International Journal of Public Health and Safety

Groundwater arsenic is developing as a major problem in floodplain of the Ganga. The large scale shift in the water resource allocation from surface water to groundwater in India exposed millions of people to the arsenic through groundwater. Arsenic induced toxicity in human blood cells has been evident from the several cases like Megaloblastic Dyserythropoietic Anemia, Pancytopenia. The present study is aims to know about the toxic effect of arsenic on human health by exploring blood arsenic concentration, some free radical assessment [Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx)] and hematological parameters (RBC, Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC and WBC) evaluation. The subjects belong from our recently explored arsenic hit area of Bihar. The result reveals maximum blood arsenic concentration as 706.1 μg/L while the mean blood arsenic concentration was 83.04 ± 10.60 μg/L in adult male and 70.47 ± 18.49 μg/L in adult female which was calculated corresponding to 228.105 ± 18.942 μg/L mean arsenic concentration in their drinking water. The elevated levels of MDA and GPx represent anti-oxidative stress in the subjects. All the hematological parameters like WBC count, RBC count, hemoglobin percentage and other RBC indices were found at significant abnormal levels. It concludes that arsenic exposure to the population residing in the arsenic hit area leads to hematological changes and low immunity in them and indicating that they are at very high risk.