Arsenic and a old problem

Eight of the 20 patients with serious arsenic poisoning, who were examinedat an international conference at the Jadavpur University in 1995, havesince died, claims Dr Chakraborty. But the exact death toll from arsenicpoisoning in Bengal eludes an answer from the agencies who are engaged inits study and prevention.

Dr Chakraborty claims that there is 8220;so much lack of awareness among thepeople due the state government8217;s failure to effectively carry on theawareness campaign that 40 million people in the affected areas do not knowthey are at risk.8221; Gopal Patra, a resident of Barrackpore in North24-Paraganas, for instance, did not know 8220;till 10 days ago that the skinlesions in 17 of his family members were due to arsenic toxicity.8221;

Patra8217;s family was studied by the SOES recently. According to tests, 8220;Theteam found 800 micrograms of arsenic in a single litre of water which thefamily was drinking,8221; says Dr Chakraborty, whereas the WHO8217;s recommendedpermissible limit is only 10 micrograms per litre!

The problem gets more serious as there is no medicine available for chronicarsenic toxicity. 8220;The only medicine is safe drinking water and nutritiousfood,8221; he said. Skin lesions are mere manifestations, whereas arsenicpoisoning actually devastates victims internally.

According to the department of Public Health Engineering, the nodal agencyfor detection and prevention of arsenic poisoning in Bengal, only 10,000people are affected by arsenic poisoning in 61 blocks in eight districts.But surveys by SOES indicate that about three lakh in 69 blocks in ninedistricts have already got skin lesions.

The state and central government agencies who investigated into the casesinitially felt that arsenic contamination was a result of arsenic dumping orthe use of pesticides, and not due to contamination in ground waterreserves, says professor K J Nath, director-professor amp; head, the All IndiaInstitute of Hygine amp; Public Health AIIHamp;PH. But a subsequent statusreport by the organisation revealed that the ground water in certain pocketsin eight districts Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South24-Paraganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Bardhwan is contaminated.

Geographically, it has been established that the affected areas in theground water extend along the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. In certain pockets,the presence of arsenic has been detected at the surface level. In 1991, theSOES, while working in the bordering areas of India and Bangladesh,established arsenic contamination across the border as well. Bangladesh hassince taken up projects to supply drinking water to the affectedpopulation.

In Bengal, various agencies tried to trace the tubewells with a high levelof arsenic in the water. Attempts were made to seal those tubewells, but notall could be identified. Even those which were found to be contaminated andsealed were back in use for lack of an alternative drinking water source.

In recent times, the AIIHamp;PH is engaged in launching a Canadian governmentfunded community-based project in 400 seriously affected villages in Malda,Murshidabad, Nadia and North and South 24-Paraganas districts. ProfessorNath of the AIIHPH said the Rs 9.5 crore project will involve a large numberof NGOs in providing safe drinking water to the affected areas.

What has confused the issue in West Bengal is that none of the agenciescarrying on investigations in the affected districts could collect anyreliable data8217; on the number of arsenic-related deaths. The former deputydirector general of the Geological Survey of India, Surajit Guha, feels that8220;Somewhere, things went wrong and we are getting an amplified picture.That8217;s why we didn8217;t have reliable data on arsenic-related deaths in WestBengal.8221; Arsenic poisoning is related more to nutrition, he says,therefore, 8220;Poor people are more prone to be affected than their richcounterparts.8221;

Dr Chakraborty however disagrees. 8220;It8217;s not an amplified picture,8221; hesaid. 8220;In our villages, a dead body can be cremated without a medicalcertificate. And this has rendered our job of collecting actual data onarsenic-related death almost impossible.8221;

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