Arsenic contamination of Ronphibun residents associated with uses of arsenic-contaminated shallow-well water other than drinking.
High levels of urinary arsenic have been reported among residents of an area of southern Thailand where many households have shallow wells heavily contaminated with arsenic. However, the finding that very few of the residents in this area have used contaminated shallow-well water for drinking or cooking in the last 10 years prompted this investigation. The aim was to identify the uses of shallow-well water by adult residents that were related to a positive association between shallow-well water and urinary arsenic levels. Information on shallow-well water use for all personal and domestic purposes was obtained and arsenic levels of household shallow-well water and urine (after refraining from seafood for 2 days) were measured. Urinary and shallow-well water arsenic levels were strongly positively associated among residents who regularly used shallow-well water for bathing (including washing face, hair, hands and feet) but not among residents regularly using arsenic-safe water for bathing or regularly using shallow-well water for other purposes, such as brushing teeth, domestic cleaning or washing food and utensils. The findings suggest that appreciable transdermal absorption of arsenic is possible and that successful abatement of human contamination with arsenic may require the provision of arsenic-safe water, not only for consumption but also for personal hygiene purposes.
Oshikawa
Shoko
S
Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. oshoko45@yahoo.com
Geater
Alan
A
Chongsuvivatwong
Virasakdi
V
Chakraborti
Dipankar
D
D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning / Q000652:urine; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D013785:Thailand; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*
D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic