http://netedu.xauat.edu.cn/jpkc/netedu/jpkc2009/szylyybh/content/wlzy/1/Review%20of%20Arsenic%20in%20natural%20water%20-%20Smedly.pdf

A review of the source, behaviour and distribution of arsenic in natural waters

The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is the largest poisoning of a population in history, with millions of people exposed. This paper describes the history of the discovery of arsenic in drinking-water in Bangladesh and recommends intervention strategies. Tube-wells were installed to provide ‘‘pure water’’ to prevent morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal disease. The water from the millions of tube-wells that were installed was not tested for arsenic contamination. Studies in other countries where the population has had long-term exposure to arsenic in groundwater indicate that 1 in 10 people who drink water containing 500mg of arsenic per litre may ultimately die from cancers caused by arsenic, including lung, bladder and skin cancers. The rapid allocation of funding and prompt expansion of current interventions to address this contamination should be facilitated. The fundamental intervention is the identification and provision of arsenic-free drinking water. Arsenic is rapidly excreted in urine, and for early or mild cases, no specific treatment is required. Community education and participation are essential to ensure that interventions are successful; these should be coupled with follow-up monitoring to confirm that exposure has ended. Taken together with the discovery of arsenic in groundwater in other countries, the experience in Bangladesh shows that groundwater sources throughout the world that are used for drinking-water should be tested for arsenic.

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Contamination of drinking-water by arsenic in Bangladesh: a public health emergency

Essentiality Toxicity Carcinogenicity Lead(Pb) Exposure Toxicokinetics Toxicity Neurologic, Neurobehavioral, and Developmental Effects in Children Mechanisms of Effects on the Developing Nervous System Peripheral Neuropathy Hematologic Effects Renal Toxicity Lead and Gout Effects on Cardiovascular System Immunotoxicity Bone Effects Reproductive Effects Birth Outcomes Carcinogenicity Other Effects Dose Response Treatment Organic Lead Compounds Mercury (Hg) Exposure Disposition and Toxicokinetics Metabolic Transformation Cellular Metabolism Toxicology Biological Indicators Treatment Nickel (Ni) Exposure Toxicokinetics Essentiality Toxicity Nickel Carbonyl Poisoning Dermatitis Indicators of Nickel Toxicity

/pdf/toxic-effects-of-metals-2t2btb1i7f.pdf

Toxic effects of metals

We propose a two-class classification model for grouping. Human segmented natural images are used as positive examples. Negative examples of grouping are constructed by randomly matching human segmentations and images. In a preprocessing stage an image is over-segmented into super-pixels. We define a variety of features derived from the classical Gestalt cues, including contour, texture, brightness and good continuation. Information-theoretic analysis is applied to evaluate the power of these grouping cues. We train a linear classifier to combine these features. To demonstrate the power of the classification model, a simple algorithm is used to randomly search for good segmentations. Results are shown on a wide range of images.

/pdf/learning-a-classification-model-for-segmentation-16re2jogiw.pdf

Learning a classification model for segmentation

Arsenic toxicity and potential mechanisms of action

Ingestion of arsenic, both from water supplies and medicinal preparations, is known to cause skin cancer. The evidence assessed here indicates that arsenic can also cause liver, lung, kidney, and bladder cancer and that the population cancer risks due to arsenic in U.S. water supplies may be comparable to those from environmental tobacco smoke and radon in homes. Large population studies in an area of Taiwan with high arsenic levels in well water (170-800 micrograms/L) were used to establish dose-response relationships between cancer risks and the concentration of inorganic arsenic naturally present in water supplies. It was estimated that at the current EPA standard of 50 micrograms/L, the lifetime risk of dying from cancer of the liver, lung, kidney, or bladder from drinking 1 L/day of water could be as high as 13 per 1000 persons. It has been estimated that more than 350,000 people in the United States may be supplied with water containing more than 50 micrograms/L arsenic, and more than 2.5 million people may be supplied with water with levels above 25 micrograms/L. For average arsenic levels and water consumption patterns in the United States, the risk estimate was around 1/1000. Although further research is needed to validate these findings, measures to reduce arsenic levels in water supplies should be considered.

/pdf/cancer-risks-from-arsenic-in-drinking-water-27l7ggsxqj.pdf

Cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water.

This paper presents methods for initial investigation of occupational cancer clusters using limited data. Phase 1 of the methods developed uses basic data from the cluster of cases, but with cohort data limited to the size of the workforce at the plant. Phase 2 of the methods requires knowledge of the number of workers entering and leaving the workforce in each year. In the absence of data concerning age, the spreadsheet programs explore a variety of worker age distributions in synthetic cohort analyses. The methods were used to assess a cluster of six cases of leukemia with an average duration of work of 11 years in a tire manufacturing plant. It was concluded that the relative risk for the age range 30-50 was at least 7, providing further evidence for the association of leukemia with work in tire manufacture. The use of spreadsheet programs can provide a valuable first step assessment of apparent workplace cancer clusters.

Heather M. Duggan

Papers

Cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water.

Assessment of cancer clusters using limited cohort data with spreadsheets : application to a leukemia cluster among rubber workers

Cancer Risks from Arsenic in Drinking