Arsenic-Free Bangladesh
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman - Graduate |
| Discipline(s): |
Biological Systems and Agricultural Engineering Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Engineering Ethics Environmental Engineering Geological Engineering Life Sciences Technology and Society |
| Learning Resource Type: | Community - General |
| Media Type: | WWW |
| Author(s): |
Berkeley Arsenic Alleviation Group
Organization: University of California at Berkeley |
| Description: | "Over 40 million people in Bangladesh drink groundwater contaminated with arsenic. Although the WHO's recommended maximum limit for arsenic in drinking water is 10 ppb, the arsenic levels in Bangladesh, in some cases, exceed 1000 ppb. Twenty million people in Bangladesh are already showing signs of arsenic poisoning, in what is rightly called the largest case of mass poisoning in history. Arsenic poisoning will cause about 10% of future adult deaths in Bangladesh (population ~140 million) unless something is done. Although there are numerous proposed solutions to this devastating problem, many of them are expensive and/or ineffective at decreasing arsenic in drinking water to acceptable levels. Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs have developed a method to remove arsenic from drinking water using bottom ash, a widely available waste material from coal-fired power plants. This method called Arsenic Removal Using Bottom Ash (ARUBA) coats ash with rust, which binds to arsenic. The arsenic can then be removed from the water through settling and/or filtration. The goal of the Berkeley Arsenic Alleviation Group (BAAG) is to design a water treatment system that utilizes ARUBA to effectively remove arsenic from drinking water. Alongside the scientific and engineering development, the team is developing a business model for system implementation. This solution will take into account economic costs/benefits, social acceptability, affordability, and sustainability. In addition, we are now exploring the socieoceonomic and public health implications of arsenic remediation using ARUBA." Image caption: A man pumps water from a tubewell contaminated with arsenic in Jessore District, Bangladesh (March 2007). Photo credit: Susan Amrose. |
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| Keywords: | arsenic poisening, social implications of technology, engineering ethics, Bangladesh |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: | The funding for this project is driven by student initiatives and is a good example for students working in the service of society. This project is funded by the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance, the UC Berkeley Blum Center for Developing Economies, the Haas School of Business Sustainable Products & Solutions (SPS) Program, and the UC Berkeley Bears Breaking Boundaries Contest. |
| Difficulty: | Medium |
| Interactivity Level: | Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | November 2008 |
| Platform/Format: | WWW |
| Cost: | Free |
| Download URL: | http://arsenic.lbl.gov/ |
| Metadata: | IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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