SPRING 2000   TEAM PROJECT

THE ARSENIC CRISIS IN BANGLADESH

"It is an uncanny thought that this lurking poison (arsenic) is everywhere about us, ready to gain unsuspected entrance to our bodies from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe"  Karl Vogel, 1928.

Objectives of Team Project:
To broaden education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context; to recognize need for and the ability to engage in lifelong learning; and to understand contemporary issues.

Background:
Bangladesh has a population of approximately 125 million people in an area the size of Wisconsin. Millions of wells were installed in the past few decades to solve water shortages and also to provide a safe alternative to contaminated surface waters. Unfortunately, potentially 50 -70 million of Bangladesh citizens are being poisoned from arsenic present in water drawn from these wells. In addition, in neighboring West Bengal, up to 200,000 people have been diagnosed with arsenicosis. Some estimate that one half of the 4 million wells are contaminated with arsenic that exceed 50 ppb (The World Health Organization's drinking water guideline is 10 ppb).

Team Assignment
Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh is a hot political issue both at home and abroad.  The class will have to investigate the politics behind how the contamination has become more widespread due to efforts of the World Bank and its Shallow tube well project.  The ethics component is interesting – water quality studies were absent during the intense shallow tube well project.  Bangladesh currently has a very rudimentary environmental regulatory agency.  Was the World Bank and other local and global agencies responsible for water quality investigations?? The technical part of the report will address arsenic contamination, its sources, occurrence, chemistry, and treatment options and current regulatory limits.

Reports must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner and have 2.5-cm margins on all sides.  The type font must be Arial 10 points.  The line spacing should be single-spaced.  Refer to Section 6.6H of Fogler and LeBlanc in writing this report.

• A letter of transmittal must be addressed Dr. Jahan.
• The cover sheet must contain the title of the project, names of individuals in the group with the group leader designated, course number, and date submitted.
• Executive summary: The report must contain a summary, not more than one page in length.
• Project Description
Problem Statement  ( 1page)
Background (Introduction to Bangladesh)  (4 Pages)
Arsenic (3 Pages)
The Arsenic Crisis in Bangladesh (4 pages)
Current Status ( 2 Pages)
Ethical Issues ( 2 Pages)
Conclusions (1 Page)
References


Arsenic Related Links

http://www.bcas.net/arsenic/index.htm

http://phys4.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic_project_references.html  (References)

http://phys4.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic_project_maps.html  (Maps)

http://www.dainichi-consul.co.jp/english/arsenic/arseniclink.htm (Arsenic Links)

http://phys4.harvard.edu/~wilson/arsenic_project_pictures2.html

Links to Bangladesh

http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/

http://www.cyberbangladesh.org/
 

 
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