Skin cancer caused by chronic arsenical poisoning--a report of three cases.
The association of arsenical poisoning with the development of skin cancer is well-known. In Malaysia, arsenic has been shown to coexist with tin in tin-mining land. Our preliminary investigation has shown that the level of arsenic in well water from a tin-mining area is high. We report 3 patients with cutaneous lesions typical of chronic arsenical poisoning such as hyperpigmentation, keratoses and skin cancer. These patients have positive histories of previous domicility in tin-mining areas. We conclude that these patients developed chronic arsenical poisoning from drinking well water polluted with arsenic from the tin-mining soil.
Jaafar
R
R
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.
Omar
I
I
Jidon
A J
AJ
Wan-Khamizar
B W
BW
Siti-Aishah
B M
BM
Sharifah-Noor-Akmal
S H
SH
D000328:Adult; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000139:chemically induced; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000139:chemically induced; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008906:Mining; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014001:Tin; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical; D014881:Water Supply
D014001:Tin