Rothamsted International

Appeal coordinated by Rothamsted International: funds to send an analytical machine to scientist working to combat arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

As many as 50 million people in Bangladesh and West Bengal are affected by arsenic pollution, a naturally occurring problem exacerbated by a growth in modern shallow tube wells extracting contaminated water. The water is detected in rice and can lead to cancers. Rothamsted International made a plea in the local press which helped raise the £855 needed to send a vital piece of equipment to scientists working in the region. Urgent research is being carried out by Dr Rafiq Islam of Bangladesh Agricultural University. He required an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer to analyse his own samples - currently being shipped to Rothamsted for analysis. The machine bought new costs ~ £25,000 but Rothamsted scientist Steve McGrath and his team had a machine they were willing to donate.