title: Arsenic-induced health crisis in peri-urban Moyna and Ardebok villages, West Bengal, India: an exposure assessment study.
abstract: Drinking of arsenic (As)-contaminated groundwater has adverse effects on health of millions of people worldwide. This study aimed to determine the degree of severity of As exposure from drinking water in peri-urban Moyna and Ardebok villages, West Bengal, India. Arsenic concentrations in hair, nail and urine samp les of the individuals were determined. Arsenical dermatosis, keratosis and melanosis were investigated through medical evaluation. We have evaluated the association between As exposure from drinking water, and keratosis and melanosis outcomes. The results showed that 82.7 % of the sampled tube wells contain As concentrations above 10 μg/L, while 57.7 % contain As concentrations above 50 μg/L. The hair, nail and urine As concentrations were positively correlated with As concentrations in drinking water. In our study population, we observed a strong association between As concentrations ranging 51-99 μg/L and keratosis and melanosis outcomes, although the probability decreases at higher concentration ranges perhaps due to switching away from the use of As-contaminated tube wells for drinking and cooking purposes. High As concentrations in hair, nail and urine were observed to be associated with the age of the study population. The level of As concentrations in hair, nail and urine samples of the study population indicated the degree of severity of As exposure in the study region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan. jyoti_maity@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Jyoti Prakash
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.forename: Bibhash
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nath
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kar
authors.forename: Chien-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Satabdi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Jiin-Shuh
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jean
authors.forename: Ming-Yie
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Centeno
authors.forename: Prosun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Christina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Subhas Chandra
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Santra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D060587:Groundwater / Q000032:analysis*; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007642:Keratosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008548:Melanosis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000737:chemistry; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic