07
Exploring groundwater
arsenic contamination
in Bangladesh
The role of trust in the resilience
of financial markets
An important study from Prof Peter Atkins
and Dr Manzurul Hassan explores the
spatial variability of groundwater arsenic
concentrations in southwest Bangladesh.
Arsenic contaminated groundwater
currently threatens the health of 70
million people in 61 of 64 districts
in Bangladesh.
In a fascinating study from Work Package 2
of the Tipping Points project: ‘Financial Crisis
in the Banking Sector: Past and Present’,
Prof Roman Tomasic and Dr Folarin Akinbami
provide keen insights into the role of trust in
financial markets including investment firms
and commercial banks.
Understanding the complex processes
of arsenic concentrations in groundwater
and how they spread over time is currently
needed. The study reveals a highly uneven
spatial pattern of arsenic concentrations.
Arsenic-safe zones were found mostly
concentrated in the north, central and
south part of the study area in southwest
Bangladesh (Ghona Union, Satkhira
District) but were scattered throughout.
Arsenic contaminated zones were found
in the west and northeast parts of the
study area.
Modelling used in the study showed
a decrease in arsenic concentration
with an increase in aquifer depth.
(An interview with Dr Manzurul Hassan
about the arsenic groundwater disaster
in Bangladesh is available on IHRR’s
blog: http://wp.me/pSWpn-8Q).
Application of geostatistics with Indicator
Kriging for analyzing spatial variability
of groundwater arsenic concentrations
in Southwest Bangladesh. Journal of
Environmental Science and Health,
Part A. 46, 11
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21879851
Trust is essential to how investment and
commercial banks and firms provide services
to their customers and each other. Researchers
argue that trust is of fundamental importance
in maintaining liquidity in financial markets
and preventing financial institutions from
becoming insolvent during times of crisis.
The realisation that sub-prime mortgage loan
originators systematically failed to verify the
credit-worthiness of sub-prime borrowers
triggered a complete shut-down of global credit
markets which eventually resulted in a credit
crunch and then the global financial crisis.
In this study, the authors explore some case
studies demonstrating that trust is vital to
the global financial system, and can play an
important role in mitigating or even preventing
global financial crises in the future.
The Role of Trust in Maintaining the Resilience
of Financial Markets. Journal of Corporate Law
Studies 11, 2:369-394(26)
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/9327
High unemployment rates in England
lead to poor community health
New research shows that long-term economic
disadvantage associated with low-levels of
employment in some parts of England leads to
poor community health. The study authored by
Dr Mylène Riva and Prof Sarah Curtis looked at
employment rates in different areas of England
from 1981 to 2008. They examined how
employment trends are related to mortality
and illness.
One group of people in the study lived in
disadvantaged areas where employment rates
had been persistently low