Arsenic pollution: a global synthesis

617 Pages·2009·10.35 MB·English

by  Peter Ravenscroft

Arsenic Pollution
Arsenic Pollution: A Global Synthesis Peter Ravenscroft, Hugh Brammer and Keith Richards
© 2009 Peter Ravenscroft, Hugh Brammer and Keith Richards ISBN: 978-1-405-18602-5
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RGS-IBG Book Series Geographies of British Modernity
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Arsenic Pollution
A Global Synthesis
Peter Ravenscroft, Hugh Brammer
and Keith Richards
A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication
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This edition fi rst published 2009
© 2009 Peter Ravenscroft, Hugh Brammer and Keith Richards
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ravenscroft, Peter.
Arsenic pollution : a global synthesis / Peter Ravenscroft, Hugh Brammer, and Keith
Richards.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4051-8602-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-1-4051-8601-8 (pbk. : alk.
paper) 1. Arsenic compounds—Environmental aspects. 2. Arsenic wastes—Environmental
aspects. I. Brammer, H. II. Richards, K. S. III. Title.
TD196.A77R38 2009
363.738′49–dc22
2008013330
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Set in 10/12pt Plantin by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
Printed in Singapore by Utopia Press Pte Ltd
1 2009
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Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xiv
Series Editors’ Preface xix
Acknowledgements xx
Preface xxii
List of Abbreviations xxv
Glossary xxviii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 The Nature of Arsenic Pollution 2
1.3 History of Natural Arsenic Contamination 3
1.4 Arsenic Pollution 9
1.5 Risk, Perception and Social Impacts 19
1.6 Water-supply Mitigation 21
1.7 Structure and Scope of the Book 22
2 Hydrogeochemistry of Arsenic 25
2.1 Introduction 25
2.2 The Chemistry of Normal and Arsenic-rich Groundwaters 29
2.3 Adsorption and Desorption of Arsenic 31
2.4 The Role of Sulphur in Strongly Reducing Groundwater 43
2.5 Arsenic and Microbial Activity 46
2.6 Arsenic Mobilisation Mechanisms 47
2.7 Associations of Arsenic with other Trace Elements 61
2.8 Arsenic Pollution and Mining 64
2.9 Summary 66
Annexe 2.1 Analysis of Arsenic in Natural Waters 66
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vi CONTENTS
3 The Hydrogeology of Arsenic 73
3.1 Introduction 73
3.2 Arsenic in Rocks and Sediments 74
3.3 Arsenic in River Water and Sediment 74
3.4 Geo-environmental Associations of Arsenic
in Groundwater 78
3.5 Geochemical Processes in their Geological Context 85
3.6 Behaviour of Arsenic in Aquifers 92
3.7 Case Histories of Arsenic-affected Aquifers 102
3.8 Implications of Long-term Pumping of Arsenic
Contaminated Groundwater 109
3.9 Summary and Conclusions 114
4 Soils and Agriculture 118
4.1 Introduction 118
4.2 Arsenic in Soils 119
4.3 Irrigation with Arsenic-contaminated Water 130
4.4 Arsenic Uptake by Plants 134
4.5 Options for Arsenic Management 147
4.6 Research and Development Needs 154
5 Health Effects of Arsenic in Drinking Water and Food 157
5.1 Introduction 157
5.2 A Short History of the Health Effects
of Chronic Arsenic Poisoning 158
5.3 Toxicity of Arsenic Compounds 159
5.4 Environmental Exposure to Arsenic 162
5.5 Acute Arsenic Poisoning 176
5.6 Dermatological Manifestations 177
5.7 Carcinogenic Effects 181
5.8 Systemic Non-carcinogenic Effects 184
5.9 Social and Psychological Effects 190
5.10 Effect of Other Toxic and Trace Elements 191
5.11 Geographical Differences in Health Effects 192
5.12 Case History of Arsenic Exposure in Murshidabad
District, West Bengal 200
5.13 Diagnosis and Treatment of Arsenicosis 202
5.14 Removing Exposure to Arsenic 206
5.15 Summary and Recommendations 208
6 Water-supply Mitigation 213
6.1 Introduction 213
6.2 Approaches to Water-supply Mitigation 214
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CONTENTS vii
6.3 Surveys of Arsenic Affected Areas 217
6.4 Exploiting Safe Groundwater Sources 226
6.5 Developing Surface-water Sources 239
6.6 Arsenic in Water Distribution Networks 242
6.7 Socio-economic Aspects of Mitigation 243
6.8 Policy and Planning Initiatives 249
6.9 Monitoring and Evaluation of Water-supply
Mitigation Programmes 254
6.10 Summary 256
Annexe 6.1 Arsenic Survey Procedures 257
7 Removing Arsenic from Drinking Water 261
7.1 Introduction 261
7.2 Water Quality Issues 262
7.3 Methods of Arsenic Removal 266
7.4 Aquifer Clean-up 285
7.5 Disposing of Waste from Treatment Processes 287
7.6 Examples and Operational Experience of Arsenic
Removal Technologies 288
7.7 Costs of Arsenic Removal 302
7.8 Guidance for Selecting Treatment Methods
and Technologies 308
7.9 Case Study of Water Treatment Requirements
in Bangladesh 314
7.10 Future Needs 315
8 Arsenic in Asia 318
8.1 Introduction 318
8.2 South Asia 323
8.3 Southeast Asia 355
8.4 China 362
8.5 East Asia 371
8.6 Western, Central and Northern Asia 374
8.7 Suspect Terrain and Research Needs 378
Annexe 8.1 The British Geological Survey Court Case 382
9 Arsenic in North America and Europe 387
9.1 Introduction 387
9.2 United States of America and Canada 387
9.3 Mexico 422
9.4 Europe 426
9.5 Suspect Terrain and Research Needs 451
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viii CONTENTS
10 Arsenic in South and Central America,
Africa, Australasia and Oceania 455
10.1 Introduction 455
10.2 South and Central America 455
10.3 Africa 475
10.4 Australasia 480
10.5 Arsenic in the Ocean Basins 485
10.6 Suspect Terrain and Research Needs 485
11 Synthesis, Conclusions and Recommendations 492
11.1 Scale and Impact of Arsenic Pollution 492
11.2 Chemistry, Cause and Prediction 503
11.3 Agricultural Impacts, Prospects and Needs 508
11.4 Water-supply Mitigation 511
11.5 Sustainability Issues 518
11.6 Geographical Perspectives 521
11.7 The Politics of Arsenic Pollution and Mitigation 524
11.8 Ten Priority Actions 526
References 528
Index 581
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Figures
1.1 Global distribution of arsenic contamination. 4
2.1 Inorganic arsenic species in water. 28
2.2 Adsorption of arsenic onto ferrihydrite and goethite. 33
2.3 Adsorption of arsenic onto magnetite. 35
2.4 Adsorption of arsenic onto aluminium oxide
and clay minerals. 35
2.5 Influence of phosphate on adsorption of arsenic
onto ferrihydrite. 38
2.6 Influence of dissolved organic carbon on adsorption
of arsenic onto ferrihydrite and goethite. 41
2.7 Arsenic and sulphate reduction in the Mahomet
Buried Valley Aquifer. 44
2.8 Adsorption of arsenic on sulphide minerals. 45
2.9 Microbial mechanisms of arsenic mobilisation. 48
2.10 Relationships between As and Mn, Fe, SO , PO and NH
4 4 4
in a shallow arsenic-contaminated aquifer in West Bengal. 50
2.11 Correlation of sedimentary iron and arsenic in Bangladesh
and Vietnam. 51
2.12 Geochemical profiles from an arsenic-affected aquifer
in Bangladesh. 52
2.13 Simple model of arsenic pollution in the Bengal Basin. 52
2.14 The kinetic arsenic model. 53
2.15 Geographical distribution of arsenic contamination by
mobilisation mechanism. 55
2.16 Arsenic and pH at mining sites. 65
3.1 Relation of sediment yield, sand composition and
weathering rates to arsenic occurrence in alluvial basins. 89
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