BIRMINGHAM,Ala. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- More than 100 million people in developing countries are exposed to dangerously high levels of arsenic in the water they drink. Now, scientists have developed a simple, inexpensive way to remove arsenic.

Arsenic enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in soil and rock and from agricultural and industrial sources. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include thickening and discoloration of skin; stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; vision loss; and numbness in the hands and feet. Arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.

"Dealing with arsenic contamination of drinking water in the developing world requires simple technology based on locally available materials," study leader Tsanangurayi Tongesayi, Ph.D., professor of analytical and environmental chemistry at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J., was quoted as saying. "Our process uses pieces of plastic water, soda pop and other beverage bottles. Coat the pieces with cysteine -- that's an amino acid found in dietary supplements and foods -- and stir the plastic in arsenic-contaminated water. This works like a magnet. The cysteine binds up the arsenic. Remove the plastic, and you have drinkable water."

In lab tests, the plastic bottle arsenic removal method was tested on water containing 20 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, which is two-times the safe standard set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It produced drinking water with 0.2 ppb of arsenic, which more than met the EPA standard.

Researchers say people without technical skills can use the technology because it is so straightforward. They say the removal method can use discarded plastic bottles that are available locally. It also has the potential for removing other toxic heavy metals from drinking water.

SOURCE: 242nd National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, August, 2011