Health Bulletin 2009

Substance abuse with Complication 56 5.62
Conversion and Dissociative Disorder (Hysteria) 100 10.03
Personality Disorder 20 2.00
Total 997 100%
Arsenicosis
In Bangladesh, arsenic contamination of water in tube-wells was confirmed in 1993 in the
Nawabganj district. Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) at first identifies arsenic in
4 tubewells in Chamagram village of Chapainawabgong sadar Upazilla in Chapainawabgong
district of Rajshahi Division in 1993. In 1994 Occupational and Environmental health
Department of NIPSOM confirmed 8 patients with visible sign of skin lesion in the same village.
In 1996 it was 23, in 1997 it was 42, in 1998 it was 86 and according to recent survey in 2008
the total number is 32,380.
It is now clear that groundwater in the deltaic lands of Bangladesh is contaminated by significant
levels of arsenic. It has been estimated that 30% of shallow tubewells in Bangladesh, that is,
wells not deeper than 150 metres, are contaminated with arsenic, exceeding the allowable
Bangladesh maximum of 50 mg/L
62 Districts out 64 districts are now with arsenic contamination in Tube-well water.
(50 parts per billion) and 46% of wells exceeded the World Health Organization's
recommendation of 0.01 mg/L (10 parts per billion). The equivalent figures for deep wells
exceeding 150 metres were 1% and 5% respectively. It was estimated that 66 million people
drinks tube-well water exceeding the Bangladesh standard level for arsenic concentration (0.05
mg/) and the WHO's recommended level (0.01 mg/l). Non Communicable Disease and Other
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