Arsenic intake via water and food by a population living in an arsenic-affected area of Bangladesh

More and more people in Bangladesh have recently become aware of the risk of drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater, and have been trying to obtain drinking water from less arsenic-contaminated sources. In this study, arsenic intakes of 18 families living in one block of a rural village in an arsenic-affected district of Bangladesh were evaluated to investigate their actual arsenic intake via food, including from cooking water, and to estimate the contribution of each food category and of drinking water to the total arsenic intake. Water consumption rates were estimated by the self-reporting method. The mean drinking water intake was estimated as about 3 L/d without gender difference. Arsenic intakes from food were evaluated by the duplicate portion sampling method. The duplicated foods from each family were divided into four categories (cooked rice, solid food, cereals for breakfast, and liquid food), and the arsenic concentrations of each food category and of the drinking water were measured. The mean arsenic intake from water and food by all 18 respondents was 0.15 +/-0.11 mg/d (range, 0.043 - 0.49), that by male subjects was 0.18 +/- 0.13 mg/d (n = 12) and that by female subjects was 0.096 +/- 0.007 mg/d (n = 6). The average contributions to the total arsenic intake were, from drinking water, 13%; liquid food, 4.4%; cooked rice, 56%; solid food, 11%; and cereals, 16%. Arsenic intake via drinking water was not high despite the highly contaminated groundwater in the survey area because many families had changed their drinking water sources to less-contaminated ones. Instead, cooked rice contributed most to the daily arsenic intake. Use of contaminated water for cooking by several families was suspected based on comparisons of arsenic concentrations between drinking water and liquid food, and between rice before and after cooking. Detailed investigation suggested that six households used contaminated water for cooking but not drinking, leading to an increase of arsenic intake via arsenic-contaminated cooking water.     

Arsenic in stream sediments and waters of South West England

Past mining and smelting of arsenical and associated metalliferous ores in South-west England has led to widespread contamination of soils and surface drainage. The regional distribution of arsenic in both sediments and waters of tributary drainage shows anomalies in those areas underlain by mineralised granites and their metamorphic aureoles. High concentrations of arsenic in waters correspond with high concentrations in associated sediments. Detailed studies in three river systems illustrate the large degree of variation in arsenic values between individual sampling stations but confirm the relationship between sediments and waters. The work provides evidence of the potential use of geochemical reconnaissance surveys to water quality assessment.     

Amplification and attenuation of tetracycline resistance in soil bacteria: aquifer column experiments

A growing inefficacy of antimicrobial agents to treat infectious diseases has stimulated research on the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria in the environment. Sustained exposure of soil microorganisms to tetracycline (TC) in flow-through columns (50mg/L influent) significantly decreased the effluent concentration of total heterotrophs and selected for TC-resistant (Tet(r)) soil bacteria. This suggests that TC released to the environment from animal farms may contribute to the development and amplification of TC resistance, with soil bacteria serving as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance continuance. Burkholderia cepacia, with genetic determinants for efflux pumps that facilitate TC excretion, was the only bacterium that grew on TC-amended R2A plates. Following 300 days of exposure, TC was removed from the influent to study the recovery pattern of the microbial community. The percentage of Tet(r) hererotrophs decreased from 25% to close to the control level of 1% within 1 month of discontinuing TC exposure. This was due both to a significant rebound in the total heterotrophic population and to a significant decrease in the concentration of Tet(r) bacteria. Thus, discontinuing TC exposure or curtailing its use should enhance natural attenuation mechanisms that mitigate the spread of resistance vectors.     

Arsenic and heavy metal contamination of vegetables grown in Samta village,Bangladesh

Drinking of arsenic (As) contaminated well water has become a serious threat to the health of many millions in Bangladesh. However, the implications of contamination of agricultural soils from long-term irrigation with As-contaminated groundwater for phyto-accumulation in food crops, and thence dietary exposure to As, and other metals, has not been assessed previously in Bangladesh. Various vegetables were sampled in Samta village in the Jessore district of Bangladesh, and screened for As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). These local food products are the basis of human nutrition in this region and of great relevance to human health. The results revealed that the individual vegetables containing the highest mean As concentrations microg x g(-1)) are snake gourd (0.489), ghotkol (0.446), taro (0.440), green papaya (0.389), elephant foot (0.338) and Bottle ground leaf (0.306), respectively. The As concentration in fleshy vegetable material is low. In general, the data show the potential for some vegetables to accumulate heavy metals with concentrations of Pb greater than Cd. Some vegetables such as bottle ground leaf, ghotkol, taro, eddoe and elephant foot had much higher concentrations of Pb. Other leafy and root vegetables, contained higher concentrations of Zn and Cu. Bioconcentration factors (BCF) values, based on dry weight, were below 1 for all metals. In most cases, BCF values decreased with increasing metal concentrations in the soil. From the heavily As-contaminated village in Samta, BCF values for As in ladies finger, potato, ash gourd, brinjal, green papaya, ghotkol and snake gourd were 0.001, 0.006, 0.006, 0.014, 0.030, 0.034 and 0.038, respectively. Considering the average daily intake of fresh vegetables per person per day is only 130 g, all the vegetables grown at Samta had Pb concentrations that would be a health hazard for human consumption. Although the total As in the vegetables was less than the recommended maximum intake of As, it still provides a significant additional source of As in the diet.     

Sulfolane biodegradation potential in aquifer sediments at sour natural gas plant sites

Sulfolane is used in the treatment of sour natural gas. It is a highly water soluble compound that has been introduced into soils and groundwaters at a number of sour gas processing plant sites. Aquifer sediments from contaminated locations at three sites in western Canada were assessed for microbial activity and their ability to degrade sulfolane under aerobic and five anaerobic (nitrate-, Mn(IV)-, Fe(III)-, sulfate- and CO₂-reducing) conditions. The microcosms were supplemented with 200 mg/L sulfolane and adequate supplies of N, P, and the appropriate terminal electron acceptor. Microcosms containing contaminated aquifer sediments from each of the three sites were able to degrade sulfolane aerobically at 8°C and 28°C, and the biodegradation followed zero-order kinetics. The lag times before the onset of sulfolane biodegradation were shorter when sulfolane-contaminated sediments were used as inocula than when uncontaminated soils were used. No anaerobic sulfolane biodegradation was observed at 28°C, nor was sulfolane biodegradation observed at 8°C under Fe(III)-, sulfate- and CO₂-reducing conditions. At 8°C, anaerobic degradation of sulfolane coupled to Mn(IV) reduction was observed in microcosms from two sites, and degradation coupled to nitrate reduction was seen in a microcosm from one of the contaminated sites.     

Low-Cost Separation of Arsenic from Water: With Special Reference to Bangladesh

The main objective of the study was to develop a low-cost technique for the removal of arsenic from contaminated groundwater, as found in Bangladesh. It was shown that arsenic can be removed by co-precipitation with the naturally occurring iron which is found in groundwater. Tests showed that the removal rate was largely controlled by the arsenic concentration, the iron/arsenic ratio, and pH. Iron precipitation was induced by aeration and mixing through manual shaking.
Bench-scale tests demonstrated that up to 88% of the arsenic (III) in water could be removed by settlement over a period of 24 h. This was better than the removal rate achieved by filtration. It was found that the removal rate was mainly independent of the mode of mixing. For solid-liquid separation, draw-off arrangements were studied. It was found that the sample should be drawn off with a slow flowrate (<0.5 l/min). In such conditions the treated water quality is not seriously impaired for the particular design of the container which was examined.
From maps of the known distributions of arsenic, iron and pH, it was evident that 63% of the area in Bangladesh complied with the Bangladesh standard for arsenic. By interpreting the maps and applying the potential removal identified in the study, it was estimated that a further 9% of the area would comply with the Bangladesh standard, freeing 8 million people from arsenic contamination.     

Assessment of hydraulic conductivity in the multi-layered aquifer system of the Bengal Basin,Bangladesh, by performing slug tests

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Various studies have described upon importance of the performance of multilevel slug tests to assess hydraulic conductivity of aquifer...     

Speciation patterns of heavy metals in tropical estuarine anoxic and oxidized sediments by different sequential extraction schemes

The speciation patterns of Cu, Cd, Zn, Pb, Fe and Mn in sediment samples under anoxic and oxidized conditions were investigated using three-stage, four-stage and five-stage sequential extraction schemes. All the extraction schemes identify the non-residual metal among three basic operationally-defined host fractions, namely, exchangeable, reducible and organic/sulfide bound. The anoxic sediment samples were found to have been oxidized during the extraction stage for the reducible fraction under the three-stage and four-stage schemes and the moderately reducible fraction under the five-stage scheme despite the maintenance of an oxygen-free environment. This artifact has resulted in an over-representation of the reducible fraction and an under-representation of the organic/sulfide fraction in the heavy metal speciation patterns of anoxic sediment samples. For Cd, Zn and Pb which had > 70% associated with the acid volatile sulfide in the organic/sulfide fraction, this artifact has resulted in the observation of a decrease in the reducible fraction and, in some cases, an increase in the organic/sulfide fraction upon oxidation of the anoxic sediment samples.     

Temporal variations in natural attenuation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons in eutrophic river sediments impacted by a contaminated groundwater plume

Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) often discharge into rivers as contaminated groundwater baseflow. Biotransformation, sorption and dilution of CAHs in the impacted river sediments have been reported to reduce discharge, but the effect of temporal variations in environmental conditions on the occurrence and extent of those processes in river sediments is largely unknown. We monitored the reduction of CAH discharge into the Zenne River during a 21-month period. Despite a relatively stable influx of CAHs from the groundwater, the total reduction in CAH discharge from 120 to 20 cm depth in the river sediments, on average 74 ± 21%, showed moderate to large temporal variations, depending on the riverbed location. High organic carbon and anaerobic conditions in the river sediments allowed microbial reductive dechlorination of both chlorinated ethenes and chlorinated ethanes. δ¹³C values of the CAHs showed that this biotransformation was remarkably stable over time, despite fluctuating pore water temperatures. Daughter products of the CAHs, however, were not detected in stoichiometric amounts and suggested the co-occurrence of a physical process reducing the concentrations of CAHs in the riverbed. This process was the main process causing temporal variations in natural attenuation of the CAHs and was most likely dilution by surface water-mixing. However, higher spatial resolution monitoring of flow transients in the riverbed is required to prove dilution contributions due to dynamic surface water-groundwater flow exchanges. δ¹³C values and a site-specific isotope enrichment factor for reductive dechlorination of the main groundwater pollutant vinyl chloride (VC) allowed assessment of changes over time in the extent of both biotransformation and dilution of VC for different scenarios in which those processes either occurred consecutively or simultaneously between 120 and 20 cm depth in the riverbed. The extent of reductive dechlorination of VC ranged from 27 to 89% and differed spatially but was remarkably stable over time, whereas the extent of VC reduction by dilution ranged from 6 to 94%, showed large temporal variations, and was often the main process contributing to the reduction of VC discharge into the river.     

Occurrence of arsenic in core sediments and groundwater in the Chapai-Nawabganj District, northwestern Bangladesh

Groundwater and core sediments of two boreholes (to a depth of 50 m) from the Chapai-Nawabganj area in northwestern Bangladesh were collected for arsenic concentration and geochemical analysis. Groundwater arsenic concentrations in the uppermost aquifer (10-40 m of depth) range from 2.8 μg L⁻¹ to 462.3 μg L⁻¹. Groundwater geochemical conditions change from oxidized to successively more reduced, higher As concentration with depth. Higher sediment arsenic levels (55 mg kg⁻¹) were found within the upper 40 m of the drilled core samples. X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy was employed to elucidate the arsenic speciation of sediments collected from two boreholes. Environmental scanning electron microscopy and transmission X-ray microscopy were used to investigate the characteristics of FeOOH in sediments which adsorb arsenic. In addition, a pH-Eh diagram was drawn using the Geochemist's Workbench (GWB) software to elucidate the arsenic speciation in groundwater. The dominant groundwater type is Ca-HCO₃ with high concentrations of As, Fe and Mn but low levels of NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻. Sequential extraction analysis reveals that Mn and Fe hydroxides and organic matter are the major leachable solids carrying As. High levels of arsenic concentration in aquifers are associated with fine-grained sediments. Fluorescent intensities of humic substances indicate that both groundwater and sediments in this arsenic hotspot area contain less organic matter compared to other parts of Bengal basin. Statistical analysis clearly shows that As is closely associated with Fe and Mn in sediments while As is better correlated with Mn in groundwater. These correlations along with results of sequential leaching experiments suggest that reductive dissolution of MnOOH and FeOOH mediated by anaerobic bacteria represents an important mechanism for releasing arsenic into the groundwater.     

Arsenic pollution in groundwater: a self-organizing complex geochemical process in the deltaic sedimentary environment,Bangladesh

The presence of considerable concentrations of As (Sonargon: below detection limit (bdl)-1.46 mg/l; Faridpur: bdl-1.66 mg/l) and some other elements (like B, F, U) in groundwater of the Ganges-Meghna-Brahmaputra (G-M-B) rivers flood plain indicate that several millions of people are consuming contaminated water. Conditions regulating the mobilization and diagenetic behavior of arsenic in sediments are not well characterized, although understanding these conditions is essential in order to predict the modes of transfer of this contaminant from sediments to groundwater. Analyses of vertical profiles of total arsenic and iron as well as easily soluble As and reducible (reactive) iron concentrations in sediments of the Ganges and Meghna flood plains show no arsenic-enriched layer up to 36-m depth. However, arsenic content in sediments is relatively higher than mean crustal concentration, showing some peaks (Sonargaon: 27.9 mg/kg; 3 m, 31.5 mg/kg; 9 m, 27.30 mg/kg; 16 m, 37.70 mg/kg; 29.5 m, Faridpur: 19.80 mg/kg; 6 m, 26.60 mg/kg; 14.5 m, 29.40 mg/kg; 25 m) depending on the periodical differences in sedimentary cycling of arsenic, metal (hydr)oxides and organic matter. Seasonal changes have no clear or consistent effect on the groundwater arsenic concentrations; with the exception of a small-scale localized irregular change (10-16%). However, easily reducible metal oxides and hydroxides were significant factors affecting the retention of arsenic by sediments during leaching. The biogeochemical cycling of arsenic and iron is closely coupled in deltaic systems where iron oxy-hydroxides provide a carrier phase for the deposition of arsenic in sediments. Analytical results of mimic leaching experiments strongly supported the reduction (Fe oxy-hydroxides) mechanism for arsenic mobilization in alluvial aquifer of deltaic sedimentary environment of G-M-B rivers flood plain.     

A statistical assessment of the form of trace metals in oxidized estuarine sediments employing chemical extractants

The thin layer of oxidized sediment at the sediment—water interface plays an important role in the chemical and biological interactions of trace metals in estuaries. Chemical extractants can be useful in defining trace metal interactions in sediments. Extractions may aid in determining the abundance of the operationally-defined forms of substrates which are the most active in binding metals in sediments; in operationally-defining an “extractable” phase of trace metals in sediments; and in providing information necessary for determining the bioavailability of sediment-bound metals. Comparison of 10 techniques for metal and substrate extractions among the sediments of 19 estuaries from south and west England indicate substrate characterization is best accomplished by Fe and Mn extractions with acid ammonium oxalate or 1N HCl, and humic substances extraction with 0.1N NaOH or 1N ammonia. Partial fractionation of trace metals is best accomplished with 1N HCl. Statistical relationships indicate the extractable phase of Fe is more important than total Fe in binding Ag, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in oxidized sediments, and the operationally-defined humic substance fraction of organic materials is highly important in binding Ag and Cu. Statistical analysis within specific subsets of data indicate trace metals are partitioned among several substrates in most sediments, the substrates compete with one another for the metals, and the outcome of the competition is strongly influenced by the concentrations of the different substrates in the sediment.     

三氧化二砷染毒小鼠肝脏中砷甲基化水平与肝脏氧化应激的关系

目的探讨三氧化二砷(As2O3)染毒小鼠肝脏组织中砷甲基化水平的变化及其与肝脏氧化应激关系,为揭示砷甲基化水平在砷毒性机制中的作用提供依据。方法将40只昆明种小鼠随机分为对照组(0.9%生理盐水)、As2O3低中高剂量组(1.0、2.0和4.0 mg/kg)组,连续灌胃5周;采用高效液相色谱与原子荧光联用技术(HPLC-HGAFS)测定肝脏组织中三价无机砷(As3+)、五价无机砷(As5+)、一甲基胂(MMA)、二甲基胂(DMA)含量及构成比(%),计算砷一甲基化指数(PMI)、二甲基化指数(SMI);利用试剂盒测定丙二醛(MDA)、谷胱甘肽(GSH)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、总抗氧化能力(T-AOC)。结果随着As2O3剂量增加,小鼠肝脏组织中各形态砷代谢产物含量增加(P<0.001),砷甲基化水平(i As%、MMA%、DMA%、PMI、SMI)提高(P<0.001);小鼠肝脏MDA显著高于对照组(P<0.001),GSH、SOD、T-AOC显著低于对照组(P<0.001);1 mg/kg染毒剂量时,PMI与T-AOC呈负相关(P<0.05),SMI与GSH、SOD呈负相关(P<0.05);在2 mg/kg染毒剂量时,PMI、SMI与MDA呈正相关(P<0.05)而与GSH、SOD呈负相关(P<0.05);在4 mg/kg染毒剂量时,PMI与MDA呈正相关(P<0.05),PMI、SMI与GSH、SOD呈负相关(P<0.05)。结论随着砷染毒剂量的增加,小鼠肝脏组织中各种形态砷含量增多,砷甲基化水平提高,进而导致小鼠肝脏氧化损伤严重。     

Arsenic removal by iron-modified activated carbon

Iron-impregnated activated carbons have been found to be very effective in arsenic removal. Oxyanionic arsenic species such as arsenate and arsenite adsorb at the iron oxyhydroxide surface by forming complexes with the surface sites. Our goal has been to load as much iron within the carbon pores as possible while also rendering as much of the iron to be available for sorbing arsenic. Surface oxidation of carbon by HNO3/H2SO4 or by HNO3/KMnO4 increased the amount of iron that could be loaded to 7.6-8.0%; arsenic stayed below 10 ppb until 12,000 bed volumes during rapid small-scale tests (RSSCTs) using Rutland, MA groundwater (40-60 ppb arsenic, and pH of 7.6-8.0). Boehm titrations showed that surface oxidation greatly increased the concentration of carboxylic and phenolic surface groups. Iron impregnation by precipitation or iron salt evaporation was also evaluated. Iron content was increased to 9-17% with internal iron-loading, and to 33.6% with both internal and external iron loading. These iron-tailored carbons reached 25,000-34,000 bed volumes to 10 ppb arsenic breakthrough during RSSCTs. With the 33.6% iron loading, some iron peeled off.     

应用水力层析法刻画含水层非均质性

为了研究含水层多孔介质参数非均质性,利用一系列连续的交叉孔水力试验获取含水层对于外界干扰的反应信息,应用序贯连续线性估计方法（Sequential Successive Linear Estimator）对多系列水头信息进行随机参数估计,即水力层析法。应用该方法对随机产生参数的一维含水层进行了渗透系数K和储水率Ss的估算,并对估计值和真实值进行了对比,其中使用单井数据计算就可使K值的平均相对误差控制在2.67％,证明了该方法的有效性。在对某地浸采铀厂区长、宽为150m×150m的含水层进行了实例研究,使用29口井孔进行层析试验,对于该二维水平分布含水层的非均质特征进行了刻画,其中K值为0.5-1.4m／d,Ss为0.00005／m—0.0002／m。该数据在后期的地下水污染溶质运移模拟中取得了很好的应用。作为研究地下水参数的新方法,水力层析法能够对三维分布的含水层特征进行高精度刻画,这种层析的概念和反演方法可广泛应用于环境和地球科学领域的研究。     

微波消解——原子荧光法测定尿中砷

目的建立原子荧光快速测定尿砷的方法。方法采用硝酸和双氧水消解样品,不赶酸直接用去离子水定容,优化仪器条件,采用标准曲线法,用原子荧光测定人尿中砷的浓度。结果样品前处理改进后节省了时间,此方法检出限为0.101μg/L,加标回收率为94.8%~101.6%,相对标准偏差为1.94%。结论本法结果准确、耗时少、用酸量少、操作简单,可以作为日常检测人尿中砷的有效方法。     

改进分光光度法快速测定锡精矿中的砷

建立了改进的分光光度法快速测定锡精矿中砷的方法,样品经过氯酸钾-硝酸-盐酸低温溶解、硫酸发烟处理,然后用盐酸溶解后澄清,取清液用分光光度法进行砷的测定。方法简便、实用、快速。经国家标准物质分析验证,测定值与标准值相符,相对标准偏差(RSD,n=12)为1.1%~1.4%;适用于锡精矿中0.01%以上砷的测定。     

Temperature-induced impacts on groundwater quality and arsenic mobility in anoxic aquifer sediments used for both drinking water and shallow geothermal energy production

Aquifers used for the production of drinking water are increasingly being used for the generation of shallow geothermal energy. This causes temperature perturbations far beyond the natural variations in aquifers and the effects of these temperature variations on groundwater quality, in particular trace elements, have not been investigated. Here, we report the results of column experiments to assess the impacts of temperature variations (5°C, 11°C, 25°C and 60°C) on groundwater quality in anoxic reactive unconsolidated sandy sediments derived from an aquifer system widely used for drinking water production in the Netherlands. Our results showed that at 5 °C no effects on water quality were observed compared to the reference of 11°C (in situ temperature). At 25°C, As concentrations were significantly increased and at 60 °C, significant increases were observed pH and DOC, P, K, Si, As, Mo, V, B, and F concentrations. These elements should therefore be considered for water quality monitoring programs of shallow geothermal energy projects. No consistent temperature effects were observed on Na, Ca, Mg, Sr, Fe, Mn, Al, Ba, Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Eu, Ho, Sb, Sc, Yb, Ga, La, and Th concentrations, all of which were present in the sediment. The temperature-induced chemical effects were probably caused by (incongruent) dissolution of silicate minerals (K and Si), desorption from, and potentially reductive dissolution of, iron oxides (As, B, Mo, V, and possibly P and DOC), and mineralisation of sedimentary organic matter (DOC and P).