Original Articles
Shanmugapriya S. P, Rohan J.an
Abstract
There is general notion that most of the arsenic we re from Himalayan Mountains and are then deposited in alluvial deposits. Higher proportions of arsenic are to be f ound in sedimentary rocks than that of igneous and volcanic rocks. Arsenic contamination has recently received worldwide attention because of the nature of its he alth effects Arsenic poisoning in India is more than 50 μ g/L cov ering almost 7 states becoming the biggest natural groundwater calamity to the human beings. Exposure to arsenic t hrough inhalation causes both acute and chronic pro blems resulting in severe damage of brain and nervous sys tems as well as peripheral nervous systems. Oral ex posure to arsenic results in skin related disorders or even l iver and kidney disorders. This paper discusses the multiple sources and effects of arsenic compounds in eastern parts of India, where the impacts on water quality and public health are seen in disastrous proportions. They are 6 of 17 districts in West Bengal, 20 of 70 distric ts in Uttra Pradesh, 13 districts in Bihar, 20 of 24 districts in Assam, 3 of 4 districts in Tripura, 6 of 13 dist ricts in Arunachal Pradesh, 2 of 8 districts in Nagaland and 1 of 9 di stricts in Manipur.