New paper by REACH researchers - Nameerah Khan, Sonia Ferdous Hoque, Zahid Hayat Mahmud, Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Mohammad Atique Ul Alam, Md Shafiqul Islam, and Katrina Charles - published in SSM - Mental Health demonstrating the impacts of water quality beyond physiological health.
Water quality poses significant health risks to billions worldwide, particularly due to microbial contaminants, which often manifest quickly, unlike chemical contaminants that can take years to show effects. This difference leads to less policy attention for chemical risks. Bangladeshâs water issues, especially arsenic contamination, serve as a critical case study for understanding the health and social impacts of both visible and invisible contaminants. The study explores two tools to assess these impacts: measuring subclinical arsenic exposure through nail samples and examining the relationship between water quality and psychosocial distress. The findings show a strong correlation between subclinical arsenic levels and water arsenic, with a significant portion of the population having elevated arsenic levels, even in areas with low water arsenic. Additionally, the study highlights that psychosocial distress, characterized by uncertainty, worry, and fear, is prevalent and linked to the perceived risk of contamination. This research suggests that using subclinical biomarkers can better identify areas needing intervention and help drive policy changes by highlighting the broader, often overlooked impacts of water contamination.
