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Bangladesh:
Arsenic and Child Respiratory Health in Bangladesh
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The lung is
a surprisingly important target for the long term health effects of ingestion
of inorganic arsenic in drinking water, but the impact of exposure during
childhood is largely unknown. Children are likely to be especially
susceptible since the development of the lung continues into childhood. In Chile, we have found that people who
were exposed to arsenic in drinking water as children have 10-fold increased
risks of lung cancer and chronic respiratory disease mortality when they
become adults. In West Bengal, India we have found that adults with
arsenic-caused skin lesions and high arsenic drinking water exposures have
impaired lung function and increased rates of chronic respiratory disease. To
date however, the impact of arsenic ingestion on lung function and
respiratory health has not so far been studied in children. This study takes advantage of the fact that
our collaborators in Bangladesh have examined 167,000 people for skin lesions
and measured the arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. We plan to
study 300 children aged 6-16 years living in the families having tube well
water arsenic concentration mostly over 300 ug/L, and in which at least one
member of the family has developed arsenic-related skin lesions. An unexposed
comparison group of 300 children will be selected from families with no skin
lesions, and whose water contains less than 50 ug/L. Lung function and respiratory symptoms,
including chronic cough and shortness of breath, will be assessed in relation
to current and past arsenic concentrations in all sources of drinking water
throughout childhood, including in utero exposure. Potential susceptibility
and interactions associated with indoor air pollution, diet, and nutritional
status, will be investigated. Differences in susceptibility due to individual
variability in the degree to which children metabolize arsenic to highly
toxic methylated compounds identified in urine samples will also be assessed.
The children in these exposed and unexposed families provide a unique
opportunity to identify the effects of arsenic exposure during critical time
periods of lung growth and development.
The public health impact of adverse respiratory effects due to arsenic
exposure in early life could be substantial given the large number of
children exposed to arsenic in drinking water worldwide and the relevance of
these outcomes for future population morbidity and mortality. |
|
University
of California, Berkeley ~ School of Public Health ~ 50 University Hall MC7360
~ Berkeley, CA 94720-7360 |
Telephone:
510/843-1736 |