URB Information

Prolonged exposure to naturally occurring high levels of arsenic has been associated with cancers of the skins, lung, bladder, liver and kidney. Arsenic poisoning has also been linked to cardiovascular, endocrine and neurodevelopmental disorders. Hallmarks of chronic arsenic exposure include skin lesions, peripheral neuropathy and anemia. The onset of arsenic exposure in Bangladesh began in the 1970s with the introduction of hand-pumped tube wells. While these sources of clean water helped to reduce the incidence of waterborne illnesses, the tube wells also unwittingly exposed a large portion of the Bangladeshi population to water with naturally occurring high-levels of arsenic. As a result, as many as 70 million Bangladeshis are chronically exposed to arsenic through drinking water. The WHO has called this catastrophe “the largest mass poisoning of a population in history”. In 1999, the Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University, with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), initiated the “Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS)” study in Araihazar. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of arsenic exposure at different levels on various health outcomes. In 2006, the University of Chicago established a local non-profit affiliate – University of Chicago Research Bangladesh (URB)– which joined forces with Government of Bangladesh health authorities to assume responsibility for most aspects of the study. NIH continues to fully fund the arsenic exposure research in Araihazar. URB currently operates a well-equipped research laboratory at Araihazar for processing and storing biological samples as per research protocols. URB also established a primary health care center in Araihazar in 2000. Approximately 100 study participants and their families receive care at the facility each day. URB also supports safe motherhood services in the community to improve maternal and child health outcomes.