title: Health impact evaluation of boron in drinking water: a geographical risk assessment in Northern France.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate health impact of boron in drinking water.
  
  
  METHODS
  A regional scale geographical study in Northern France was conducted. Assessment of boron blood levels in a group of 180 healthy individuals and correlation with boron content in drinking water were followed by an assessment of health indicators such as birth rates, mortality rates, and sex ratios in zones of different boron content in drinking water.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After necessary adjustments, men living in municipalities with more than 0.30 mg/L of boron in drinking water had elevated but not significant boron blood levels compared with those living in municipalities with boron water levels of less than 0.30 mg/L (159.1 versus 123.0 ng/g; p > 0.05). The standardized birth ratio adjusted for the reference geographic zone and calendar time period was 1.07 and 1.28 in the low and high (>0.3 mg/L) boron content municipalities, respectively. The birth rate in municipalities with high boron content in drinking water was higher than that of the reference geographic zone and of the French general population (p < 10(-4)). The standardized mortality ratio adjusted for the reference geographic zone and calendar time period was 0.94 and 0.92 in the low and high boron content municipalities, respectively. The mortality rate in municipalities with high boron content in drinking water was less than that of the reference geographic zone and of the French general population (p < 10(-3)). No statistical difference was noted in the male-female sex ratios between the different municipality zones (p = 0.45).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study do not support the idea of a deleterious effect of boron on human health, at the boron water level contents found in this specific region. In fact, there is a tendency toward a beneficial effect with low-dose environmental exposure (less than 1 mg/L of boron) in drinking water.
authors.affiliation: Unite de Recherches en Epidemiologie et Biostatistique, INSERM U-472, 16 avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 94807 Villejuif Cedex, France. chayaz@cyberia.net.lb
authors.forename: Chadi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yazbeck
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kloppmann
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cottier
authors.forename: Josiane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sahuquillo
authors.forename: Ginette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Debotte
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huel
mesh_terms: D001723:Birth Rate; D001895:Boron / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D004782:Environmental Health; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005602:France; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009026:Mortality; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001895:Boron