Arsenic and other co-occurring pollutants in the environment have been an issue of major concern in the last decades because of the serious impact on human health coming from drinking water and certain foods with low-medium levels of pollutants for prolonged periods of time. Globally, more than 100 million people are at risk. Since 2006, six events of International Congress and Exhibition on “Arsenic in the Environment” have been held in different areas of the world: Mexico (2006), Spain (2008), Taiwan (2010), Australia (2012), Argentina (2014), Sweden (2016), China (2018), and The Netherlands (2021).

Arsenic, together with other co-occurring pollutants in drinking water (mainly groundwater), has emerged as a global health concern. The problem of arsenic contamination of groundwater in the Indian subcontinent was first reported in Chandigarh (1976) and West Bengal (1978). The first case of arsenic poisoning due to well water consumption was diagnosed in West Bengal in 1983. Over the past three decades, India has been at the forefront of research on arsenic biogeochemical cycling, health effects, technologies for arsenic removal, and sustainable mitigation measures. The presence of arsenic and other pollutants in different food products of both plant and animal origin has received increasing attention. This is particularly true in several South and Southeast Asian countries, to ensure food safety and avoid health hazards from consumption of contaminated food products. However, other pollutants, like different organic and inorganic contaminants, trace elements, bio-medical pollutants, micro/nano-plastics, per-and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), etc., have been extensively detected in the Indian subcontinent and South Asia and developed as an important field of research.

With a global perspective, the 9^th International Congress & Exhibition on Arsenic in the Environment will take place at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in the city of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India, from 20^th to 24^th October 2024. Known as As2024, the Congress will be themed “Arsenic and Other Pollutants, Water Security and One Health under Global Climate Change Scenario” and endorsed by the Executive Board of the International Society of Groundwater for Sustainable Development, Sweden.