BACKGROUND: Arsenic is a potent human carcinogen and toxicant. Elevated concentration of arsenic in drinking water is a major public-health problem worldwide. We evaluated risks of adult mortality (due to cancer and cardiovascular and infectious diseases) in relation to arsenic exposure through drinking water. METHODS: A cohort analysis was applied to survival data prospectively collected during 1991-2000 in a health and demographic surveillance system in Matlab, Bangladesh, where tubewells were installed beginning in the early 1970s. A total of 115,903 persons aged 15 or more years on 1 January 1991 were available for analysis. In this period, 9015 people died and 22,488 were lost to follow-up. Arsenic exposure data were derived from a survey in 2002-2003 of past and current water use and arsenic concentrations in all tubewells. We estimated risk of excess mortality in relation to arsenic exposure, using proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Even at low levels (10-49 mug/L) of arsenic in drinking water, we observed increased risk of death due to all nonaccidental causes (hazard ratio = 1.16 [95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.26]). Increased risks at exposure of 50-149 microg/L were observed for death due to cancers (1.44 [1.06-1.95]), cardiovascular disease (1.16 [0.96-1.40]), and infectious diseases (1.30 [1.13-1.49]). We observed clear dose-response relationships for each of these causes. CONCLUSIONS: Arsenic exposure through drinking water has generated excess adult mortality after 20-30 years of exposure.
BACKGROUND:Arsenic is a potent human carcinogen and toxicant. Elevated concentration of arsenic in drinking water is a major public-health problem worldwide. We evaluated risks of adult mortality (due to cancer and cardiovascular and infectious diseases) in relation to arsenic exposure through drinking water. METHODS: A cohort analysis was applied to survival data prospectively collected during 1991-2000 in a health and demographic surveillance system in Matlab, Bangladesh, where tubewells were installed beginning in the early 1970s. A total of 115,903 persons aged 15 or more years on 1 January 1991 were available for analysis. In this period, 9015 people died and 22,488 were lost to follow-up. Arsenic exposure data were derived from a survey in 2002-2003 of past and current water use and arsenic concentrations in all tubewells. We estimated risk of excess mortality in relation to arsenic exposure, using proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Even at low levels (10-49 mug/L) of arsenic in drinking water, we observed increased risk of death due to all nonaccidental causes (hazard ratio = 1.16 [95% confidence interval = 1.06-1.26]). Increased risks at exposure of 50-149 microg/L were observed for death due to cancers (1.44 [1.06-1.95]), cardiovascular disease (1.16 [0.96-1.40]), and infectious diseases (1.30 [1.13-1.49]). We observed clear dose-response relationships for each of these causes. CONCLUSIONS:Arsenic exposure through drinking water has generated excess adult mortality after 20-30 years of exposure.
Authors: Paulina Gomez-Rubio; Yann C Klimentidis; Ernesto Cantu-Soto; Maria M Meza-Montenegro; Dean Billheimer; Zhenqiang Lu; Zhao Chen; Walter T Klimecki Journal: J Toxicol Environ Health A Date: 2012
Authors: Fen Wu; Farzana Jasmine; Muhammad G Kibriya; Mengling Liu; Oktawia Wójcik; Faruque Parvez; Ronald Rahaman; Shantanu Roy; Rachelle Paul-Brutus; Stephanie Segers; Vesna Slavkovich; Tariqul Islam; Diane Levy; Jacob L Mey; Alexander van Geen; Joseph H Graziano; Habibul Ahsan; Yu Chen Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2012-04-24 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Katherine A Moon; Yiyi Zhang; Eliseo Guallar; Kevin A Francesconi; Walter Goessler; Jason G Umans; Lyle G Best; Barbara V Howard; Richard B Devereux; Peter M Okin; Ana Navas-Acien Journal: Environ Pollut Date: 2018-05-26 Impact factor: 8.071
Authors: Nazmul Sohel; Marie Vahter; Mohammad Ali; Mahfuzar Rahman; Anisur Rahman; Peter Kim Streatfield; Pavlos S Kanaroglou; Lars Ake Persson Journal: Int J Health Geogr Date: 2010-10-26 Impact factor: 3.918