Study finds widespread arsenic contamination in Buenos Aires Province

A new report by the Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA) warns that 70 percent of terrain in Buenos Aires Province has water contaminated with arsenic.

Long-term consumption, the report warns, “increases the risk of conditions such as lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, chronic and/or persistent cough and pulmonary fibrosis” for those in the region.

The ITBA’s “Arsenic Map” was created by taking more than 350 water samples from different regions of the country. The findings reveal an alarming situation in Buenos Aires, where 70 percent of the territory was contaminated with the element.

The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that arsenic is one of the 10 chemicals that are of greatest public health concern. It is present at high levels in groundwater in various countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, China, the United States, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Vietnam.

“The main sources of exposure are drinking water, crops irrigated with contaminated water and food prepared with contaminated water,” the authorities note.

A key figure highlighted by the WHO estimates that “140 million people in at least 70 countries have been drinking water with arsenic levels above the provisional guideline value.”

Against this backdrop, ITBA stresses that long-term consumption of contaminated water increases the risk of developing a clinical condition known as Endemic Regional Chronic Hydroarsenicism (HACRE).

Without treatment, this can lead to conditions such as lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, chronic and/or persistent cough, and pulmonary fibrosis.

“Arsenic contamination is mostly natural and stems from geological processes that occurred millions of years ago when the formation that we now know as the Andes mountain range was uplifted,” said Jorge Daniel Stripeikis, who is responsible for the map.

|In our country, the most affected areas are 70 percent of Buenos Aires Province, particularly along the Route 5 corridor, including the towns of 9 de Julio, Bragado, Casares and Trenque Lauquen, as well as areas near Mar del Plata. It is also found throughout the south of Córdoba and Santa Fe and in La Pampa and Mendoza,” he added.