Arsenic is known to be a potent carcinogen and can be poisonous to organs such as the liver, skin, kidney and the cardiovascular system.

Researchers exhibit that if the drinking water contains arsenic, even at low levels then it will increase the risk of death. But previous studies reveal that no course of action had been decided on the effects of long-term drinking-water with arsenic.

According to a new study it had been observed that amongst 12,000 Bangladeshis, more than 20 percent of deaths were due to arsenic exposure from contaminated drinking water.

The authors of this study presents this large 10-year research to be likely to determine the relationship between individual exposure to arsenic and the risks of death rate associated with it.

The data collected by an international team from Chicago, New York, and Bangladesh showed that due to the widespread set up of hand-pumped wells to tap groundwater sources in the 1970's, about half the population of Bangladesh has been exposed to the dangerous levels of arsenic.

Besides, the World Health Organization recognizes it as "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history.

Lastly, a greater contribution had been carried out by the "Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study" (HEALS) which was led by Habibul Ahsan, MD, MMedSc, Director of the Center for Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at the University of Chicago Medical Center.