ABSTRACT
The extent of groundwater arsenic [As] contamination and associated health-risks were studied in the four villages: Chaukia and Terahrasiya [Vaishali]; Mamalkha and Masharu [Bhagalpur] in Bihar, India. Groundwater samples were tested using the standard Silverdiethyledithiocarbamate method at 520nm by Thermo UV-1 spectrophotometer. The As levels in both the districts exceeded the WHO standard of 10microg/L for drinking water with a maximum value of 20microg/L in Vaishali and 143microg/L in Bhagalpur. However, the FAO standard of 100microg/L of As for irrigation water was only exceeded in Bhagalpur. The calculated range of the hazard index [HI] for Vaishali was 0.9 to 10, and for Bhagalpur was 10.40 to 40.47. Both ranges exceed the accepted normal toxic HI of 1.00. The cancer risk was derived as 1-5/1000 people to 5-16/10,000 people in Vaishali, and 7-21/1000 and 5-16/1000 people in Bhagalpur. Prevalence of skin pigmentation was double in Vaishali in comparison to Bhagalpur. The analysis of principal components showed that only two components had a fundamental role in defining variance for cancer risk assessment. A more extensive screening of As contamination of groundwater and a follow-up clinical study are necessary to accurately assess the likelihood of As-related cancers in these districts