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Social implications of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

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  • Hassan, M. Manzurul
  • Atkins, Peter J.
  • Dunn, Christine E.

Abstract

Besides its toxicity, groundwater arsenic contamination creates widespread social problems for its victims and their families in Bangladesh. There is, for instance, a tendency to ostracise arsenic-affected people, arsenicosis being thought of as a contagious disease. Within the community, arsenic-affected people are barred from social activities and often face rejection, even by their immediate family members. Women with visible arsenicosis symptoms are unable to get married and some affected housewives are divorced by their husbands. Children with symptoms are not sent to school in an effort to hide the problem. This paper employs mainly qualitative methods to interpret people's understandings about the toxic impact of groundwater arsenic poisoning on their social lives. Arsenic-affected patients in southwest Bangladesh were asked to determine their 'own priorities' in measuring arsenic toxicity on their social activities and to explore their perceptions about their own survival strategies. We found that patients' experiences reveal severe negative social impacts, and a sharp difference of perceptions about arsenic and social issues between arsenicosis patients and unaffected people.

Suggested Citation

  • Hassan, M. Manzurul & Atkins, Peter J. & Dunn, Christine E., 2005. "Social implications of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(10), pages 2201-2211, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:61:y:2005:i:10:p:2201-2211
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Caldwell, Bruce K. & Caldwell, John C. & Mitra, S. N. & Smith, Wayne, 2003. "Searching for an optimum solution to the Bangladesh arsenic crisis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(10), pages 2089-2096, May.
    2. Navon, Liora & Morag, Amira, 2004. "Liminality as biographical disruption: unclassifiability following hormonal therapy for advanced prostate cancer," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(11), pages 2337-2347, June.
    3. B. N. Ong & K. Jordan, 1997. "Health Experiences of Elderly People in an Outer London Area," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(1), pages 28-40, March.
    4. Hassan, M. Manzurul, 2005. "Arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh: spatial mitigation planning with GIS and public participation," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(3), pages 247-260, November.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zimmermann, Klaus F. & Krause, Annabelle & Chowdhury, Shyamal, 2015. "Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water and Mental Health," CEPR Discussion Papers 10978, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Saing, Chan Hang & Cannonier, Colin, 2017. "Arsenic Exposure and School Participation in Cambodia," GLO Discussion Paper Series 95, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Chaudhury, Nazmul, 2011. "Poisoning the mind: Arsenic contamination of drinking water wells and children's educational achievement in rural Bangladesh," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 873-888, October.
    4. Aggarwal, Khushboo & Barua, Rashmi & Vidal-Fernandez, Marian, 2024. "Still Waters Run Deep: Groundwater Contamination and Education Outcomes in India," IZA Discussion Papers 16863, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Peter Atkins & Manzurul Hassan & Christine Dunn, 2007. "Environmental Irony: Summoning Death in Bangladesh," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(11), pages 2699-2714, November.
    6. Chowdhury, Shyamal & Singh, Prachi, 2023. "Information Campaign on Arsenic Poisoning: Unintended Consequences in Marriage Market," IZA Discussion Papers 16214, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Sarker, M. Mizanur Rahman, 2012. "Spatial modeling of households’ knowledge about arsenic pollution in Bangladesh," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1232-1239.
    8. Chakraborty, Sanjana & Mukherjee, Vivekananda, 2020. "Revisiting the Economic Costs of Arsenicosis: A PSM Approach," Ecology, Economy and Society - the INSEE Journal, Indian Society of Ecological Economics (INSEE), vol. 3(02), July.

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