Manganese in groundwater in South Asia needs attention

Rahman, Mohammad, Ali, Muhammad Ashraf, Chowdhury, Ahmed I. A. and Ravenscroft, Peter (2023) Manganese in groundwater in South Asia needs attention. ACS Environmental Science and Technology Water, 3 (6). pp. 1425-1428. ISSN 2690-0637

[img]
Preview
Text
acsestwater.2c00442.pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

Download (2MB) | Preview
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.2c00442

Abstract

The frequent occurrence of manganese (Mn) at elevated concentrations in groundwater adds a new dimension to the already precarious safe water supply scenario in the alluvial plains and deltas of South Asia (SA). An essential micronutrient, Mn may co-occur with iron (Fe) and/or arsenic (As) and can impart a color, odor, or taste to the water at concentrations of >0.02 mg/L. (1) Adverse effects on neurological development of children from prolonged exposure to Mn in water (∼0.1 mg/L) have been documented (1,2) (also see Table SI-1). Currently, awareness of Mn among scientists, policy actors, and exposed communities remains low. Despite the growing evidence that Mn in drinking water needs close attention and regular monitoring to avoid excessive intake, in 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) discontinued the health-based value (HbV) of 0.4 mg/L Mn in drinking water. (3) Subsequently in 2021, as part of the second addendum to the fourth Guidelines for drinking-water quality (GDWQ), WHO established a new provisional guideline value (pGV) of 0.08 mg/L. (1) Millions of people in SA are already exposed to Mn above the WHO’s former health-based value (HbV) of 0.4 mg/L. If wells with Mn concentrations above the pGV are considered, then the population exposed to unsafe water would increase significantly.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding information: The authors acknowledge the funding received from the UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Hub under Grant Reference NE/S008926/1.
Subjects: F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences
H200 Civil Engineering
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Mechanical and Construction Engineering
Depositing User: Elena Carlaw
Date Deposited: 23 Sep 2022 14:29
Last Modified: 29 Jun 2023 14:00
URI: https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/50211

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics