World facing 'arsenic timebomb'

About 140 million people, mainly in developing countries, are being poisoned by arsenic in their drinking water, researchers believe.

Speaking at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) annual meeting in London, scientists said this will lead to higher rates of cancer in the future.

South and East Asia account for more than half of the known cases globally.
Eating large amounts of rice grown in affected areas could also be a health risk, scientists said.



"It's a global problem, present in 70 countries, probably more," said Peter Ravenscroft, a research associate in geography with Cambridge University.



"If you work on drinking water standards used in Europe and North America, then you see that about 140 million people around the world are above those levels and at risk."

To read the rest of the BBC report follow this link:
'arsenic timebomb'

Here are a few more links to give readers more information:

What is arsenic?
Arsenic (IPA: /ˈɑːsənɪk/, /ˈɑɹsənɪk/) is a chemical element that has the symbol As and atomic number 33. Its Atomic Mass is 74.92. Its Ionic Charge is (3-) Its position in the periodic table is shown at right. This is a notoriously poisonous metalloid that has many allotropic forms: yellow (molecular non-metallic) and several black and gray forms (metalloids) are a few that are seen. To read more follow this link: Arsenic

Past stories about Arsenic in water supplies:

Arsenic-Laced Well Water Poisoning Bangladeshis

Arsenic in Asian Drinking Water Linked to Microbes


The questions I have are simple, is the water supply in the United States at risk? Can arsenic be placed in the water supply by a terrorist organization?

If you know any stories that adress the above questions please forwatrd them to me at tsrk30@sbcglobal.net.