Metal Attraction: An Ironclad Solution to Arsenic Contamination?

Inorganic arsenic—the more acutely toxic form of this metalloid element—contaminates drinking water supplies around the world. In the United States, the most serious arsenic contamination occurs in the West, Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast; as many as 20 million people—many getting their water from unregulated private wells—may be exposed to excess arsenic in their drinking water. In Bangladesh, it’s estimated that as many as 40 million people may be suffering from arsenic poisoning; contaminated drinking water is also a problem in many other countries, including Argentina, China, Chile, Ghana, Hungary, India, and Mexico.