 | Contamination of Drinking-Water by Arsenic in Bangladesh: A Public Health Emergency (WHO, 2000, 16 p.) |
 |  | (introduction...) |
| | Introduction |
| | Extent of exposure in the population |
|  | Long-term health effects of exposure |
| | (introduction...) |
| | Skin lesions |
| | Cancer |
| | Classifying arsenic in drinking-water as a public health emergency |
| | Emergency intervention programme |
| | (introduction...) |
| | Strategies to reduce exposure |
| | Simple diagnosis in the field |
| | Treatment |
| | Ongoing monitoring |
| | Lessons to be learned |
| | Acknowledgements |
| | Résumé - Contamination de l'eau de boisson par de l'arsenic au Bangladesh: une urgence de santé publique |
| | Resumen - Contaminación del agua de bebida con arsénico en Bangladesh: una emergencia de salud pública |
| | References |
(introduction...)
The health effects of ingesting arsenic-contaminated drinking-water appear slowly (Box 2). For this reason, a more important issue than the number of patients who currently have arsenic-caused diseases is the number who will develop these diseases in the future as a result of past and continuing exposure to arsenic. Large numbers of tube-wells were installed in Bangladesh approximately 5 to 20 years ago. If the population continues to drink arsenic-contaminated water, then a major increase in the number of cases of diseases caused by arsenic may be predicted.
Fig. 2. Children near a tube-well
disconnected due to contamination of water with arsenic (WHO
00230)
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