Published Paper Details:

Ganga-Meghna-Bramhaputra basin is one of the major arsenic-contaminated hotspot in the world. To assess the level of severity of arsenic contamination, concentrations of arsenic in irrigation water, soil, rice, wheat, common vegetables, and pulses, intensively cultivated and consumed by the people of highly arsenic affected Nadia district, West Bengal, India, were investigated. Results revealed that the arsenic-contaminated irrigation water (0.318- 0.643 mg l-1) and soil (5.70-9.71 mg kg-1) consider- ably influenced in the accumulation of arsenic in rice, pulses, and vegetables in the study area. Arsenic concentrations of irrigation water samples were many folds higher than the WHO recommended permissible limit for drinking water (0.01 mg l-1) and FAO permissible limit for irrigation water (0.10 mg l-1). But, the levels of arsenic in soil were lower than the reported global average of 10.0 mg kg-1 and was much below the EU recommended maximum accept- able limit for agricultural soil (20.0 mg kg-1). The present study reveals that pulses grown in the study area are safe for consumption, for now. But, the arsenic accumulation in the crops should be monitored periodically as the level of arsenic toxicity in the study area is increasing day by day.