Managing Arsenic in the Environment: From Soil to Human Health

Arsenic is one of the most toxic and carcinogenic elements in the environment. This book brings together the current knowledge on arsenic contamination worldwide, reviewing the field, highlighting common themes and pointing to key areas needing future research. Contributions discuss methods for accurate identification and quantification of individual arsenic species in a range of environmental and biological matrices and give an overview of the environmental chemistry of arsenic. Next, chapters deal with the dynamics of arsenic in groundwater and aspects of arsenic in soils and plants, including plant uptake studies, effects on crop quality and yield, and the corresponding food chain and human health issues associated with these exposure pathways. These concerns are coupled with the challenge to develop efficient, cost effective risk management and remediation strategies: recent technological advances are described and assessed, including the use of adsorbants, photo-oxidation, bioremediation and electrokinetic remediation. The book concludes with eleven detailed regional perspectives of the extent and severity of arsenic contamination from around the world. It will be invaluable for arsenic researchers as well as environmental scientists and environmental chemists, toxicologists, medical scientists, and statutory authorities seeking an in-depth view of the issues surrounding this toxin.

Table of Contents:
Editors and contributors Introduction Ravi Naidu, Euan Smith, Gary Owens, Prosun Bhattacharya & Peter Nadebaum Part A. Arsenic in the Asia–Pacific region 1. Arsenic contamination incidents around the world Mohammad Mahmudur Rahman, Mrinal Kumar Sengupta, Uttam Kumar Chowdhury, Dilip Lodh, Bhaskar Das, Sad Ahamed, Debapriya Mandal, Md Amir Hossain, Subhash Chandra Mukherjee, Shymapada Pati, Kshitish Chandra Saha & D Chakraborti 2. Arsenic in aquifers of the Bengal Basin: from sediment source to tube-well used for domestic water supply and irrigation William Burgess & Matin Ahmed Part B. Analytical tools for assessing the dynamics of arsenic in environmental samples 3. Arsenic speciation in the environment Kazi Akter & Ravi Naidu 4. Solid phase speciation of arsenic Markus Gräfe & Donald L Sparks Part C. Dynamics of arsenic in groundwater 5. Mobility of arsenic in groundwater in part of Brahmanbaria district, NE Bangladesh Prosun Bhattacharya, Kazi Matin Ahmed, Sandra Broms, Johan Fogelström, Gunnar Jacks, Ondra Sracek, Mattias von Brömssen & Joyanto Routh 6. Humic substances and arsenic in groundwater MA Simeoni & PB Hostetler 7. Natural occurrences of inorganic arsenic in the Australian coastal groundwater environment: implications for water quality in Australian coastal communities James VS Smith, Jerzy Jankowski & Jesmond Sammut Part D. Fate of arsenic in soil, water and plants 8. Fate of arsenic in the soil environment RG McLaren, M Megharaj & R Naidu 9. Arsenic phytotoxicity: effect on crop yield and crop quality Jacqui Horswell & Tom Speir 10. Sequestration of arsenic by plants: arsenic uptake mechanisms and rhizosphere effects Walter J Fitz & Walter W Wenzel 11. Factors influencing bioavailability of arsenic to crops Zheng Miao Xie & Ravi Naidu 12. Arsenic accumulation by aquatic and terrestrial plants: Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand Brett Robinson, Monica Marchetti, Christophe Moni, Lina Schroeter, Carlo van den Dijssel, Georgie Milne, Nanthi Bolan & Santiago Mahimairaja Part E. Food chain issues 13. Dietary intake of arsenic from crops: overview from the Bangladesh study Ray Correll, SM Imamul Huq, E Smith, G Owens & Ravi Naidu 14. Arsenic contamination of Bangladesh rice Andrew A Meharg 15. Arsenic accumulation in food sources in Bangladesh: variability with soil type SM Imamul Huq, R Correll & R Naidu Part F. Human health issues 16. Arsenic in health and disease Ranjit N Ratnaike 17. Environmental pathology and health effects of arsenic poisoning: a critical review José A Centeno, Paul B Tchounwou, Anita K Patlolla, Florabel G Mullick, Linda Murakata, Elizabeth Meza, Todor Todorov, Herman Gibb, David Longfellow & Clement G Yedjou Part G. Remediation of arsenic-contaminated water 18. Management and remediation of arsenic from contaminated water Ravi Naidu and Prosun Bhattacharya 19. Arsenic mitigation: drinking water options in Bangladesh Abul Hasnat Milton, Wayne Smith, Keith Dear, Bruce Caldwell, Malcolm Sim & Jack Ng 20. Attenuation of arsenic in Bangladesh sediments: implications for groundwater development Alan H Welch, Kenneth G Stollenwerk, George N Breit, Andrea L Foster, James C Yount, John W Whitney, M Nehal Uddin, Md Mahmud Alam & Md Samsul Islam 21. Photo-oxidation of arsenic in potable water supplies Maree Emett & Myint Zaw 22. Removal of arsenic from water by adsorption process Shuzo Tokunaga 23. Arsenic removal from water by mixed oxide coated sand Sudhir Kumar Gupta & Rakesh Chandra Vaishya Part H. Remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils 24. Management of arsenic-contaminated soils R Naidu, E Smith, G Owens, P Nadebaum and P Bhattacharya 25. Biotransformation of arsenic in soil and aquatic environments: bioavailability and bioremediation NS Bolan, S Mahimairaja, M Megharaj, R Naidu & DC Adriano 26. Electrokinetic remediation of arsenic-contaminated soils and sediments BA Chappell, PS Brass, JR Mewett & ST Hall Part I. Country overviews 27. Development and implementation of the UNICEF arsenic mitigation project in Bangladesh: challenges and achievements Colin Davis 28. Health-risk assessment of arsenic contamination in the South-East Asia region: evidence-based practices in norm-setting Deoraj Caussy & U Than Sein 29. Extent and severity of arsenic pollution in Vietnam and Cambodia Michael Berg, Walter Giger, Hong Con Tran, Hung Viet Pham, Pham Thi Kim Trang & Roland Schertenleib 30. Extent and severity of arsenic contamination of groundwater used for drinking-water in the US Sarah J Ryker 31. Extent and severity of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh KM Ahmed, I Huq & R Naidu 32. Extent and severity of arsenic poisoning in China Zheng Miao Xie, Yu Min Zhang & Ravi Naidu 33. Groundwater arsenic contamination in India: extent and severity Arun B Mukherjee, Prosun Bhattacharya, Gunnar Jacks, Dhiraj M Banerjee, AL Ramanathan, Chandan Mahanta, D Chandrashekharam & Ravi Naidu 34. Extent and severity of arsenic occurrence in groundwater of Nepal Nirmal Tandukar, Prosun Bhattacharya, Amar Neku & Arun B Mukherjee 35. Extent and severity of arsenic contamination in New Zealand Ronald G McLaren 36. Extent and severity of arsenic poisoning in Thailand Duangporn Kantachote, Surapon Arrykul, Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong, Pitsanu Bunnaul & Ravi Naidu 37. Arsenic in the Australian environment: an overview E Smith, G Owens & R Naidu Part J. Conclusion 38. Managing arsenic in the Asia–Pacific region: an overview R Naidu, E Smith, G Owens, P.Bhattacharya & P Nadebaum Index