This proposal will complement our existing GCRF Food Network project (Arsenic from Root to Gut, funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences, UK, ~23K) in partnership with researchers in India and Bangladesh to investigate the issue of arsenic contamination in the human and animal food chains and its potential mitigation strategies. This project will also complement our recent successful STFC seed grant (~7K) to image arsenic in rice plants using synchrotron radiation at the Diamond Light Source, UK. Our recent GCRF networking workshop (held in Sheffield on 17-18th September 2018 and India workshop currently being scheduled early next year) revealed that majority of the local populations in the worst arsenic impacted regions in Asia (West Bengal State of India and Bangladesh) are not aware of the imminent risk of the contaminant on their health as well as the environment. Also, currently available solutions to the problem (e.g. drinking arsenic-free water, changing crop cultivation patterns, diet management, etc.) are difficult to implement due to several socio-economic constraints such as low education level of the affected people, poverty, and especially cultural rigidity to accept technological changes. This project aims to determine the level of awareness among local farming communities about arsenic toxicity issue in the food chain and their perception and attitudes towards implementable solutions. The activities will include travelling to the project areas, conducting Focus Group Discussion (FGD), and surveying local communities living in the highly arsenic contaminated areas of West Bengal State of India and Bangladesh using appropriate structured and semi-structured questionnaires.
Dr Manoj Menon, University of Sheffield, UK (Publications)
Dr Christian Reynolds, University of Sheffield, UK (Publications)
Dr Binoy Sarkar, University of Sheffield, UK (Publications)
Dr Sanjay Lanka, University of Sheffield, UK (Publications)
Prof Raifqul Islam, (Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh) (Publications)
Prof. Mahmud Sumon, (Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh) (Publications)
Prof Mohammad Hoque (Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh) (Publications)
Prof Pinaki Sar (PI-India), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (Publications)
Prof Bhabani Das, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (Publications)