Arsenic contamination of rice – Bangladesh
Supervisor:
Dr Gary Owens, Future Fellow – Mawson Institute, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia
Phone: +61 8 8302 5043. Email: gary.owens@unisa.edu.au
Area: Environmental Science
Suitable for: PhD and Masters
Abstract:
Groundwater in Bangladesh used for agriculture is typically polluted with Arsenic from natural
mineral sources. There is some concern that when polluted water is used for the production of
rice, the staple food in Bangladesh, that this may lead to detrimental human health. However,
while some rice from Bangladesh is high in As other rice is not. It might be possible that only
certain varieties of rice accumulate As. In this project several rice varieties from As
contaminated regions in Bangladesh will be examined to assess if a species dependant As
accumulation is likely or are farming practices the more likely cause for the variable As
concentrations reported for rice?
Related references:
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Nasreen Islam Khan, David Bruce, Ravi Naidu and Gary Owens, (2009) Implementation of Food Frequency
Questionnaire for the Assessment of Total Dietary Arsenic Intake in Bangladesh: Part-B – Preliminary
Findings, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 31 (Suppl. 1), 221-238
Nasreen Islam Khan, Gary Owens, David Bruce and Ravi Naidu (2009) Human Arsenic Exposure and Risk
Assessment at the Landscape Level: A Review, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 31 (Suppl. 1),
143-166.
Nasreen Islam Khan, Gary Owens, David Bruce and Ravi Naidu (2009) An Effective Dietary Survey
Framework for the Assessment of Total Dietary Arsenic Intake in Bangladesh: Part-A – FFQ Design,
Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 31 (Suppl. 1), 207-220.
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For more information on this project please contact the supervisor.