Occurrence, health effects and remediation of arsenic in groundwaters of Latin America

At least 4 million people depend on drinking water with toxic arsenic (As) concentrations in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and Peru, which primarily originate from geogenic sources. In other Latin-American countries, the occurrence of the problem and/or the number of exposed people is still unknown. This chronic As exposure is associated with neurological and dermatological problems as well as carcinogenic effects. In contrast to urban areas, practically no action has been taken by the authorities to mitigate the As problem for the rural population, which often depends on As-contaminated water as their only available drinking water resource. This lack of interest has slowed the development of low-cost remediation methods for small communities or single houses. However, various suitable remediation techniques have been developed at the laboratory scale. In a limited number of cases these techniques have been tested and proven in the field and have helped to mitigate As problems. Examples of remediation techniques include solar oxidation methods, phytoremediation, and the use of natural materials as adsorbents for As removal from drinking water. Therefore, the problem is not a technological one, since viable solutions are already available. The problem lies in convincing the responsible authorities to consider the As occurrence as a natural health risk and support the development and the application of remediation methods for rural areas