Arsenic primer

Overview

The Sustainable Development Goals for water prioritize universal access to drinking water and the sustainable management of water resources to ensure that no one is left behind. In particular SDG 6.1 represents greater focus on the safety of drinking water in seeking “by 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.” The recognition that an improved water source may not always ensure a safe drinking-water service has resulted in the establishment of indicators for measuring access to ‘safely managed drinking-water services.” These include safety, as measured by compliance with microbiological and priority chemical standards. Amongst the most harmful chemicals are arsenic and fluoride

The Arsenic Primer originally published by UNICEF in 2008 has been updated to reflect the changes associated with the Sustainable Development Goals, the framework for safe drinking water and the experience over the last decade in the implementation of arsenic mitigation programmes. This revised primer has been developed by UNICEF in collaboration with WHO to provide practical advice for the staff of UN agencies but is also applicable for government counterparts and development workers responding to the challenge of arsenic contamination of the drinking water.