West Bengal & Bangladesh Arsenic Crisis Information Center.Bangladesh and the neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. Indian state of West Bengal West Bengal: see Bengal. West Bengal State (pop., 2001: 80,176,197), northeastern India. It is bordered by Nepal and Bangladesh and the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, and Meghalaya and has an area of 34,267 sq mi (88,752 sq km); are the site of what has been called the largest mass poisoning in history: millions of people here are drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. that is heavily contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with arsenic. Researchers, engineers, and others who wish to learn more about this public health crisis can access the latest information and research at the West Bengal & Bangladesh Arsenic Crisis Information Centre, located at http://bicn.com/acic/. The page is a service of the Bangladesh International Community News website. The homepage of the site features a color-coded map showing the levels of arsenic contamination across the region. More than half of Bangladesh's 10 million drinking water tubewells are contaminated with arsenic in concentrations exceeding World Health Organization guidelines. The United Nations Development Programme estimates that 20,000 people may die of arsenic-related disease each year; how ever, the numbers are hard to calculate because of the long time it takes for some cancers to emerge. If caught early enough, arsenic poisoning arsenic poisoning Harmful effects of arsenic compounds (in pesticides, chemotherapy drugs, paints, etc.), most often from insecticide exposure. Susceptibility varies. Arsenic is believed to combine with certain enzymes, interfering with cellular metabolism. can be reversed with safe drinking water, nutritious foods, and time--three things most people of the region have little of. The fully searchable site comprises pages of links to news and research articles, data sets, and online forums. Arsenic-crisis and WaterForum are Yahoo group forums that are available to anyone with access to the Internet. Participants may discuss, among other topics, arsenic geochemistry geochemistry, study of the chemical changes on the earth. More specifically, it is the study of the absolute and relative abundances of chemical elements in the minerals, soils, ores, rocks, water, and atmosphere of the earth and the distribution and movement of , remediation options, health effects, and related groundwater and surface water issues. Other pages are devoted to reports, project documents, reference materials, and organizations and individuals from around the world who are involved in the arsenic crisis or related work. For example, a team at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, is working to consolidate arsenic data, study the hydro-geochemistry of groundwater, and identify feasible, effective water treatment options for villagers, among other projects. One page, Water Treatment & Alternative Supplies, specifically links to information on a variety of water treatment projects. Included here are sections on arsenic removal technology verification projects, removal technology providers and projects, alternative water supply technology providers and projects, and field test kits and other measurement-related resources. On another page, Health Effects & Medical Info, visitors will find suggestions for a homemade ointment ointment /oint·ment/ (oint´ment) a semisolid preparation for external application to the skin or mucous membranes, usually containing a medicinal substance. oint·ment n. to ease the suffering of the cracked palms and feet that can accompany chronic arsenic poisoning. Visitors can also subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; Arsenic Crisis News through the site. This free newsletter covers such topics as arsenic geochemistry, water treatment technologies, epidemiology, disease mechanisms, and medical treatments. The site provides a list of arsenic-related conferences as well as a bibliography of books and other media, along with ordering information for these resources. |
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