title: Quantitative links between arsenic exposure and influenza A (H1N1) infection-associated lung function exacerbations risk.
abstract: The objective of this study was to link arsenic exposure and influenza A (H1N1) infection-induced respiratory effects to assess the impact of arsenic-contaminated drinking water on exacerbation risk of A (H1N1)-associated lung function. The homogeneous Poisson process was used to approximate the related processes between arsenic exposure and influenza-associated lung function exacerbation risk. We found that (i) estimated arsenic-induced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1) ) reducing rates ranged from 0.116 to 0.179 mL/μg for age 15-85 years, (ii) estimated arsenic-induced A (H1N1) viral load increasing rate was 0.5 mL/μg, (iii) estimated A (H1N1) virus-induced FEV(1) reducing rate was 0.10 mL/logTCID50, and (iv) the relationship between arsenic exposure and A (H1N1)-associated respiratory symptoms scores (RSS) can be described by a Hill model. Here we showed that maximum RSS at day 2 postinfection for Taiwan, West Bengal (India), and the United States were estimated to be in the severe range of 0.83, 0.89, and 0.81, respectively, indicating that chronic arsenic exposure and A (H1N1) infection together are most likely to pose potential exacerbations risk of lung function, although a 50% probability of lung function exacerbations risk induced by arsenic and influenza infection was within the mild and moderate ranges of RSS at day 1 and 2 postinfection. We concluded that avoidance of drinking arsenic-containing water could significantly reduce influenza respiratory illness and that need will become increasingly urgent as the novel H1N1 pandemic influenza virus infects people worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. cmliao@ntu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Chung-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Chia-Pin
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chio
authors.forename: Yi-Hsien
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Nan-Hung
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Wei-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Szu-Chieh
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019562:Viral Load / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic