In Pakistan, groundwater is contaminated with arsenic

According to a new study in the journal Science Advances, up to 60 million people living in the state of the Indian plain, at risk to suffer from high levels of arsenic in the supply of groundwater in the region.

An international team of scientists has created a "map hazards" in areas at risk, using water samples collected from nearly 1,200 locations throughout the country, most of them from hand and motor pumps.

Using statistical modeling, the team also assessed the environmental factors that may influence the movement of arsenic and calculated the size of populations at risk. They came to the conclusion that on the plain of the Indus widespread arsenic contamination, of which 50 million to 60 million people get their groundwater.

"This is an alarmingly large number of people who probably suffered, demonstrates the urgent need to test all the wells of drinking water on the Indus plain", - reads the statement of the team. The researchers urged the authorities accordingly to treat the affected wells. Arsenic has no smell or taste, and after its use has no short-term symptoms. However, drinking contaminated water can lead to serious diseases, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, said the team.

According to the world health organization, 200 million people around the world suffer from arsenic contamination.

sections: Society, World News, Accidents