Nearly 100 million people in developing countries are exposed to dangerously high levels of arsenic in their drinking water. Arsenic, a naturally occurring element, is present in water, air, food, and soil, and all human populations are exposed to it in one form or another. For example, the highly toxic heavy metal enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in soil, rock, and from agricultural and industrial sources. In addition, exposure to arsenic can result from inhaling contaminated air near hazardous waste sites, breathing sawdust from burning wood treated with arsenic, or living in areas with unusually high natural levels of arsenic in rock. In fact, one can be exposed to the dangerous metal by simply eating food or drinking water that contains arsenic.

High arsenic levels found in organic foods and baby formula

Furthermore, according to a 2012 study at Dartmouth College, high levels of arsenic have been found in foods that list organic brown rice syrup as a primary ingredient. In fact, one of the infant formulas tested, which contained the rice syrup, contained twice the inorganic arsenic allowed in drinking water (according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards). In addition, twelve times the legal limit of arsenic in drinking water (10 parts per billion) was found in one cereal bar alone.

Symptoms of arsenic poisoning

Although the arsenic is odorless, tasteless, and even colorless, the heavy metal is still highly toxic and poses several serious health risks. Some of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, and even nausea. Vision loss, numbness in hands and feet, and the discoloration of skin are also common among those affected by arsenic consumption. Shockingly, increased consumption arsenic has also been correlated with cancer of the lungs, kidney, bladder, skin, prostate, liver, and nasal passages. As a known poison, arsenic can also cause death when large quantities of it are consumed or inhaled.

Is there a cost-effective solution for arsenic-contaminated water?

Scientists have recently described simple and inexpensive method for removing arsenic from wastewater. The groundbreaking process involves the use of pieces of plastic water, soda, and other beverage bottles that are coated with cysteine and stirred in arsenic-contaminated water. Functioning as a “magnet,” the cysteine binds to the arsenic, and once the plastic is removed, the water becomes potable. According to the study leader of this project, Tsanangurayi Tongesayi, Ph.D., the plastic bottle removes 20 parts per billion of arsenic from water, which is two times the safe standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water.

Some of the advantages of this innovative arsenic-removal technology are: its potential ability to remove other toxic heavy metals from drinking water, as well as is relatively simplistic technology—for example, the application of cysteine does not require complicated technology and people without technical skills can use the straight-forward technology. In addition, the Tongesayi’s solution is quite convenient because it can use discarded plastic bottles available locally. It is hoped that the plastic bottle solution for arsenic-contaminated water will be implemented in the future in order to reduce the number of lives at risk.