Arsenic poisoning can cause such woes as kidney and liver failure as well as respiratory problems. The contamination is believed to be of geological origin. Groundwater in the alluvial deltaic zone, across the border with India's West Bengal region, is reported to have the highest toxicity. Sedimentary deposition that took place some 25,000 to 80,000 years ago affects almost 50 percent of Bangladesh's territory. In neighboring West Bengal, arsenic contamination was first detected in 1984.
Toxic levels can be especially high in water drawn from tubewells.
Although so far no water contamination or arsenic poisoning has been reported in World Vision Bangladesh project areas, precautionary measures are being taken at sites thought to be at risk. Also, at Faridpur Family Development Project, staff are raising community awareness regarding the symptoms of arsenic ailments so that any incidence can be reported.