Story highlights A study estimates that millions have been exposed to high levels of arsenic in their water supply

Regularly drinking contaminated water can have serious health consequences

(CNN) Up to 60 million people living in Pakistan's Indus Plain are at risk of being affected by high levels of arsenic in the region's groundwater supply, according to a new study in the journal Science Advances.

An international team of scientists created a "hazard map" of locations at risk using water samples collected from almost 1,200 sites across the country, the majority of them from hand and motor pumps.

Using statistical modeling, the team also assessed environmental factors that may affect the movement of arsenic and calculated the size of populations at risk of exposure. They concluded that there was widespread arsenic contamination in the Indus Plain, from where 50 million to 60 million people get their groundwater.

"This alarmingly high number of people likely affected demonstrates an urgent need to test all drinking water wells in the Indus Plain," the team said in a statement.

The researchers have urged authorities to treat affected wells accordingly. Arsenic does not have a smell or a taste, and there are no short-term symptoms after consuming it. However, drinking contaminated water regularly could lead to serious illnesses including lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases, the team said.

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