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Dietary Intake of Arsenic by Households in Marua Village in Jessore

M. Tani
Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

M. Jahiruddin
Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

K. Egashira
Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

K. Kurosawa
Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

A. Z. M. Moslehuddin
Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

M. Z. Rahman
Department of Soil Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Arsenic (As) consumption through foods by adults and children in the As contaminated Marua village of Chowgacha upazila under Jessore district was studied. The Asian Arsenic Network (AAN) and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have provided some interventions such as installation of deep tube-wells and As-Fe removal plants and awareness program to reduce drinking water As exposure of people living in the village. But scope exists for food crops grown in this area to accumulate As from As contaminated irrigation water. With these points in view, a household food survey was made to investigate As intake by the people living in Marua village. For it, cooked meals and uncooked foods were collected from households and local market. The study revealed that an adult consumed 220 μg As per day from food source and rice alone contributed 86% of it. Considering 80% inorganic As in rice, 220 μg total As is equivalent to 176 μg As which exceeds the WHO’s provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of As which is 2 μg/kg body weight i.e. 120 μg As for a 60 kg person. This result suggests that next to drinking water, food (mainly rice) is the principal source of As entry into human body in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Arsenic, Daily intake, Food

Location: Marua village of Chowgacha upazila under Jessore district

Start Date: 00-03-2007

End Date: 31-07-2007

Program Area: Food Safety and Security

Commodity: Organic products

Objectives:

1. To derive quantitative estimates of the amount of arsenic taken in via food in an arsenic-contaminated rural village in Bangladesh.

Methodology:

This study was conducted in Marua village of Chowgacha upazila under Jessore district. This is predominantly an agriculture oriented village which consists of two settlements - western and eastern ones. Arsenic contamination in the west settlement is serious where 82% tubewells are contaminated by more than 50 ppb arsenic (MPL) and there are about 150 arsenicosis suspected patients, which stands second to Samta village of Jessore where 300 some suspected patients have been recorded. Due to the severity of arsenic problem, this village has received a series of arsenic mitigation activities through Asia Arsenic Network (AAN) and Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide As free drinking water. Of the currently used tubewells, only 16% of them were contaminated by As at the level of more than 0.05 mg/L, compared to the contamination rate of 64% in 2000 when the intervention started. Despite the availability of alternate safe water facilities, about 48% households do not use this water facility mainly because that the location of safe water facilities is far, they use shallow tubewell water . The present food survey in this village recorded all food ingredients (by weight basis) used in cooking over three days at four households. It also recorded the number of adults and children who consumed each meal. From these households, samples of food ingredients and cooked meals were collected for arsenic analysis. Among these samples, a total of 10 samples of several types of arum leaves were collected. Arum leaves are reported to contain high levels of arsenic . Food ingredients which were not available from the households were also collected from a local market. Food sample collection was carried out in March and July, 2007. A total of 72 food samples were collected and analyzed. The food samples (vegetable and meal samples) were collected in polyethylene bags and were brought to the Asia Arsenic Network (AAN) laboratory in Jessore, 20 km away from the sampling site. The vegetables were washed with deionized water, dried at room temperature, cut into pieces and placed in new polyethylene bags. Both the vegetable and meal samples were then dried in an oven at 65°C to record the percentage moisture. The samples (1 g each) were digested with HNO₃- H₂O₂ at 95 ± 3°C in a digestion block. Arsenic concentration in the digest was determined by hydride generation-flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (HG-AAS, model Shimadzu AA-660, Japan). The Arsenic Reference Standard solution of 1000 ± 10 mg L^-1 as As+3 from As₂O₃ (HACH Co., USA) was used in the measurement of arsenic. Five standard solutions ranging from 0-10 μg As L^-1 were prepared using the reference standard for the preparation of a calibration curve. The calibration curves always showed a strong linear function (r = 0.999). The detection limit of this measurement was 1μg/kg, and when the dilution factor was taken into account, the actual detection limit was about 100 μg/kg.

Source of Information: J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 5(1): 283-288, 2012; ISSN 1999-7361

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The study revealed that an adult consumed 220 μg As per day from food source and rice alone contributed 86% of it. Considering 80% inorganic As in rice, 220 μg total As is equivalent to 176 μg As which exceeds the WHO’s provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of As which is 2 μg/kg body weight i.e. 120 μg As for a 60 kg person. This result suggests that next to drinking water, food (mainly rice) is the principal source of As entry into human body in Bangladesh.

Knowledge Management: Journal