Arsenic burden among children in industrial areas of eastern Germany.
The internal burden of arsenic among 5- to 14-year-old eastern German children in the heavily polluted areas of Hettstedt, a region of smelting and copper mining, and Bitterfeld, a center of chemical production and coal mining, was compared with that in a control area (Zerbst) by means of urinary arsenic concentrations in 1992-94. The unadjusted geometric mean among the 950 children was significantly higher in Hettstedt (5.1 micrograms/l; 95% C.I. 4.8-5.5) but not in Bitterfeld (4.3 micrograms/l; 95% C.I. 3.7-4.9) compared with the control area (4.0 micrograms/l; 95% C.I. 3.5-4.5). This difference persisted after adjustment for relevant confounders. Despite these regional differences, recent fish consumption was as strongly associated with urinary arsenic levels (42% increase, 95% C.I. 18-71%). Additionally, although the geometric mean among the children in Hettstedt (4.8 micrograms As/g creatinine; 95% C.I. 4.5-5.1) was higher than that found in an environmental survey of eastern German children (3.60 micrograms As/g creatinine; 95% C.I. 3.06-4.24), it was similar to that found among western German children (4.59 micrograms As/g creatinine; 95% C.I. 4.20-5.02). This suggests that the arsenic contamination in Hettstedt is not substantially increasing the internal burden of arsenic among children above that found in other German children.
Trepka
M J
MJ
GSF-Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit, Institut für Epidemiologie, Neuherberg, Germany. trepka@gsf.de
Heinrich
J
J
Schulz
C
C
Krause
C
C
Popescu
M
M
Wjst
M
M
Wichmann
H E
HE
D000293:Adolescent; D001151:Arsenic / Q000652:urine*; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning; D001822:Body Burden; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine; D012307:Risk Factors
D001151:Arsenic