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Article: Arsenic threat reaching global dimensions
- Article from:
- Canadian Medical Association. Journal
- Article date:
- November 20, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Canadian Medical Association Nov 20, 2007. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The scope of arsenic contamination of drinking water, and the threat it poses to global health, is much more widespread than previously believed, new research suggests.
As many as 140 million people worldwide may have been exposed to drinking water with arsenic contamination levels higher than the World Health Organization's (WHO) provisional guideline of 10 µg/L, says University of Cambridge geographer Peter Ravenscroft.
"Natural arsenic pollution is a global phenomenon. We have documented more than 230 occurrences in 70 countries on all continents, except Antarctica," Ravenscroft told CMAJ in an email interview. "In large areas of the world, water has apparently not been tested for ...