Arsenic Contamination, Nutrition and Economic Growth in Bangladesh (IGC Working Paper)
Abstract
Groundwater in Bangladesh is widely contaminated by arsenic, but is the main source of drinking water, irrigation and water for cooking. This paper provides estimates of (i) the effects of the consumption of foods grown and cooked in arsenic-contaminated water on individual arsenic concentrations and (ii) how the ingestion and retention of inorganic arsenic causally affects nutritional status, physical and cognitive capabilities and incomes at the individual level. The estimates are based on arsenic biomarkers obtained from a sample of members of rural households in Bangladesh who are participants in a long-term panel survey following respondents and their co-resident household members over a period of 26 years.
Citation
Pitt, M.M.; Rosenzweig, M.R.; Nazmul Hassan. Arsenic Contamination, Nutrition and Economic Growth in Bangladesh (IGC Working Paper). International Growth Centre (IGC), London, UK (2011) 48 pp.
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