AUSTRALIAN groundwater is in places seriously contaminated by arsenic,
according to recent research from the University of New South Wales. While such
water contamination is a significant problem on the Indian sub-continent, few
people suspected that it could affect the clean, coastal sand aquifers in
Australia. Exposure to arsenic can cause a range of health problems, from skin
complaints to cancer. High levels, of course, are acutely toxic.
Studies by PhD student James Smith of an aquifer just north of the town of
Kempsey in northern NSW have found arsenic levels above 300 micrograms a litre.
This is more than…
