Environmental arsenic in a changing world

“Although arsenic (As) has been known as a ‘silent toxin’ since ancient times, and the contamination of drinking water resources by geogenic As has been described in different regions around the world long ago (e.g. in Argentina in 1914), it was only about two decades ago that the threat of As in the environment received a substantial worldwide public attention. As a consequence of the biggest As calamity in the world, which was detected in West Bengal, India and other parts of Southeast Asia, there has been an exponential rise of scientific interest in understanding the sources, mobilization pathways and remediation methods for As in the environment. Arsenic contamination of drinking water resources, soils, plants and air, the propagation of As in the food chain and the chronic effects of As ingestion are continuously being reported from several regions of the world.
The 7th International Congress on Arsenic in the Environment (As2018) was held in Beijing, China from 1–7 July 2018. Keeping in view the global climate and demographic changes, the theme of the congress was “Environmental Arsenic in a Changing World”. The topics covered were grouped under five general thematic areas, including:
•Arsenic behavior in changing environmental media.
• Arsenic in a changing agricultural ecosystem.
•Health impacts of environmental arsenic.
•Technologies for arsenic immobilization and clean water blueprints.
•Sustainable mitigation and management.
In this correspondence we provide a synopsis of the content presented under these themes during As2018.”

© 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.

(Citaat: Ahmad, A., Bhattacharya, P. Environmental arsenic in a changing world – Groundwater for Sustainable Development 8(2019)169-171 – DOI: 10.1016/j.gsd.2018.11.001)