Clinico-epidemiological study of arsenicosis in arsenic endemic areas of West Bengal, India
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Authors
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Santhana Kumar V
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Rohan Kumar Raman
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Anjon Talukder
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Amulya Kakati
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Sanjay Bhowmick
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Sanjib Kumar Manna
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S Samanta
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Bimal Prasanna Mohanty
Abstract
A clinico-epidemiological survey was conducted at Basirhat-I and Baduria blocks of North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal to assess the arsenic-related health problems through contaminated drinking water and fish. A total of 501 persons were surveyed and among them, 56% showed skin pigmentation and keratosis, 2% were affected with cancer and 42% did not show any symptom. The male population above 40 years of age showed more skin lesions. About 38% of non-vegetarian people drinking packed water also showed signs of arsenicosis indicating food as the source of arsenic. Fish grown in the contaminated ponds contained arsenic which suggests that along with drinking water and other food items, fish also serve as a source of arsenic to humans. However, the estimated cancer risk from arsenic-contaminated fish was lower if the fish consumption rate was 3-4 days a week. Hence, mitigation measures are required to prevent arsenic accumulation in fish cultured in the arsenic affected areas. Key words Arsenic; Clinico-epidemiology; Groundwater; Fish; CancerReferences
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