Abstract
Arsenic in drinking water is a hazard to human health and is a known carcinogen (Mass 1992). Resource Development International – Cambodia (RDIC) has researched, developed, and manufactured simple ceramic water fi lters (CWF) which have proved to be extremely effective in removing pathogens from water. These fi lters however, do not remove arsenic from water, which exists in the source water at levels above the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline of 10μg/L. The aims of this literature based study were to investigate conventional and non-conventional arsenic removal processes, and to discuss the options for applying an arsenic removal technology to the CWFs produced by RDIC. It was found that conventional arsenic removal technologies are diffi cult to implement in the context of household water treatment in a developing country. This study suggested that non-conventional arsenic removal technologies shall be more effective and that field studies must be undertaken to verify the success of such methods.
Highlights
Over 137 million people suffer from arsenic related problems each year (WHO, 2001)
This study aims to accelerate this process by assessing various arsenic removal technologies and identifying which methods would be more applicable to ceramic water filters (CWF)
To improve the capacity of CWFs to provide clean and safe water to its users, this research investigated arsenic, its contamination and options which could be explored for suitable arsenic removal from drinking water
Summary
Over 137 million people suffer from arsenic related problems each year (WHO, 2001). Arsenic is a metalloid, which is a known carcinogen to humans if consumed in small doses, over a long period. Resource Development International – Cambodia (RDIC) has developed and manufactured CWFs which are able to remove 99.99% of pathogens which cause disease This filter is not capable of removing arsenic, and options are considered and evaluated to extend the capabilities of these filters. An independent study (Van Halem, 2006) which evaluated the effectiveness of CWF reported that the filters leached arsenic into water in the first 2-4 weeks of use. It is in the scope of this study to research and provide recommendations to reduce the possibility of excess arsenic being consumed by the water filter user.
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