Arsenic speciation in the urine and hair of individuals exposed to airborne arsenic through coal-burning in Guizhou, PR China.
The extent of exposure of residents of Changqing (Guizhou, PR China) to arsenic through coal-burning was investigated. Despite the low coal-arsenic content (56.3+/-42.5 mg As kg(-1)) when compared with coals collected at different location and times from the same province, more than 30% of the study subjects have shown symptoms of arsenicosis. Coal, urine, hair, and water samples were collected in mid-September 2001 and analysed for arsenic. The average urinary and hair-arsenic concentrations in the exposed subjects were 71.4+/-37.1 microg As g(-1) creatinine (control 41.6+/-12.1) and 7.99+/-8.16 mg kg(-1), respectively. A positive correlation between the hair and urinary-arsenic concentration (R(2)=0.601) was found. There was no significant difference between females and males for both urinary and hair-arsenic concentrations. Females were found to have a higher dimethylarsinic acid but lower percentages of inorganic arsenic and monomethylarsonic acid in their urine than males.
Shraim
Amjad
A
Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba, 305-8506, Ibaraki, Japan. a.shraim@uq.edu.au
Cui
Xing
X
Li
Song
S
Ng
Jack C
JC
Wang
Jianping
J
Jin
Yinlong
Y
Liu
Yingchun
Y
Guo
Lei
L
Li
Dasheng
D
Wang
Shuquan
S
Zhang
Ruizhi
R
Hirano
Seishiro
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000397:Air Pollution; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning; D001152:Arsenicals / Q000032:analysis; D002101:Cacodylic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D002681:China; D003031:Coal / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011210:Power Plants; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
D001152:Arsenicals; D003031:Coal; D002101:Cacodylic Acid; C020300:monomethylarsonic acid; D001151:Arsenic