Progress in the prevention and control of water-borne arsenicosis in China

ABSTRACT In this report, we provided an overview of the prevalence, control, and prevention of water-borne arsenicosis in China during 2001–2016. Random sampling was continuously performed during 2001–2010 to find villages having high levels of arsenic (>50 µg/L) in drinking water. The high-arsenic-exposure villages with more geographically dispersed water supplies were subsequently analyzed for characteristics of arsenic distribution, and villages with relatively large populations were investigated for arsenicosis. The results showed that among 32,673,677 inhabitants in 36,820 villages, 1,894,587 inhabitants in 2,476 villages were at risk of high arsenic exposure. Among the 33,318 drinking water sources surveyed in 625 high-arsenic-exposure villages, 9,807 drinking water sources that contained high levels of arsenic (>50 µg/L) were identified. The overall prevalence rate of arsenicosis was 1.93%. Further, some representative villages were chosen to monitor arsenicosis annually, showing that the prevalence rate of arsenicosis was lower in villages with arsenic-safe water supplies than in villages without arsenic-safe water supplies. To the best of our knowledge, this report provides the most comprehensive assessment of the distribution of high arsenic exposure and arsenicosis in China until now.

[1]  A. Renzaho,et al.  Human health risks and socio-economic perspectives of arsenic exposure in Bangladesh: A scoping review. , 2018, Ecotoxicology and environmental safety.

[2]  Dianjun Sun,et al.  Association between arsenic metabolism gene polymorphisms and arsenic-induced skin lesions in individuals exposed to high-dose inorganic arsenic in northwest China , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[3]  Dianjun Sun,et al.  Assessment of relationship on excess arsenic intake from drinking water and cognitive impairment in adults and elders in arsenicosis areas. , 2017, International journal of hygiene and environmental health.

[4]  D. Chakraborti,et al.  Arsenic groundwater contamination and its health effects in Patna district (capital of Bihar) in the middle Ganga plain, India. , 2016, Chemosphere.

[5]  K. Kapur,et al.  Elevated sweat chloride levels due to arsenic toxicity. , 2015, The New England journal of medicine.

[6]  Hong Yang,et al.  Household's willingness to pay for arsenic safe drinking water in Bangladesh. , 2014, Journal of environmental management.

[7]  J. Ng,et al.  Biomarkers for the evaluation of population health status 16 years after the intervention of arsenic-contaminated groundwater in Xinjiang, China. , 2013, Journal of hazardous materials.

[8]  M. Berg,et al.  Groundwater Arsenic Contamination Throughout China , 2013, Science.

[9]  M. Banerjee,et al.  Arsenic-induced toxicity and carcinogenicity: a two-wave cross-sectional study in arsenicosis individuals in West Bengal, India , 2013, Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

[10]  S. Murcott.  Arsenic contamination in the world : an international sourcebook 2012 , 2012 .

[11]  N. Harada,et al.  Quality of Life of Arsenicosis Patients in an Arsenic-Affected Rural Area in Bangladesh , 2010, Archives of environmental & occupational health.

[12]  C. Saha,et al.  Arsenic Contamination of Ground Water and its Health Impact on Population of District of Nadia, West Bengal, India , 2010, Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine.

[13]  Ellen K Silbergeld,et al.  Arsenic exposure and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in US adults. , 2008, JAMA.

[14]  Dianjun Sun,et al.  Harvesting the Potential of BIOMASS , 2005, Environmental health perspectives.

[15]  孙殿军.  Endemic arsenism: on-the-spot epidemical study should be further reinforced in China , 2006 .

[16]  Li-Qin Su,et al.  [Significance of field epidemiologic study to identification of chronic arsenic poisoning]. , 2005, Wei sheng yan jiu = Journal of hygiene research.

[17]  K. Dear,et al.  Association between nutritional status and arsenicosis due to chronic arsenic exposure in Bangladesh , 2004, International journal of environmental health research.

[18]  M. Stute,et al.  Redox control of arsenic mobilization in Bangladesh groundwater , 2004 .

[19]  P. Smedley,et al.  Mobilisation of arsenic and other trace elements in fluviolacustrine aquifers of the Huhhot Basin, Inner Mongolia , 2003 .

[20]  E. Silbergeld,et al.  Variability in human metabolism of arsenic. , 2003, Environmental research.

[21]  M. Vahter,et al.  Intra-individual variation in the metabolism of inorganic arsenic , 2002, International archives of occupational and environmental health.

[22]  D. Chakraborti,et al.  Groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. , 2000, Environmental health perspectives.

[23]  A H Smith,et al.  Marked increase in bladder and lung cancer mortality in a region of Northern Chile due to arsenic in drinking water. , 1998, American journal of epidemiology.

[24]  Dianjun Sun,et al.  Urinary arsenic metabolism in a Western Chinese population exposed to high-dose inorganic arsenic in drinking water: influence of ethnicity and genetic polymorphisms. , 2014, Toxicology and applied pharmacology.

[25]  J. A. Roberson,et al.  Some drinking-water disinfectants and contaminants, including arsenic. , 2004, IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans.

[26]  Z. Yun.  The investigation of death about disease caused by coal-burning type of arsenic poisoning , 2002 .