groundwater in inland basins Groundwater contamination by arsenic in a suburban setting in Perth, Western Australia: Geochemical changes and management implications

Groundwater contamination by arsenic is often only thought of as a significant public health issue in developing countries where communities are drinking and irrigating crops with groundwater contaminated by arsenic, particularly in countries on the Indian subcontinent and in South East Asia (Bhattacharya 2002; Mukherjee et al. 2006). Typically the risks of exposure to arsenic in groundwater are much lower in urban areas in developed countries where there is a reticulated water supply with high levels of water treatment and compliance monitoring. However, arsenic exposure risks may still exist for urban communities where there is widespread use of untreated groundwater from domestic bores for the irrigation of home-grown produce (Huq & Naidu 2005) and possibly other non-potable uses.