Prevention and control

This Writing Was Written By : Md Raisul Islam Milu
Date:13-02-2010
Signature:
Prevention and control



Arsenic control is very very essential matter in the world. The most important remedial action is prevention of further exposure by providing safe drinking- water. The cost and difficulty of reducing arsenic in drinking-water increases as the targeted concentration lowers.
Control of arsenic is more complex where drinking-water is obtained from many individual sources as is common in rural areas. Low arsenic water is only needed for drinking and cooking. Arsenic-rich water can be used safely for laundry and bathing.
Alternative low-arsenic sources such as rain water and treated surface water may be available and appropriate in some circumstances. Where low arsenic water is not available, it is necessary to remove arsenic from drinking-water:
• The technology for arsenic removal for piped water supply is moderately costly and requires technical expertise. It is inapplicable in some urban areas of developing countries and in most rural areas world-wide.
• New types of treatment technologies, including co-precipitation, ion exchange and activated alumina filtration are being field-tested.
• There are no proven technologies for the removal of arsenic at water collection points such as wells, hand-pumps and springs.
• Some studies have reported preliminary successes in using packets of chemicals for household treatment. Some mixtures combine arsenic removal with disinfection. One example, developed by the WHO/PAHO Pan American Center of Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences in Lima, Peru, has proven successful in Latin America.