At least 13,000 Bangladeshis are ill with a disease brought about by drinking arsenic-tainted water, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) said today.
"The arsenic-affected are not even aware of the disease [arsenicosis]," said Mr Abul Hasnat Milton, an official with the Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation (FDWSS).
He said a FDWSS study found that at least 13,000 Bangladeshis were ill with the disease, but people in rural areas did not consider it to be a major health hazard because it took between two and 10 years to develop.
It was not until 1998 that the problem of naturally occurring arsenic in the water drawn from wells in Bangladesh attracted global attention, prompting an awareness campaign to identify contaminated wells and prevent their use.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said more than 250,000 Bangladeshis could die in the next decade from arsenic-tainted water.
Scientists based in Scotland said last year that rice grown in parts of Bangladesh recorded arsenic levels ranging from 0.05 to 1.8 parts per million (ppm). The WHO recommends a maximum arsenic level of 0.01 ppm in water but does not set any for food. It is unclear whether the body can absorb arsenic from food.
Scientists at the Bangladesh Agriculture University in the northern Mymensingh district this month identified a number of plants, including ferns and water hyacinth, that can easily free water, soil and crops from arsenic.
AFP