Association between arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant and urinary arsenic concentrations in Prievidza District, Slovakia.
To assess the arsenic exposure of a population living in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high arsenic emission in the Prievidza District, Slovakia, 548 spot urine samples were speciated for inorganic As (Asinorg), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and their sum (Assum). The urine samples were collected from the population of a case-control study on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 411 samples with complete As speciations and sufficient urine quality and without fish consumption were used for statistical analysis. Although current environmental As exposure and urinary As concentrations were low (median As in soil within 5 km distance to the power plant, 41 micro g/g; median urinary Assum, 5.8 microg/L), there was a significant but weak association between As in soil and urinary Assum(r = 0.21, p < 0.01). We performed a multivariate regression analysis to calculate adjusted regression coefficients for environmental As exposure and other determinants of urinary As. Persons living in the vicinity of the plant had 27% higher Assum values (p < 0.01), based on elevated concentrations of the methylated species. A 32% increase of MMA occurred among subjects who consumed homegrown food (p < 0.001). NMSC cases had significantly higher levels of Assum, DMA, and Asinorg. The methylation index Asinorg/(MMA + DMA) was about 20% lower among cases (p < 0.05) and in men (p < 0.05) compared with controls and females, respectively.
Ranft
Ulrich
U
Institut für Umweltmedizinische Forschung an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. ranft@uni-duesseldorf.de
Miskovic
Peter
P
Pesch
Beate
B
Jakubis
Pavel
P
Fabianova
Elenora
E
Keegan
Tom
T
Hergemöller
Andre
A
Jakubis
Marian
M
Nieuwenhuijsen
Mark J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000506:poisoning / Q000652:urine*; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000652:urine*; D015415:Biomarkers; D001822:Body Burden; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003031:Coal; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004782:Environmental Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011210:Power Plants; D018154:Slovakia
D000393:Air Pollutants; D015415:Biomarkers; D003031:Coal