Argentina: Millions of People Forced to Drink Arsenic-Contaminated Water

In Argentina, the arsenic level in drinking water should not exceed 0.01 milligrams per liter, according to law. However, in the departments of Copo, Alberdi, and certain areas of Banda and Robles, it ranges between 0.4 and 0.6 milligrams per liter. Hair analysis reveals even more alarming figures: 2.24 micrograms per gram, as reported in an investigation by the Guardian.

"In children, we observe skin hardening and the appearance of spots resembling freckles," explains Santiago García Pintos, founder of the NGO Cynnal. "In adults, the skin begins to crack and split, which can evolve into skin cancer. Teeth become stained and eventually fall out."

Cursed Water

Arsenic is also suspected of causing liver and lung cancers in the region. In the absence of drinking water pipes, most residents avoid drinking well water, which is notoriously contaminated with arsenic and fluoride, and prefer rainwater collected in cisterns.

However, drought and lack of suitable infrastructure force them to turn to lower quality water. Once the cisterns are empty, there are only two options: buy water from the river, the quality of which is unknown, or drink well water, which contains high levels of arsenic and fluoride.

"All this water is contaminated with arsenic," denounces Lidia Cuellar, a local resident. "My family lived many years in Vilmer, a municipality where arsenic levels were high. My father developed open sores, and I believe it was skin cancer. He and four of his siblings died of cancer. Erasmo, one of my uncles, is currently ill."

She also attributes the bone pain she and her daughter Marcella feel to arsenic.

17 Million Victims

4 million of the 45.8 million Argentines live in areas where arsenic concentrations in water exceed allowable levels. But according to more recent studies, 17 million of them could be contaminated. Among them, up to 30% develop skin cancers or cancers of internal organs.

"In Argentina, arsenic contamination is primarily of natural origin and results from geochemical processes, with the element seeping into groundwater from sources such as volcanic rocks, rather than from industrial pollution or mining," explains the Guardian. However, herbicides containing arsenic may also contribute to the problem.

Filters can remove arsenic from water at the municipal and household levels. A program implemented in the province of Santiago del Estero is said to have effectively addressed the issue, according to the regional health minister. However, this claim is disputed by those most affected.