School of Environmental Science & Engineering and International Environmental Analysis & Education Center (IEAEC), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju 500-712, South Korea.
Front Med. 2011 Dec;5(4):420-33. doi: 10.1007/s11684-011-0158-2. Epub 2011 Dec 27.
The occurrence of high concentrations of arsenic in the groundwater of the Southeast Asia region has received much attention in the past decade. This study presents an overview of the arsenic contamination problems in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand. Most groundwater used as a source of drinking water in rural areas has been found to be contaminated with arsenic exceeding the WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg·L(-1). With the exception of Thailand, groundwater was found to be contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic in the region. Interestingly, high arsenic concentrations (> 10 μg·L(-1)) were generally found in the floodplain areas located along the Mekong River. The source of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater is thought to be the release of arsenic from river sediments under highly reducing conditions. In Thailand, arsenic has never been found naturally in groundwater, but originates from tin mining activities. More than 10 million residents in Southeast Asia are estimated to be at risk from consuming arsenic-contaminated groundwater. In Southeast Asia, groundwater has been found to be a significant source of daily inorganic arsenic intake in humans. A positive correlation between groundwater arsenic concentration and arsenic concentration in human hair has been observed in Cambodia and Vietnam. A substantial knowledge gap exists between the epidemiology of arsenicosis and its impact on human health. More collaborative studies particularly on the scope of public health and its epidemiology are needed to conduct to fulfill the knowledge gaps of As as well as to enhance the operational responses to As issue in Southeast Asian countries.
过去十年，东南亚地区地下水中高浓度砷的出现引起了广泛关注。本研究概述了越南、柬埔寨、老挝人民民主共和国和泰国的砷污染问题。研究发现，农村地区用作饮用水源的大部分地下水都受到了砷的污染，其含量超过了世界卫生组织（WHO）规定的饮用水指导值 10μg·L(-1)。除泰国外，该地区的地下水都受到了自然产生的砷的污染。有趣的是，高浓度砷（> 10μg·L(-1)）通常存在于湄公河沿岸的洪泛区。人们认为，砷浓度升高的地下水的来源是在高度还原条件下，从河底沉积物中释放的砷。在泰国，地下水中从未发现过天然存在的砷，但砷来源于锡矿开采活动。估计有 1000 多万东南亚居民面临饮用受砷污染地下水的风险。在东南亚，地下水是人类日常无机砷摄入的重要来源。在柬埔寨和越南，人们观察到地下水砷浓度与人体头发中砷浓度之间存在正相关关系。砷中毒的流行病学及其对人类健康的影响方面存在大量知识空白。需要开展更多的合作研究，特别是关于公共卫生范围及其流行病学方面的研究，以填补砷的知识空白，并加强东南亚国家对砷问题的应对措施。
