[wideminded]

Hasn’t it occurred to these intellectuals that the arsenic has probably been in the drinking water for centuries? So how can it be called a “time bomb?”

It states in the article that, at least in the case of Bangladesh and West Bengal, the arsenic did not appear until aid agencies drilled wells.

I have previously read that in Bangladesh aid agencies were proud to have designed a new type of shallow well that was very easily constructed. This greatly reduced illness caused by drinking contaminated surface water and the wells were drilled everywhere. But it turned out that under the entire country was a soil layer containing arsenic and this poisoned all the wells.

It's a timebomb because even low levels of arsenic gradually accumulate in the body. The other article I was reading showed a man in Bangladesh with one of the common symptoms of long-term arsenic consumption, blisters on the bottom of his feet.

[Zhang Fei]

But it turned out that under the entire country was a soil layer containing arsenic and this poisoned all the wells.

That stinks. Well water is one of the primary sources of potable water in poor countries. River water is iffy because everyone uses it to dump trash. It turns out that everyone will have to used municipal water in order to stay healthy. The problem is that many of these families probably either don't have access to or can't afford to use municipal water.