Assessing Health Risks from Arsenic Intake by Residents in Cambodia - Environmental Contamination: Health Risks and Ecological Restoration - page 86

their.daily.diet..In.fact,.some.residents.in.the.study.areas.have.used.arsenic-
rich.groundwater.to.irrigate.their.farms.as.well.as.their.rice.ields..Therefore,.
the.actual.ingestion.of.arsenic.content.of.this.group.would.be.much.higher.
than. that. of. the. groundwater. drinking. pathway. alone.. Concurrently,. in.
practice,. some. residents. did. not. consume. instantly. pumped. groundwater..
Pumped.groundwater.may.be.stored.for.a.period.of.time.in.traditional.water.
storage. containers,. such. as.open.rainwater. jars,.which. may.lead.to. natural.
oxidation. and. precipitation. processes. that. lower. arsenic. levels;. moreover,.
those.who.have.more.jars.might.store.rainwater.for.use.throughout.the.dry.
season..In.short,.a.number.of.factors.may.play.a.role.in.arsenic.accumulation.
in.the.bodies.of.residents.in.the.Mekong.River.basin.of.Cambodia.
Conclusions
Analytical.results.demonstrated.that.groundwater.in.Kandal.was.more.sig-
niicantly.enriched.with.As,.Mn,.Fe,.and.Ba.than.that.in.Kratie.and.Kampong.
Cham.provinces..Consequently,.the.computation.of.risks.through.drinking.
water. pathway. indicated.that. the.residents.of.Kandal. might. be. exposed.to.
more.elevated.toxic.and.carcinogenic.risks.than.those.of.Kratie.and.Kampong.
Cham..Positive.signiicant.correlation.between.arsenic.content.in.scalp.hair.
and.arsenic.level.in.groundwater.and.individual.ADD.of.arsenic.undoubt-
edly. suggested. that. arsenic. accumulation. in. Cambodia. residents'. bodies.
was.mainly.through.groundwater.drinking.pathway..Rapid.development.of.
arsenicosis.symptoms.found.during.a.ield.sampling.was.closely.correlated.
with.other.risk.factors.such.as.extremely.high.arsenic.level.in.groundwater.
(As w ),.ADD,.and.ED..Arsenic.accumulation.rate.might.vary.among.individu-
als.and/or.households.owing.to.family.socioeconomic.status.and.numerous.
other.factors,.including.malnutrition,.individual.health.status,.hygiene,.and.
good.habits.in.drinking.water.maintenance.and.storage,.which.could.lower.
the. arsenic. levels. through. natural. oxidation. and. precipitation. processes..
Deleterious.As.concentration.found.in.groundwater.sources.in.the.Mekong.
river.basin.of.Cambodia.might.lead.to.thousands.of.cases.of.arsenicosis.in.
the.near.future.if.remedial.actions.are.not.taken.
Acknowledgments
This. project. was. inancially. supported. by. a. joint. research. project. of.
UNU&GIST,.UNU-IIGH,.and.Hong.Kong.Baptist.University.