with the menace of arsenic contamination in groundwater continuing unabated in Bangladesh and India, reuse of surface waterbodies has been proposed as a way out. These waterbodies were abandoned in the past because of bacterial contamination owing to poor sanitation practices. Instead of cleaning them up, the officials had propagated the use of tubewells because of which the arsenic contamination is said to have spurred (see: 'More arsenic').
As per a new study by epidemiologists from the Australian National University, the use of surface waterbodies will eventually result in less disease burden (arsenic toxicity due to exposure). But initially it will cause a considerable increase in diarrhoeal diseases due to the bacterial contamination of water.
To quantify the disease burden resulting from both arsenic exposure and use of surface waterbodies, the researchers used published information to estimate mortality rates and disability-adjusted life years (dalys). The dalys reflect how much a person's expectancy of healthy life is reduced by premature death as well as by disability caused by the disease.
The researchers found that arsenic-related disease currently results in 9,136 deaths per year and 174,174 dalys annually in those exposed to arsenic concentrations above 50 parts per billion (ppb) -- five times higher than the permissible limit of 10 ppb.
The researchers found that intervention measures were over-all beneficial in reducing disease burden in most scenarios examined, but they simultaneously increased water-related infectious diseases. This significantly reduced their potential benefits.
According to them, a minimum reduction in arsenic-related dalys of 77 per cent was necessary before intervention achieved any reduction in net disease burden. This is assuming two facts: interventions were provided to those exposed to 50 ppb, and they would result in a 20 per cent increase in water-related infectious diseases in those without access to adequate sanitation.
As per the researchers, the intervention policy must be based on exposure levels -- it appears to be justified for populations exposed to high levels of arsenic. Moreover, interventions should not only aim at reducing arsenic menace but even minimising the risk of water-related infections. 12jav.net12jav.net
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