The Taiwan Crisis: A Showcase of the Global Arsenic Problem

ISBN-13: 9780415585101 / Angielski / Twarda / 2010 / 234 str.

Jiin-Shuh Jean; Jochen Bundschuh; Chien-Jen Chen

Opis

In the 1950s, the residents of the southwestern coastal areas of Taiwan suffered greatly from Blackfoot disease (BFD) due to the consumption of arsenic-contaminated groundwater. Groundwater with high levels of arsenic in southwestern and northeastern Taiwan received much attention. After arsenic-safe tap water was utilized for drinking instead of groundwater in the 1970s, BFD cases decreased greatly. After 1990, no new BFD cases were reported, and as a consequence, BFD problems disregarded. However, arsenic is still present in the groundwater.
This book will improve the knowledge and understanding of the occurrence and genesis of arsenic-rich groundwaters in Taiwan. It deals with constraints on the mobility of arsenic in groundwater, its uptake from soil and water by plants, arsenic-propagation through the food chain, human health impacts, and arsenic-removal technologies. Taiwan case experiences are described in this book and can be applied worldwide. This book is a state-of-the-art overview of research on arsenic in Taiwan and is designed to:

• create interest in regions within Taiwan that are affected by the presence of arseniferous aquifers;
• draw attention from the international scientific community;
• increase awareness among researchers, administrators, policy makers, and company executives;
• improve the international cooperation on arsenic problems worldwide.

Spis treści

Taiwan and the Global Arsenic Problem; Geological Controls of Arsenic Concentrations in Ground- and Surface; Waters History of Blackfoot Disease; Arsenic in Artesian Well Water; Non-Vascular Health Effects of Arsenic in Drinking Water in Taiwan. Arsenic Sources, Occurrences and Mobility in Surface Water, Groundwater and Sediments; Arsenic in Soils and Plants; Potential Threat of the Use of Arsenic Contaminated Water in Aquaculture; Current Solutions to Arsenic Contaminated Water;