title: Occurrence of trivalent monomethyl arsenic and other urinary arsenic species in a highly exposed juvenile population in Bangladesh.
abstract: Following reports of high cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of monomethyl arsonous acid (MMA(III)) and early reports of urinary MMA(III) in arsenic-exposed individuals, MMA(III) has often been included in population studies. Use of urinary MMA(III) as an indicator of exposure and/or health risk is challenged by inconsistent results from field studies and stability studies, which indicate potential artifacts. We measured urinary arsenic species in children chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water, using collection, storage, and analysis methods shown to conserve MMA(III). MMA(III) was easily oxidized in sample storage and processing, but recoveries of 80% or better in spiked urine samples were achieved. Attempts to preserve the distribution of MMA between trivalent and pentavalent forms using complexing agents were unsuccessful and MMA(III) spiked into treated urine samples actually showed lower stability than in untreated samples. In 643 urine samples from a highly exposed population from the Matlab district in Bangladesh stored for 3-6 months at ≤-70 °C, MMA(III) was detected in 41 samples, with an estimated median value of 0.3 μg/l, and levels of MMA(III) above 1 μg/l in only two samples. The low urinary concentrations in highly exposed individuals and known difficulties in preserving sample oxidation state indicate that urinary MMA(III) is not suitable for use as an epidemiological biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kalman
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Russell L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dills
authors.affiliation: Arsenic Health Effects Research Group, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steinmaus
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yunus
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Al Fazal
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Mofijuddin
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Prodhan
authors.affiliation: Arsenic Health Effects Research Group, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Arsenic Health Effects Research Group, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
authors.forename: Allan H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001152:Arsenicals / Q000032:analysis*; D001459:Bangladesh; D002648:Child; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D001152:Arsenicals; D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
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