Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25383015›Full record

ArticleEnvironment and development economics2014

Evolution of households' responses to the groundwater arsenic crisis in Bangladesh: information on environmental health risks can have increasing behavioral impact over time.

Soumya Balasubramanya, Alexander Pfaff, Lori Bennear, Alessandro Tarozzi, Kazi Matin Ahmed, Amy Schoenfeld, Alexander van Geen

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Environment and development economics, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Reduction in exposure to arsenic from drinking well-water in Bangladesh limited by insufficient testing and awareness.Journal of water, sanitation, and hygiene for development : a journal of the International Water Association · 2017
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Soumya BalasubramanyaInternational Water Management Institute, 127 Sunil Mawatha, Pelawatte, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka.
Alexander PfaffDuke University, Sanford School of Public Policy, Box 90239, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Lori BennearNicholas School of the Environment, Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Alessandro TarozziUPF and Barcelona GSE, Dept. of Economics and Business, Jaume I Building, Ramon Trias Fargas, 25-27 08005-Barcelona, Spain.
Kazi Matin AhmedDepartment of Geology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
Amy SchoenfeldLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Route 9W, Palisades, New York, NY 10964, USA.
Alexander van GeenLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Route 9W, Palisades, New York, NY 10964, USA.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory · USDuke University · USInternational Water Management Institute · LKUniversity of Dhaka · BD

Funding

Training CoreP42ES010349 · NIEHS · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI NAVAS-ACIEN, ANA · 2000 to 2020
$53.6M
NIEHS NIH HHS P42 ES010349
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A national campaign of well testing through 2003 enabled households in rural Bangladesh to switch, at least for drinking, from high-arsenic wells to neighboring lower-arsenic wells. We study the well-switching dynamics over time by re-interviewing, in 2008, a randomly selected subset of households in the Araihazar region who had been interviewed in 2005. Contrary to concerns that the impact of arsenic information on switching behavior would erode over time, we find that not only was 2003-2005 switching highly persistent but also new switching by 2008 doubled the share of households at unsafe wells who had switched. The passage of time also had a cost: 22% of households did not recall test results by 2008. The loss of arsenic knowledge led to staying at unsafe wells and switching from safe wells. Our results support ongoing well testing for arsenic to reinforce this beneficial information.

Indexed as

arsenicBangladeshgroundwaterhealthinformationrisktestwater

Identifiers

PMID25383015
PMCPMC4219574
OpenAlexW2039546761

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.