Arsenic Contamination in water, soil, and food materials in Bihar

Arsenic(As) contamination in water and soil was studied in the Rampur Diara(RD) & Haldichapra(HC) panchayats of Maner block of Patna district, Bihar, India and compared with the two As affected areas of Vaishali and Bhagalpur districts.Contamination of As in food material was only conducted in RD.Study confirms that the ground water of the Maner block, Patna was highly intoxicated with As in compare to Vaishali& Bhagalpur.The soil of Maner was also found contaminated with As.Major staple food; rice, wheat, maize and lentils of RD was also contaminated with As.In-vitro studies revealed that As2O3 reduces growth of roots in onion and induces chromosomal aberrations and forms, micronuclei, chromosomal bridge and stickiness of chromosomes.However, AsNaO2 helped to induce growth and productivity of onion plant and chlorophyll of onion leaves. The hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated, exceeded the typical HQ of 1.00. in all the three districts.A visible symptoms of pigmentation on the body of the surveyed population in RD was also observed.Clinical study and sustainable As mitigation program is needed to better serve the affected communities.