Arsenic contamination in drinking water and skin manifestations in lowland Nepal: the first community-based survey.
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.
Maharjan
Makhan
M
Department of Human Ecology, School of International Health, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Watanabe
Chiho
C
Ahmad
Sk Aktar
SA
Ohtsuka
Ryutaro
R
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
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic