Transfer of arsenic from contaminated groundwater and soils to crops and vegetables: A study in Gangetic delta of West Bengal, India

摘要

The Gangetic basin of West Bengal (India) is a severely groundwater arsenic (As) affected region in the World. Nine districts out of total eighteen districts in the state has been reported as As contaminated district (Chakraborty et al., 2002). More than 95% of the rural people depend on the groundwater. Not only the groundwater is used for drinking and domestic purpose in the Gangetic West Bengal, but also the maximum amount of groundwater is used as the main source of irrigation. As a result a high amount of As has been come out and deposited on the surface soil. So there is the chance of As accumulation through agricultural products from contaminated soil and water. The exposure to As may involve a number of pathways through ecosystem. This indicates that water-soil-crop-food transfer as well as cooking and direct ingestion of drinking water may be the major pathway of As accumulation in man and higher animals.