Rising level of arsenic in water and fodder: a growing threat to livestock and human populations in Pakistan

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is considered to be one of the top environmental contaminants of concern worldwide. In many regions in Pakistan, there are reports of increased levels of As in the environment, and this metalloid remains a major source of contamination of soil, water and fodder. This pathway of exposure has emerged as a new threat for both wildlife and the surrounding human communities because of the mobilization and accumulation of As via the food chain. The objective of this critical review is to synthesize historical information about As levels in the environmental resources of Pakistan to better characterize the risk to livestock and humans in the region. The South Punjab and Sindh are the dominant areas which are reported to contain the highest As contamination compared to other regions. This is a concern as millions of animals as well as the human population are facing significant health issues due to As. For example, some of the population of Sindh province are potentially faced with As levels ∼10–50 μg/L in drinking water, which is well above safe drinking limits of 10 μg/L outlined by the World Health Organization. These collective data on As are anticipated to be a useful source of information for decisions by the environmental protection agency in Pakistan regarding the adoption of preventive measures against its adverse impacts and toxicity.

Keywords:

• Arsenic concentration
• water
• fodder
• milk
• vegetables
• health risks

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.