Near-surface wetland sediments as a source of arsenic release to ground water in Asia

Matthew L. Polizzotto, Benjamin D. Kocar, Shawn G. Benner, Michael Sampson and Scott Fendorf ()
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Matthew L. Polizzotto: School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
Benjamin D. Kocar: School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
Shawn G. Benner: Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83705, USA
Michael Sampson: Resource Development International – Cambodia, PO Box 494, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Scott Fendorf: School of Earth Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

Nature, 2008, vol. 454, issue 7203, 505-508

Abstract: Arsenic poisoning: Sources of contamination identified What may be the largest mass poisoning in history is occurring now, across southeast Asia, where millions of people are drinking arsenic-tainted well water. Arsenic is naturally derived from eroded Himalayan sediments, but the processes controlling passage of arsenic release into pore water remain unclear. This is partly attributed to a poor understanding of groundwater flow paths altered by extensive irrigation pumping. Polizzotto et al. now use hydrologic and biogeochemical measurements to show that on the minimally disturbed Mekong Delta of Cambodia, arsenic is released from near-surface, river-derived sediments and transported, on a centennial timescale, through the underlying aquifer back to the river. These results represent a model for understanding pre-disturbance conditions for other major deltas in Asia.

Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1038/nature07093

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