Book Review/ Laura L. Sanders, Book Editor

Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater:Mechanism, Analysis, and Remediationreviewed by Madeline Schreiber

This 15-chapter book, edited by Satinder Ahuja, coversarsenic biogeochemistry, analysis, and mitigation. Although thetitle does not suggest it, many of the chapters, especiallythose that address mitigation techniques, are focused on thewidespread and devastating arsenic contamination in South Asia.

After a long introductory chapter, Chapter 2 addressesarsenic uptake in soils and crops in Bangladesh. Figures andtables should have included more error analysis, but the chaptercontains interesting information. For example, arsenic dietaryload calculations indicate that up to one-third of the maximumallowable daily arsenic load could be achieved just throughconsumption of rice. Chapter 3, on arsenic microbiology,describes mechanisms by which bacteria reduce, oxidize, anddetoxify arsenic. The author presents experimental resultsfrom Ganges delta sediments showing that acetate additionstimulates reduction of both iron and arsenic, resulting inarsenic release to water. Although the symbols in the figurepresenting the data are incorrect, a check of the original paperreveals that the text in the chapter correctly describes theresults.

Chapter 4, also on microbiology, describes molecularanalysis of water samples from two wells in North Carolinathat have elevated arsenic. More information about the geologyand biogeochemical conditions in the arsenic-impacted aquiferswould have been helpful, but the chapter presented a usefulapproach for elucidating the organisms that may be involved inarsenic cycling in groundwater. Chapter 5 is a well-organizedchapter on arsenic biogeochemistry, providing a thoroughdescription of mechanisms that affect arsenic mobility, includingspeciation, redox cycling, sorption, reductive dissolution, andmineral transformations. The authors present data from areservoir in Los Angeles to illustrate the mechanisms involvedin arsenic mobilization during sediment diagenesis.

Similar to Chapter 3, Chapter 6 describes arsenic microbiol-ogy and phylogenetics, but concentrates on microbially mediatedarsenic release under reducing conditions. Chapters 7 and 8describe analytical techniques for measuring arsenic in water,targeting field measurements. Both of these chapters are highly

Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA24060; mschreib@vt.edu

Copyright © 2010 The Author(s)Journal compilation © 2010 National Ground Water Association.doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00692.x

descriptive, and contain more information than most practition-ers likely need, but as such they are useful references.

The remaining chapters (9 to 14) are on arsenic treatment,focusing on methods that are practical and potentially affordablefor developing countries. Chapter 9 describes experimentalresults of using prickly pear mucilage to remove turbidity,metals, and bacteria from water. Because prickly pear isan endemic species in Latin America, use of this materialwould be a practical method for treating drinking water inthis region. Chapter 10 reviews treatment methods relyingon arsenic adsorption by packed columns containing differenttypes of metal oxides, and describes experimental results fromNew Mexico. The authors also present a spreadsheet-friendlyanalytical solution that can be used to predict arsenic columnbreakthrough.

Chapters 11, 12, and 13 focus on arsenic removal methodsthat either are in use or have potential for use at the householdor community level in Bangladesh and West Bengal, includ-ing oxide-coated coal ash, the SONO filter (winner of the 2007National Academy of Engineering’s Grainger Prize for Sustain-ability) and activated alumina. All three chapters describe howthe methods work, experimental results, and include cost calcula-tions. Chapter 14 is a summary of arsenic treatment methods andalternative water supply sources for Bangladesh. This chaptermight have been better placed before Chapters 11 to 13.

I would have appreciated a combined reference sectioninstead of each individual chapter having its own reference list,and several chapters used fewer references than is appropriatefor a scientific book. The book was printed in black and whitebut contains a color insert section. Because a few of the figureswere difficult to interpret in black and white, the reader shouldremember to check the insert section to view those figures incolor.

There are now several books on arsenic contamination ofnatural waters: I found seven published since 2002. Because thisbook focuses more on household and community level mitigationmethods than the others, it would be particularly useful forregulators, scientists, and engineers interested in treatmentof arsenic-contaminated water, especially those working indeveloping countries.

Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater: Mechanism, Anal-ysis, and Remediation, edited by Satinder Ahuja (2008), ispublished by Wiley (ISBN 978-0-470-14447-3). The 404-pagevolume is available at the NGWA bookstore ($128 for members;$160 for nonmembers).

338 Vol. 48, No. 3–GROUND WATER–May-June 2010 NGWA.org