Resumen de Arsenic and its speciation analysis in biological and environmental samples using ICP techniques

Subhamoy Bhowmick

• Arsenic (As) is one of the common cancers causing contaminant in groundwater of West Bengal, India along with other regions of the world. Scientists believe that As contamination in groundwater of these region are because of the reductive dissolution of iron oxyhydroxide and the oxidation of organic matter. However, our research shows that a combination of carbonate mineral dissolution and the reduction of iron oxyhydroxides accounts for the high As concentration in groundwater. Thus the people of this region are exposed daily to high levels of As through various pathways. Our study on saliva shows that this biofluid is a good biomarker of As exposure. Moreover, by measuring the various forms of As in saliva, individual susceptibility to arsenic related diseases can be understood. Lastly, we propose nano Zero Valent iron doped onto montmorillonite as an effective material to reduce high levels of As in water quickly and efficiently