Effect of Arsenic Contamination in Potable Water and Its Removal Techniques

Thousands and thousands of people are suffering from the toxic effect of arsenic in many countries. It is due to natural ground water contamination as well as industrial hazards waste and drainage problems. Permissible level of arsenic in water is 0.01 ppb defined by World Health Organization. The delta region of Brahmaputra and Ganga is one of the world's most affected areas. The central portion of Argentina is affected by arsenic-contaminated groundwater. Specifically, the La Pampa produces water containing 4-5300 microgram as per litre. There are many public water supply systems in United State of America. Their water supply from groundwater had met the old 50 ppb arsenic standard but exceeded the new 10 ppb. China, Australia, Japan, Nepal and many more countries in all over the world are facing problem of ground water contamination of arsenic. There are lot of effort has been made by WHO, NGOs and governments of different countries. But still several cases are found in all over the world. Bangladesh is a most affected country among all of ground water contamination of arsenic. To make water portable for human consumption, there were several techniques used to remove contamination. Use of chlorine, ozone etc. and physical method such as UV treatment, other filtration techniques such as reverse osmosis, membrane filtration, flocculation, adsorption etc. are some of the effective methods for removal of contamination from water. In this review, some of the most effective arsenic removal techniques will have been discussed.