THE growing trend around the world to drink water from underground sources is causing a global epidemic of arsenic poisoning. Tens of thousands of people have developed skin lesions, cancers and other symptoms, and many have died. Hundreds of millions are now thought to be at serious risk.
The latest evidence comes from the valley of the river Ganges in India, one of the most heavily populated areas on the planet. High levels of arsenic in groundwater were once believed to be confined to an area around the river delta, and Bangladesh in particular. But a new study by a…
