Vulnerability of Children to Arsenic and its Health Implications: A Case Study of West Bengal, India

Children are particularly vulnerable to many environmental threats, including a contaminated physical environment. This special susceptibility of children, however, is not confined to the biology of growth and development. A variety of external factors, at macro as well as micro level, influence the exposure of children to various environmental threats that consequently affect their health. This paper examines the possible impact of arsenic (via drinking water) on children between the ages 0 and 14 years, as the risks tend to be the greatest during these ages. A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted in Murshidabad district, West Bengal. From the 367 surveyed households, completed information on 471 children could be collected including the anthropometric component. In case villages, nine percent of the children exhibited any clinical symptoms of arsenicosis and it was found that the corresponding mothers had exposure of more than eight years and all showed moderate skin manifestations. The prevalence rate was 26 percent in case of male children compared to 20 percent for female children in the high category of arsenic concentration level. A clear dose-response relationship was also found, independent of all background characteristics. The progression of symptoms among children was closely related to BMI and age.