This creates an obvious problem: because the arsenic occurs naturally, and seeps into the water supply naturally, stopping it completely will prove to be extremely difficult, and will likely require a great deal of further research as to the specific locations of arsenic poisoning, as well as measures that can be taken to ensure that Bangladesh citizens have access to clean water during this time (Rahman, 2002)
The population health concern is simple: the arsenic adversely affects the health of those affected by it. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that this arsenic poisoning could be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, as Bangladesh has struggled with other health concerns within the same time period as this arsenic poisoning. For example, another study, taken just a few years later, describes the poisoning of many Bangladesh citizens because of what is known as Manganese, which is a transition metal and also, in many cases, a deadly neurotoxin (Wasserman et al, 2006). There are also claims that this metal can also cause damage when drunk from water, the same way that arsenic can, further increasing the danger of poisoning in the country (Wasserman et al, 2006). As a result, the arsenic poisoning problem in Bangladesh, as a public health issue, acts more as a multiplier of already existing threats, rather than a sole threat all its own. .
The second main health concern in relation to the arsenic poisoning cited in the study is the lack of knowledge as to what, exactly, this exposure to arsenic actually does to the citizens of Bangladesh. Much like cancer, there are a number of effects, many of them unknown, of arsenic poisoning. For example, one study cites stillbirth as one of the many indirect causes of the arsenic contamination in Bangladesh, stating that ingesting this arsenic can prove fatal for the babies of expecting mothers because of their low tolerance for the deadly chemical (Cherry et al, 2008).
