Elevated arsenic exposure and efficient arsenic metabolism in indigenous women around Lake Poopó, Bolivia
De Loma, Jessica ; Tirado, Noemi ; Ascui, Franz ; Levi, Michael ; Vahter, Marie ; Broberg, Karin LU
and Gardon, Jacques
(2019)
In Science of the Total Environment
657.
p.179-186
- Abstract
Elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic, one of the most potent environmental toxicants and carcinogens, have been detected in well water around Lake Poopó, Bolivia. This study aimed to assess human exposure to arsenic in villages around Lake Poopó, and also to elucidate whether the metabolism and detoxification of arsenic in this population is as efficient as previously indicated in other Andean areas. We recruited 201 women from 10 villages around Lake Poopó. Arsenic exposure was determined as the sum concentration of arsenic metabolites (inorganic arsenic; monomethylarsonic acid, MMA; and dimethylarsinic acid, DMA) in urine (U-As), measured by HPLC-HG-ICP-MS. Efficiency of arsenic metabolism was assessed by the relative... (More)
Elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic, one of the most potent environmental toxicants and carcinogens, have been detected in well water around Lake Poopó, Bolivia. This study aimed to assess human exposure to arsenic in villages around Lake Poopó, and also to elucidate whether the metabolism and detoxification of arsenic in this population is as efficient as previously indicated in other Andean areas. We recruited 201 women from 10 villages around Lake Poopó. Arsenic exposure was determined as the sum concentration of arsenic metabolites (inorganic arsenic; monomethylarsonic acid, MMA; and dimethylarsinic acid, DMA) in urine (U-As), measured by HPLC-HG-ICP-MS. Efficiency of arsenic metabolism was assessed by the relative fractions of the urinary metabolites. The women had a wide variation in U-As (range 12-407 μg/L, median 65 μg/L) and a markedly efficient metabolism of arsenic with low %MMA (median 7.7%, range: 2.2-18%) and high %DMA (80%, range: 54-91%) in urine. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, ethnicity (Aymara-Quechua vs. Uru), body weight, fish consumption and tobacco smoking were associated with urinary arsenic metabolite fractions. On average, the Uru women had 2.5 lower % (percentage unit) iAs, 2.2 lower %MMA and 4.7 higher %DMA compared with the Aymara-Quechua women. Our study identified several factors that may predict these women's arsenic methylation capacity, particularly ethnicity. Further studies should focus on mechanisms underlying these differences in arsenic metabolism efficiency, and its importance for the risk of arsenic-related health effects.
(Less)
- author
- De Loma, Jessica
; Tirado, Noemi
; Ascui, Franz
; Levi, Michael
; Vahter, Marie
; Broberg, Karin
LU
and Gardon, Jacques
- publishing date
- 2019-03-20
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- in
- Science of the Total Environment
- volume
- 657
- pages
- 179 - 186
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85057734960
- pmid:30537579
- ISSN
- 1879-1026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.473
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- d3602e0d-de14-4f0b-8684-fd93412283e6
- date added to LUP
- 2019-01-30 13:55:08
- date last changed
- 2024-04-15 22:05:14
@article{d3602e0d-de14-4f0b-8684-fd93412283e6,
abstract = {{<p>Elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic, one of the most potent environmental toxicants and carcinogens, have been detected in well water around Lake Poopó, Bolivia. This study aimed to assess human exposure to arsenic in villages around Lake Poopó, and also to elucidate whether the metabolism and detoxification of arsenic in this population is as efficient as previously indicated in other Andean areas. We recruited 201 women from 10 villages around Lake Poopó. Arsenic exposure was determined as the sum concentration of arsenic metabolites (inorganic arsenic; monomethylarsonic acid, MMA; and dimethylarsinic acid, DMA) in urine (U-As), measured by HPLC-HG-ICP-MS. Efficiency of arsenic metabolism was assessed by the relative fractions of the urinary metabolites. The women had a wide variation in U-As (range 12-407 μg/L, median 65 μg/L) and a markedly efficient metabolism of arsenic with low %MMA (median 7.7%, range: 2.2-18%) and high %DMA (80%, range: 54-91%) in urine. In multivariable-adjusted linear regression models, ethnicity (Aymara-Quechua vs. Uru), body weight, fish consumption and tobacco smoking were associated with urinary arsenic metabolite fractions. On average, the Uru women had 2.5 lower % (percentage unit) iAs, 2.2 lower %MMA and 4.7 higher %DMA compared with the Aymara-Quechua women. Our study identified several factors that may predict these women's arsenic methylation capacity, particularly ethnicity. Further studies should focus on mechanisms underlying these differences in arsenic metabolism efficiency, and its importance for the risk of arsenic-related health effects.</p>}},
author = {{De Loma, Jessica and Tirado, Noemi and Ascui, Franz and Levi, Michael and Vahter, Marie and Broberg, Karin and Gardon, Jacques}},
issn = {{1879-1026}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
pages = {{179--186}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
title = {{Elevated arsenic exposure and efficient arsenic metabolism in indigenous women around Lake Poopó, Bolivia}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.473}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.473}},
volume = {{657}},
year = {{2019}},
}