As Abul Hussam grew up in Bangladesh, he and his family drank well water that turned out to be laced with arsenic. The problem is common in his country and eastern India, where well-intentioned efforts by international agencies to drill wells for drinking water instead exposed millions to the poison.

Hussam moved to the U.S. nearly three decades ago, earned his citizenship and a doctorate in analytical chemistry, then turned his attention to finding a solution to the arsenic problem in his homeland. And he found one.

Hussam developed an inexpensive filter that removes arsenic from well water, a device now use in needy communities around the world. For his efforts, the scientist has received the 2007 Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability from the National Academy of Engineering.

The $1 million sustainability prize was set up by the Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Ill., to target the arsenic problem. Among the criteria for winning was an affordable, reliable and environmentally friendly solution to the arsenic problem that did not require electricity.

True to his spirit, the chemistry professor at George Mason University in Virginia plans to use most of the prize money to distribute more of his filters to those in need.

"I myself and all my brothers were drinking this water," Hussam told the Associated Press. He noted his family did not get sick, possibly because they had a good diet, which can help stem the effects of digesting arsenic.

Allan Smith, an epidemiologist at the University of California at Berkeley, said arsenic poisoning affects millions of people worldwide and it has been difficult to convince people that what seems to be good water might be toxic.

"You can't see it or taste or smell it," Smith said. "The idea that crystal-clear drinking water would end up causing lung disease in 20 or 30 years is a little weird. It's unbelievable to people."

The problem became well-known in the 1990s. As use of the well water increased, infectious diseases caused by bacteria-laden pond water fell. But rates of arsenic-related skin problems and cancers rose.

The chemist spent years testing hundreds of prototype filtration systems. His final innovation is a simple, maintenance-free system that uses sand, charcoal, bits of brick and shards of a type of cast iron. Each filter has 20 pounds of porous iron, which forms a chemical bond with arsenic.The filter removes almost every trace of arsenic from well water.

About 200 filtration systems are being made each week in Kushtia, Bangladesh, for about $40 each, Hussam said. More than 30,000 have been distributed. Hussam said he plans to use 70 percent of his prize so the filters can be distributed to needy communities. He said 25 percent will be used for more research, and 5 percent will be donated to the university where he works.

With reporting from the Associated Press.