ABSTRACT
High levels of geogenic arsenic (As) in groundwater have been reported in different parts of the Chaco-Pampean Plain in Argentina. About 2 million people living in the region might be exposed to high levels of As in drinking water which exceed the national drinking water standard of 50 μg/L. Consequently, after long term ingestion of contaminated water, high risk of arsenicosis, skin and internal cancers could develop. High concentration of dissolved fluoride (F) in water, is also affecting the population with prominent osteofluorosis (Smedley et al. 2002, 2005). Most of the As in groundwater is mobilised from the volcanic ash and the associated loess in the alluvial aquifer derived from the Andean volcanic eruptions ( Bhattacharya et al. 2006).
