title: Arsenic contamination in drinking water and skin manifestations in lowland Nepal: the first community-based survey.
abstract: A community-based, dose-response study on arsenic contamination was conducted in three communities in Terai in lowland Nepal. The arsenic concentration of all the tube wells in use (n = 146) and the prevalence of arsenic-induced skin manifestation among 1,343 (approximately 80% of the inhabitants) subjects indicated the existence of a highly contaminated area in Terai. It was found that overall prevalence of arsenicosis among the subjects > or = 15 years old was 6.9%, which was comparable to those found by the same examiner in arsenic-contaminated areas in Bangladesh, and that males had prevalence a twice as high as females, which could not be explained by the difference in the exposure level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Makhan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maharjan
authors.forename: Chiho
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Sk Aktar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Ryutaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ohtsuka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000473:pathology*; D003625:Data Collection; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D014881:Water Supply
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic