Researchers have noted the presence of very high levels of arsenic in groundwater in parts of Pakistan.
Residents of Pakistan are exposed to significant amounts of arsenic due to the contamination of groundwater, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances.
The authors, who took samples from 1,200 sites across the country, warn of groundwater pollution in the east of the country. The level of arsenic there is “alarming” and constitutes a threat for the tens of millions of inhabitants who drink this water.
In eastern Punjab, where the city of Lahore is located, groundwater has a particularly dangerous level of arsenic for the population, which is at risk of poisoning, researchers say.
200 micrograms
But the east of the country is not the only one concerned. “Very high levels of concentration, over 200 micrograms per liter of water, have been found in the south,” the report said. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that a maximum level of 10 micrograms per liter.
Between 50 and 60 million people in Pakistan consume water containing a rate greater than 50 micrograms per liter, we can still read.
With consequent health risks. Indeed, the consumption of water saturated with arsenic can generate, among other things, lung cancer, heart disease and skin problems.
Scientists have no definite explanation for this high presence of arsenic, but suggest a link with widespread irrigation in the Indus River plain where the production of rice, wheat, cotton and cane sugar is intense.
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