Report about advances and challenges during the first steps of the project: “Arsenic in Uruguayan groundwater and associated health risk”

In Uruguay there is a great concern about the arsenic (As) geogenic contamination in groundwater as an environmental health problem, after rather high levels of As in groundwater in some areas (above 20 μg L⁻¹) were reported and, considering that the main part of the rural population consumes drinking water from private aquifers wells. On the other side Uruguay has indeed well quantity and quality groundwater and this is why there is a must beware of the Uruguayan aquifers as important resources. In this respect we proposed and start the execution of a multidisciplinary and interinstitutional program: AsURU Project (“Arsenic in Uruguayan groundwater and associated health risk” (website: facebook.com/AsURUArsénico).