Using iron precipitants to remove arsenic from water: is it safe?
Arsenic-associated health complications are reported worldwide. Arsenic is a documented toxic element in drinking water. Removing arsenic from drinking water is widely dependent on iron-based techniques. Although inorganic arsenic has long been known to be toxic to humans, little is known about the toxic effect of the interaction between arsenic and iron. We investigated the effect of arsenic plus iron on the liver of rats. We gave rats sodium arsenite, iron, or sodium arsenite plus iron. Neither the arsenic-alone nor the iron-alone treatments altered their serum aspartate or alanine transaminase levels. However, a combination of non-toxic doses of arsenite and iron synergistically increased serum aspartate and alanine transaminase levels and lipid peroxidation in liver tissue. Therefore, we hypothesize that arsenic plus iron synergistically induces hepatic damage mediated through oxidative stress in rats. Our study indicates an important public health issue: using iron precipitants to remove arsenic from water may cause oxidative hepatic damage in humans.
Mohan Chandrasekaran
Victor Raj
VR
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan.
Muthaiyan
Ilayaraja
I
Huang
Po-Chang
PC
Liu
Ming-Yie
MY
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D018053:Arsenites / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017670:Sodium Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
D018053:Arsenites; D017670:Sodium Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; C017947:sodium arsenite; D007501:Iron; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001151:Arsenic