Dr Robert Allan from the Department of Chemical Sciences at the University of Huddersfield visited Ashton Sixth Form College. 

Robert presented a lecture on the 'Arsenic Poisoning of Groundwater Storage in Bangladesh' to A-Level Geography students. 

The lecture looked at various environmental hazards affecting parts of the world today. Environmental hazards the lecture explored included physical, chemical and biological hazards. Focussing closely on Bangladesh, Dr Robert Allan presented Bangladesh's ongoing issue of the lack of clean water. In recent years, huge amounts of Bangladesh's water supply has been contaminated, mainly believed to be caused by arsenic poisoning. 

An article by the CNN noted, "A new study published in British medical journal The Lancet says that up to 77 million people in Bangladesh are being exposed to toxic levels of arsenic, potentially taking years or decades off their lives" (cnn.com, 2010).

A later report from the Human Rights Watch stated, "The authors go on to estimate that, depending on progress of ending exposure, between 1 and 5 million of the 90 million children estimated to be born between 2000 and 2030 will eventually die due to ex­posure to arsenic in drinking water." (Human Rights Watch, 2016)

Robert also spoke of the various forms of aid that countries, such as Bangladesh, need as a results of such environmental hazards.

The Humanities department is thriving, regularly inviting guest speakers to the college to deliver lectures, seminars and workshops. Students were able to have access to the university-style lecture to develop their skills and their understanding of the incredible range of research and careers they could progress on to, on completion of their A-Levels in Geography. 

---

Find out more about studying Geography here.