The lurking menace of irrigation water
(WorldNews Business)

THE Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has identified increased levels of arsenic poisoning in all rivers of Pakistan. Arsenic and its compounds are ubiquitous in nature. The trivalent and pentavalent forms are the most common. In oxygenated waters (e.g., Rohri and Phuleli Canals in Sindh), arsenic usually occurs as arsenate, but under reducing conditions, arsenites predominate. High levels of arsenic (greater than 10 micrograms per litre) are naturally present in the groundwater of many countries. Globally, an estimated 150 million people are affected by arsenic-contaminated groundwaters. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified arsenic and arsenic...