Global threat of arsenic in groundwater
University of Manchester · Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology · +1 more institution
Abstract
Naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater affects millions of people worldwide. We created a global prediction map of groundwater arsenic exceeding 10 micrograms per liter using a random forest machine-learning model based on 11 geospatial environmental parameters and more than 50,000 aggregated data points of measured groundwater arsenic concentration. Our global prediction map includes known arsenic-affected areas and previously undocumented areas of concern. By combining the global arsenic prediction model with household groundwater-usage statistics, we estimate that 94 million to 220 million people are potentially exposed to high arsenic concentrations in groundwater, the vast majority (94%) being in…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 78.09
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 103
Authors
2Topics & keywords
- Arsenic
- Groundwater
- Aquifer
- Hazard
- Arsenic contamination of groundwater
- Environmental science
- Contaminated groundwater
- Environmental hazard