IAH reports news from Japan and calls for information

Written by Anne Marie de Grosbois

Following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH) sent a message of sympathy and condolences to colleagues in Japan. President of the Japanese chapter of IAH, Professor Shimada, expressed his thanks on behalf of the chapter and reported that the Japanese Association of Groundwater Hydrology had begun to prepare a tsunami damage survey in the Sanriku coast area. This narrow coastal plain has been severely damaged by this tsunami. Professor Shimada reported to IAH that the groundwater in this alluvial aquifer has likely been contaminated by seawater infiltration that will require years to recover and that at that time the radioactive contamination of the groundwater remained uncertain. Hydrogeologists who have carried out post-tsunami work after the December 2004 event in the Indian Ocean are invited to communicate about their work or publications with Prof. Jun Shimada, Kumamoto University: jshimada@sci.kumamoto-u.ac.jp.

Arsenic in well water

Researchers from the Dartmouth Toxic Metals Research Program have produced a 10-min video on the subject of arsenic entitled “In Small Doses: Arsenic”. It has been created for the general public to make clear the research findings on arsenic in well water. High-concentration areas in New England are identified in this film. It offers advice to residents who rely on wells for drinking water, pointing out not only health problems related to arsenic but also preventative measures. The film can be viewed at http://insmalldoses.org. It has been funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program.