Managing the Arsenic Disaster in Water Supply: Risk Measurement, Costs of Illness and Policy Choices for Bangladesh

Arsenic poisoning is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. This study uses primary data to examine health impacts and costs associated with arsenic contamination of groundwater. The study estimates that some 7 to 12 million person-days per year are lost as a result of arsenic exposure. In addition, individuals who are sick spend between 207 (US$3.5) million to 369 (US$ 6.25) million taka per year for medical help. The total cost of illness as a result of exposure to arsenic is Tk 557 (US$9) to Tk 994 (US$ 17) million per annum or on average nearly 0.6 percent of the annual income of affected individuals. If it is possible to provide arsenic-free (within safe limit) alternative technologies to reverse the impact of arsenic, the social gains to Bangladesh are considerable. The study also finds that the threat of Melanosis--the black spot disease—and Keratosis—roughness in palms and soles— is high when there is cumulative exposure and that this threat is not the same for all wealth classes. Richer households take mitigation measures to reduce the threat on their health. Richer households also seem to be more successful in avoiding the incidence of conjunctivitis due to Arsenicosis. Women on the other hand are more likely to be affected by inflammation of the respiratory tracts--a sign of long-term exposure without recourse to medical help

Asleep at the wheel: the real interest rate experience in Australia

A re-thinking and clear understanding of the factors underlying a country's balance of trade position is needed as the global trade regime becomes more liberalized. The relationship between the overall trade balance and its determinants as propounded in the standard models may not necessarily be the same with the bilateral trade balances. This study has developed a model of bilateral trade balance that captures the effects of all factors influencing trade balance as suggested by elasticity, absorption, and monetary approaches and the popular Gravity Model with some extensions. Specifically, the present paper postulates that the relative factors determine the trading pattern, and hence the trade balance of a country in bilateral trade with partners while in the earlier models absolute factors determine the trade balance,. Using standard panel data techniques the model is empirically tested and the results show significant effects of all the relative factors on the bilateral trade balance of Bangladesh in trading with her partners. The robustness check of the model ensures the validity of the specification.Trade Balance, Panel Data

Economics of arsenic water pollution : a study from Bangladesh

This policy brief is based on SANDEE working paper no. 27-07, "Managing the arsenic disaster in water supply : risk measurement, costs of illness and policy choices for Bangladesh"Bangladesh is facing a major health crisis because arsenic is poisoning a large percentage of the country’s drinking water. Although the government has taken a number of positive steps to address this challenge, much more work remains to be done as an estimated 28-50 million Bangladeshis are currently at risk from arsenic-contaminated water. To assess the economic case for dealing with this problem, a SANDEE study looks at the health impacts and costs associated with arsenic pollution and discusses the financial outlay needed to resolve the problem

Tests on a subset of regression parameters for factorial experimental data with uncertain higher order interactions

The data generated by many factorial experiments are analyzed by linear regression models. Often the higher order interaction terms of such models are negligible (e.g., R. Mead, The Design of Experiments, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988, p. 368) although there is uncertainty around it. This kind of nonsample prior information (NSPI) can be presented by null hypotheses (cf. T.A. Bancroft, Ann. Math. Stat. 15 (1944), 190–204), and its uncertainty removed through appropriate statistical test. Depending on the level of the NSPI the unrestricted, restricted, and pretest (PTT) tests are defined. The sampling distributions of test statistics and power functions of the three tests are derived. The graphical and analytical comparisons of powers reveal that the PTT dominates over the other tests

Managing the Arsenic Disaster in Water Supply:Risk Measurement, Costs of Illness and PolicyChoices for Bangladesh

Arsenic poisoning is a major public health concern in Bangladesh. This study uses primary data to examine health impacts and costs associated with arsenic contamination of groundwater. The study estimates that some 7 to 12 million person-days per year are lost as a result of arsenic exposure. In addition, individuals who are sick spend between 207 (US$3.5) million to 369(US$ 6.25) million taka per year for medical help. The total cost of illness as a result of exposure to arsenic is Tk 557 (US$9) to Tk 994 (US$ 17) million per annum or on average nearly 0.6 percent of the annual income of affected individuals. If it is possible to provide arsenic-free (within safe limit) alternative technologies to reverse the impact of arsenic, the social gains to Bangladesh are considerable. The study also finds that the threat of Melanosis--the black spot disease—and Keratosis—roughness in palms and soles— is high when there is cumulative exposure and that this threat is not the same for all wealth classes. Richer households take mitigation measures to reduce the threat on their health. Richer households also seem to be more successful in avoiding the incidence of conjunctivitis due to Arsenicosis. Women on the other hand are more likely to be affected by inflammation of the respiratory tracts--a sign of long-term exposure without recourse to medical help.Arsenic, health impact, drinking water, mitigation, avertive technology, Bangladesh.

Effect of some selected background characteristics on reversible methods of contraception in Bangladesh

This article investigates the effects of female family planning workers on the use of modern contraception in Bangladesh. It finds that a recent visit by a family planning worker increases the odds of a client being a user of modern reversible methods almost eight-fold in rural areas and 2.5 times in urban areas. However, the reverse is the case with sterilization; contact with NGOs is the most important predictor of sterilization. The article, which provides reasons for these phenomena, draws out a number of implications for policy and programme purposes, and provides a set of recommendations to further the countrys on-going fertility decline

Cardiocutaneous Syndrome: The Tale between Heart and Skin

Cardiocutaneous syndromes are rare, genetically determined disorders in which arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is accompanied by characteristic cutaneous phenotypes of woolly hair and palmoplantar keratoderma. Pattern of cardiac involvement differs in different cardiocutaneous syndromes; right ventricle (RV) is predominantly affected in the form of classical arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/ dysplasia (ARVC/D) in Naxos disease whereas the left ventricle (LV) is mainly involved in the form of dilated cardiomyopathy in Carvajal syndrome. Both conditions are transmitted in autosomal recessive manner, and results from mutations in cell adhesion molecules compromising the integrity of desmosomal junctions of skin and myocardium. Naxos disease usually presents by adolescence with malignant ventricular arrhythmia or cardiac arrest whereas Carvajal syndrome is manifested earlier with heart failure. Cardiomyopathy is diagnosed by the 2010 Task Force Criteria. Implantation of automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD) forms the mainstays of treatment by preventing sudden cardiac death. Genetic testing is available. Several international databases and registries, often as a part of other genetically determined arrhythmogenic disorders, are directed to better characterize and manage these cardiocutaneous syndrome patients.</p