Healthy food and water for arsenic polluted communities

Arsenic threatens human and ecosystem health in Bangladesh. Arsenic in soil and water reduces both quantity and quality of crops and livestock products, thereby reducing nutritional and food security. Arsenic slowly causes poisoning and early death, with untold social and economic costs.

Our team addresses interlinked soil, water, and crop contamination to dramatically lower human arsenic intake. We use three prongs to develop, validate, and deliver:

1. Improved crops: varieties of lentils and beans that produce low arsenic food even in high arsenic soils.
2. Biofertilizers: symbiotic fungi, biochar, micronuntrients, and specialized compost proven to reduce arsenic uptake by crops.
3. Water filtration: cost-effective filters for long-term clean drinking water supply.

Our team includes researchers in U.S. and Bangladesh, established companies, and community partners to bring solutions to market quickly. This will save thousands of lives, improve quality of life, increase the rate of rural development, grow sustainable business opportunities, and provide a healthier workforce.

In arsenic-contaminated areas, humans ingest contaminated food crops and water, causing cancers, cardiovascular disease, and neurological effects. An estimated one in five deaths in Bangladesh are caused or hastened by arsenic poisoning, over 40,000 per year. The World Health Organization calls the situation in the Bengal Delta "the largest mass poisoning in history.”

The most common foods in Bangladesh are rice, lentils, wheat, and milk (particularly for infants and children). Crop residues including rice straw and lentil straw are the primary feed for livestock. Thus, arsenic in crops also contaminates dairy and meat products. Contamination of farms worsens as cows given arsenic-rich water and feed produce manure that is used as fertilizer. Thereby, arsenic concentrates in topsoil and in the food chain of farm families and the markets they serve. Drinking water quality has improved in some areas with new wells, but wells are expensive. Soils and crops remain a long-term source of arsenic poisoning.

Climate change and regional population pressures worsen the problem. Historically, fresh water flowing from mountain snow diluted and flushed out the arsenic in lowland surface water. With smaller snow packs and more water demand upstream, arsenic is becoming increasingly concentrated in the Bengal Delta. 

This project serves the people of Bangladesh affected by arsenic in soil and water (and, the whole of Bangladesh and its economy). Jhenaidah, Satkhira, Khulna, and Jessore are the home districts of team members and their families, in the heavily contaminated southwest Bangladesh.  Dr.’s Islam, Akter, and Alam are currently engaged with research, commercial, social, non-profit, and religious organizations that inform our understanding. Dr. Carpenter-Boggs led a WSU student group to the Bengal Delta to learn more about arsenic pollution and poisoning. We have each engaged in our own arsenic research and actions for 5-30 years.

Through a multi-pronged approach, we can roll out a thorough arsenic remediation program to dramatically reduce human intake of arsenic in the Bengal Delta to a safe intake level using commercially feasible solutions. Given a current estimate of 43,000 deaths annually from arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh alone, and likely three times this level in India, the human benefit will be substantial. However, arsenic toxicity does not clear from the system rapidly and deaths from current pollution will continue through current generations. However, by dramatically and rapidly reducing intake, this approach could save 10,000 lives annually by 2035, and 100,000 lives annually into the future.

1. Improved crops

a. The global genetic banks of lentils, peas, and mung beans are being screened to identify current varieties and breeding materials that uptake less arsenic and translocate very little arsenic to the grain. We use global seed collections of USDA and ICARDA.

i. In cases where current varieties produce well with low arsenic accumulation, these can be immediately promoted through business, social, and Extension networks.

ii. Because of our industry connections, high arsenic uptake varieties can be removed from the market.

b. A genetic marker analysis is underway to identify possible genes and markers of low arsenic accumulation. 

i. Build bioinformatic maps for lentil and other pulse breeders to interpret genetic markers and predict useful genes. This allows much faster development of non-GMO crops with desired traits.

ii. Deploy tools to Bangladeshi crop breeders and graduate students through training.

2. Biofertilizers

a. Beneficial mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with plant roots and greatly reduce arsenic uptake by plants. Screen the international collection for best mycorrhizal fungi to reduce arsenic uptake by lentils, other grain legumes, and herbs and greens that often have extremely high levels.

i. Green vegetables and poultry are commonly grown in home gardens and smaller fields. In these limited areas, treat soil with selenium to reduce arsenic bioavailability.

ii. Ensure in-country production and availability of inoculants and amendments that reduce arsenic in food and feed crops. The BARI institute in Bangladesh produces limited mycorrhizal inoculants in Bangladesh. The strains proven by Phase 1 and 2 research to best reduce arsenic uptake by crops will be incorporated into BARI production. Provide trainings on use and management of best biofertilization strains and materials.

3. Water filtration (Better, cheaper water filters)

• The WSU team has partnered with a small business developer of the inexpensive Freedom Filter. One $50 unit can treat drinking and cooking water for 250 people for a year, and annual maintenance costs $10. This is far less than Sono and other currently available filters. Install units at schools, mosques, and community centers in target communities for immediate water treatment and real-world testing. Combine installations with public education and expanded community partnerships about minimizing arsenic exposure.
• Toward ever improving technologies, WSU will develop nanocarbon based filter materials for arsenic removal from water.
• Partner with commercial and community entities to ensure production, availability, use, and long-term care of effective water filters. Train students in filtration technologies.

Our solution is innovative in two ways. First, we are taking a multi-pronged approach to meet the two most significant sources of human arsenic consumption to dramatically improve human health outcomes. Our team can take this approach because we are a truly interdisciplinary team that combines researchers, residents, and commercial interest. Our primary focus is reducing human arsenic consumption. To achieve this, we will roll out solutions that are accessible, affordable, and timely, so that families can improve their long-term health and quality of life easily and quickly. We are utilizing “low-hanging fruit” of currently available crop varieties, that simply have not been screened for this important health trait; along with research on the vast and underutilized global genetic resource bank of lentils, peas, and mung beans. This creates a new dimension of performance in the food industry and agricultural input industry that increases crop varietal value to the company, farmers, and consumers.

Second, as part of our multi-pronged approach, we are addressing the soil, its microbiome, and micronutrients. Soil contamination with arsenic is not reversible, and can only be reduced at incredible expense. It will not be removed within any current human’s lifespan in the vast areas of rural Bangladesh. But, we can keep that arsenic in the soil via biological and chemical interactions, instead of allowing arsenic to cycle and accumulate in crops, animals, and people. This creates a new dimension of performance in human management of the soil microbiome to create functional foods for human health.

Activities: Research, validation, delivery of products for low arsenic diets. Crop varieties and biofertilizers. Installation an validating effectiveness of Freedom Filters. Training on how to use the biofertilizers. Education on the importance of using low-arsenic varieties.

Outputs: Crop varieties and biofertilizers that greatly reduce arsenic in food crops. Better, cheaper water filters. Educated populace.

Short Term Outcomes: Varieties and products are used that produce low arsenic foods. Arsenic ingestion and exposure decline. For instance, we have produced mung bean with arsenic concentration reduced 57% by mycorrhizal fungi and 59% by selenium. Combined with a low-arsenic variety of mung bean, total concentration is reduced by 79%.

Medium Term Outcomes: Reduced costs of health care. Healthier and more effective workforce.

Long Term Outcomes:  Improved public health. Increased quality of life. Longer lifespans. Improved economic development.

Currently our team member Dr. Akter leads crop seed development research for the Krishibid Group, a large food and beverage company with offices around the country (main office in Dhaka). This company serves over 1 million farmers through sales of seeds and other agricultural inputs, and as a purchaser of crops for food products. However our solutions are not yet available for targeted distribution. In one year the currently available BARI lines of lentils and mung beans that accumulate low arsenic would be promoted to at least 100,000 farmers. Likewise the use of mycorrhizal fungal inoculant would be promoted, though limited inoculant is currently available. Through our program and connections, in 5 years of testing and development we would reach at least 1 million farmers directly. These 1 million farmers help to feed at least 50 million people who would benefit from less arsenic intake.

One-year goals

• Improved crops: Field validate our research on varieties of lentils, peas, and beans that produce low arsenic food even in high arsenic soils. Begin promotion and education of these varieties.
• Biofertilizers: Field validate our research on mycorrhizal fungi and selenium. Assess and compare the economic cost-benefit of varying levels of these materials. Increase in-country regional production of mycorrhizal fungal inoculant.
• Water filtration: Install and field validate performance and acceptance of the Freedom Filter.

Five-year goals

1. Improved crops: Complete genetic marker mapping for low arsenic uptake of lentil. Complete pre-breeding of new varieties for extremely low arsenic uptake.
2. Biofertilizers: Assess international library of mycorrhizal fungi on lentil, pea, and mung bean. Transfer cultures of best strains to Bangladesh. Produce optimum strain inoculum in regional centers, and bring to market.

3. Water filtration: test a range of nanocarbon based filter materials for arsenic removal from water. Partner with commercial and community entities to ensure production, availability, use, and long-term care of effective water filters. 

The primary barriers are time and funding. Many barriers have already been overcome. There is a potential barrier of sufficient production capacity for the mycorrhizal inoculant. We foresee a need for more production than has been achieved previously in-country.

Barriers overcome:

The shipping of fungal strains and seeds internationally is a barrier that has been overcome. Our partners in USDA and the International VA mycorrhizal fungal library in West Virginia have successfully navigated international live organism shipping for initiation of prongs 1 and 2 of this program.

Production of mycorrhizal inoculant can proceed in several ways. Production capacity will need to increase over several years, and need to pay for itself. Low-cost methods are possible in Bangladesh due to low labor cost. Manual culturing can be used until sufficient profit justifies purchasing higher-output culturing equipment.

Long-term productive relationships have been well cultured. There is significant good will and real interest on all sides to reach the goal of dramatic health improvement for rural Bangladeshis.

Team members are located at Washington State University, BSMRAU, USDA, and Krishibid Group.

This program does not fit well into other funding opportunities. It is not seen as scientifically ground-breaking to be funded by NSF. The Tiger Challenge has a mixture of commercial problem-solving and life-improving technology that fits our approach and goal.