TY - JOUR
T1 - Manganese in groundwater in South Asia needs attention
AU - Rahman, Mohammad
AU - Ali, Muhammad Ashraf
AU - Chowdhury, Ahmed I. A.
AU - Ravenscroft, Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the funding received from the UKRI GCRF Living Deltas Hub under Grant Reference NE/S008926/1.
PY - 2023/6/9
Y1 - 2023/6/9
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85139728200&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00442
DO - 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00442
M3 - Article
VL - 3
SP - 1425
EP - 1428
JO - ACS Environmental Science and Technology Water
JF - ACS Environmental Science and Technology Water
IS - 6
ER -