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Detailed surveys vital to prevent arsenic poisoning, UN-backed expert group says

Detailed surveys vital to prevent arsenic poisoning, UN-backed expert group says

Arsenic
Experts attending a recent United Nations meeting in Bangkok have warned that arsenic poses a serious public health threat in a number of countries in the Asian region, where the poison can seep into drinking water.

The forum on "Geology and Health: Solving the Arsenic Crisis," convened by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), found that thousands of people in Bangladesh, China and India are already suffering from arsenicosis -- arsenic poisoning -- with many millions more at risk because of chronic exposure to contaminated drinking water.

The meeting, which concluded on 4 May, adopted a joint statement noting that in most cases arsenic contamination was related to geological settings. It recommended conducting detailed surveys so that people could avoid using contaminated water sources altogether.

The experts called for the establishment of a regional centre, hosted by ESCAP, for the collation and exchange of information on arsenic contamination. The centre, they said, should also serve to mitigate and prevent arsenic poisoning in the affected countries and in those potentially at risk.

The three-day Bangkok meeting was made possible in part through support from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).