explain why children do not show skin lesions compared to adults when both are drinking same contaminated water.
Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 02/2003; 38(1):87-113. · 1.19 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Large number of people from 9 out of 18 districts of West Bengal, India are endemically exposed to arsenic contaminated groundwater due to drinking of tubewell water containing arsenic level above World Health Organization's maximum permissible limit of 50 microg/L. From our ongoing studies on neurological involvement in patients of arsenicosis from different districts of West Bengal, we report our findings in a total of 451 patients of three districts (Murshidabad, Nadia, and Burdwan), comprising 267 males and 184 females with age ranging from 11 to 79 years. They all had arsenical skin lesions, positive biomarkers and identified source of arsenic contaminated water drinking. Peripheral neuropathy was the predominant neurological complication in these patients affecting 154 (37.3%) of 413 patients of Group 1 and 33 (86.8%) of 38 patients of Group 2. Other possible causes and alternative explanations of neuropathy were excluded. The temporal profile in most of the cases (154 of Group 1) were of chronic affection while the 33 patients of Group 2 developed both neuropathy and dermopathy subacutely. Subacutely affected Group 2 patients had much higher incidence of neuropathy. Paresthesias and pains in the distal parts of extremities were much higher in incidence in Group 2 (73.7% and 23.7% respectively) than in Group 1 (18.4% and 11.1%). Distal limb weakness or atrophy was evident in 7.3% in Group 1 and 10.5% in Group 2. Overall, sensory features were more common than motor features in patients of neuropathy and sensory neuropathy was diagnosed in 30% and 76.3% and sensorimotor in 7.3% and 10.5% respectively in Group 1 and Group 2 subjects. Nerve conduction and electromyographic studies performed in 88 cases revealed dysfunction of sensory nerve in 45% and 27% and of motor nerve in 20% and 16.7% of patients with moderate degree and mild degree of clinical neuropathies respectively. Evoked potential studies performed in 20 patients were largely normal except for two instances each of abnormal visual evoked potential and brainstem auditory evoked potential findings. Prognosis was favorable in mild and early diagnosed cases of neuropathy whereas most of the other more severe and late diagnosed cases showed slow and partial recovery or even deterioration. Outcome in neuropathic patients of arsenicosis and long term toxic neurologic effects yet unexplored and unknown remain as matters of future concern requiring close monitoring.
Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A 02/2003; 38(1):165-83. · 1.19 Impact Factor
-
Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman,
Debapriyo Mukherjee,
Mrinal Kumar Sengupta,
Uttam Kumar Chowdhury,
DilipChanda Chitta Ranjan Lodh,
Shibtosh Roy,
Md Selim,
Quazi Quamruzzaman,
Abul Hasnat Milton,
S M Shahidullah,
Md Tofizur Rahman, Dipankar Chakraborti
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The exposure of millions to arsenic contaminated water from hand tube wells is a major concern in many Asiatic countries. Field kits are currently used to classify tube wells as delivering arsenic below 50 microg/L (the recommended limit in developing countries) as safe, painted green or above 50 microg/L, unsafe and painted red. More than 1.3 million tube wells in Bangladesh alone have been tested by field kits. A few million U.S. dollars have already been spent and millions are waiting for the ongoing projects. However, the reliability of the data generated through field kits is now being questioned. Samples from 290 wells were tested by field kits and by a reliable laboratory technique to ascertain the reliability of field kits. False negatives were as high as 68% and false positives up to 35%. A statistical analysis of data from 240 and 394 other wells yielded similar rates. We then analyzed 2866 samples from previously labeled wells and found 44.9% mislabeling in the lower range (<50 microg/L) although mislabeling was considerably reduced in the higher range. Variation of analytical results due to analysts and replicates were pointed out adopting analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique. Millions of dollars are being spent without scientific validation of the field kit method. Facts and figures demand improved, environmentally friendly laboratory techniques to produce reliable data.
Environmental Science and Technology 12/2002; 36(24):5385-94. · 5.23 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Groundwater arsenic (As) contamination in West Bengal (WB, India) was first reported in December 1983, when 63 people from three villages of two districts were identified by health officials as suffering from As toxicity. As of October 2001, the authors from the School of Environmental Studies (SOES) have analyzed >105 000 water samples, >25 000 urine/hair/nail/skin-scale samples, screened approximately 86 000 people in WB. The results show that more than 6 million people in 2700 villages from nine affected districts (total population approximately 42 million) of 18 total districts are drinking water containing >/=50 mug l(-1) As and >300 000 people may have visible arsenical skin lesions. The As content of the physiological samples indicates that many more may be sub-clinically affected. Children in As-affected villages may be in special danger. In 1995, we had found three villages in two districts of Bangladesh where groundwater contained >/=50 mug l(-1) As. The present situation is that in 2000 villages in 50 out of total 64 districts of Bangladesh, groundwater contains As above 50 mug l(-1) and more than 25 million people are drinking water above >/=50 mug l(-1) As. After years of research in WB and Bangladesh, additional affected villages are being identified on virtually every new survey. The present research may still reflect only the tip of iceberg in identifying the extent of As contamination. Although the WB As problem became public almost 20 years ago, there are still few concrete plans, much less achievements, to solve the problem. Villagers are probably in worse condition than 20 years ago. Even now, many who are drinking As-contaminated water are not even aware of that fact and its consequences. 20 years ago when the WB government was first informed, it was a casual matter, without the realization of the magnitude this problem was to assume. At least up to 1994, one committee after another was formed but no solution was forthcoming. None of the expert reports has suggested solutions that involve awareness campaigns, education of the villagers and participation of the people. Initially, international aid agencies working in the subcontinent simply did not consider that As could be present in groundwater. Even now, while As in drinking water is being highlighted, there have been almost no studies on how additional As is introduced through the food chain, as large amounts of As are present in the agricultural irrigation water. Past mistakes, notably the ceaseless exploitation of groundwater for irrigation, continue unabated today; at this time, more groundwater is being withdrawn than ever before. No efforts have been made to adopt effective watershed management to harness the extensive surface water and rainwater resources of this region. Proper watershed management and participation by villagers are needed for the proper utilization of water resources and to combat the As calamity. As in groundwater may just be nature's initial warning about more dangerous toxins yet to come. What lessons have we really learned?
Talanta 09/2002; 58(1):3-22. · 3.79 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Arsenic in groundwater above the WHO maximum permissible limit of 0.05 mg l–1 has been found in six districts of West Bengal covering an area of 34 000 km2 with a population of 30 million. At present, 37 administrative blocks by the side of the River Ganga and adjoining areas are affected. Areas affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater are all located in the upper delta plain, and are mostly in the abandoned meander belt. More than 800 000 people from 312 villages/wards are drinking arsenic contaminated water and amongst them at least 175 000 people show arsenical skin lesions. Thousands of tube-well water in these six districts have been analysed for arsenic species. Hair, nails, scales, urine, liver tissue analyses show elevated concentrations of arsenic in people drinking arsenic-contaminated water for a longer period. The source of the arsenic is geological. Bore-hole sediment analyses show high arsenic concentrations in only few soil layers which is found to be associated with iron-pyrites. Various social problems arise due to arsenical skin lesions in these districts. Malnutrition, poor socio-economic conditions, illiteracy, food habits and intake of arsenic-contaminated water for many years have aggravated the arsenic toxicity. In all these districts, major water demands are met from groundwater and the geochemical reaction, caused by high withdrawal of water may be the cause of arsenic leaching from the source. If alternative water resources are not utilised, a good percentage of the 30 million people of these six districts may suffer from arsenic toxicity in the near future.
Environmental Geochemistry and Health 02/1996; 18(1):5-15. · 1.62 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The increasing concern over human exposure to arsenic in West Bengal and Bangladesh has necessitated the development of a rapid method for determination of trace levels of arsenic in water and biological samples. We have developed a simple indigenous flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS) system for the determination of arsenic in parts-per-billion levels in water and biological samples. The technique is fast, simple, and highly sensitive. The accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated by spiking known amounts of arsenic and analyzing different types of environmental and biological standard reference materials. The organic matter in a biological sample was destroyed by acid digestion and dry ashing technique. We analyzed thousands of tubewell water samples from the affected districts of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Most of the water samples contained a mixture of arsenite and arsenate and in none of them could we detect methylated arsenic. We also analyzed thousands of urine (inorganic arsenic and its metabolites), hair, and nail samples and hundreds of skin-scale and blood samples of people drinking arsenic-contaminated water and showing arsenical skin lesions. Quality control was assessed by interlaboratory analysis of hair samples. An understanding of arsenic toxicity and metabolism requires quantitation of individual arsenic species. The techniques we used for the determination and speciation of arsenic are (i) separation of arsenite and arsenate from water by sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in chloroform followed by FI-HG-AAS; (ii) determination of arsenite in citrate/citric buffer at pH 3 and total arsenic in water in 5 M HCl by FI-HG-AAS. Thus, arsenate is obtained from the difference; (iii) for analysis of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites in urine FI-HG-AAS was used after separation of the species with a combined cation-anion exchange column. Total arsenic in urine was also determined by FI-HG-AAS after acid decomposition. The species arsenite and arsenate are present in groundwater in about a 1:1 ratio and about 90% of the total arsenic in urine is present as inorganic arsenic and its metabolites.
Microchemical Journal.
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Speciation of urinary arsenic is very important to know the extent of human exposure to inorganic arsenic and also from toxicity point of view. A high performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) system for speciation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethyl arsonic acid (MMAA), dimethyl arsenic acid (DMAA) and arsenobetaine (AB) in a single run in urine samples has been developed. The method is based on anion exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled on-line to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Detection limits for the five arsenic species in urine samples are between 0.01 and 0.04 μg l−1. To validate the method, Standard Reference Material, toxic metals in freeze-dried urine SRM 2670 containing both normal and elevated levels of arsenic have been analyzed for arsenic species. Our results of arsenic species in Standard Reference Material SRM 2670 have been compared with the results of seven other laboratories. The method has been applied to determine the arsenic species in urine samples of two groups of people from two arsenic-affected villages of two districts, out of the nine affected districts of West Bengal, India. These two groups were using arsenic-contaminated water a few years ago, but are now supposed to be using safe water for drinking and cooking, as safe sources have been installed. From their urine speciation, the nature of exposure of individuals to arsenic compound could be predicted. It is concluded that, even though these groups are using safe water, they cannot avoid, from time to time, arsenic contamination as many water sources of the surrounding areas are arsenic contaminated.
Microchemical Journal.
