Abstract
As a result of population growth and the development of tube wells, humans’ exposure to arsenic has increased over the past few decades. The natural course of organ damage secondary to arsenic exposure is not yet well understood. In Toroku, Japan, an arsenic mine was intermittently operated from 1920 to 1962, and residents were exposed to high concentrations of arsenic. In this paper, we analyzed 190 consecutive residents for whom detailed records of neurological symptoms and findings were obtained from 1974 to 2005. All participants were interviewed regarding the presence of general, skin, hearing, respiratory, and neurological symptoms. Neurological symptoms were classified into extremity numbness or pain, constipation, dyshidrosis, sensory loss, and muscle atrophy. Superficial and vibratory sensation was also evaluated. More than 80% of participants experienced extremity numbness, and numbness was the most common neurological symptom. Numbness was associated with superficial sensory disturbance, and was correlated with the subsequent development of other neurological symptoms, including autonomic and motor symptoms. No previous studies have investigated the natural course of chronic arsenic intoxication; thus, these data serve as a guide for detecting early symptoms due to arsenic exposure.
Highlights
Heavy metals are harmful to human health and have long been abundant in the Earth’s crust [1]
General symptoms were classified into headache and dizziness; dermatological symptoms were classified into skin disturbance, teeth problems, and nail diseases; otolaryngological symptoms were classified into olfactory dysfunction, tinnitus, and deafness; respiratory symptoms were classified into sore throat, cough, and wheezing; and neurological symptoms were classified into extremity numbness or pain, constipation, dyshidrosis, sensory loss, and muscle atrophy
This study investigated the natural history of individuals with chronic arsenic exposure
Summary
Heavy metals are harmful to human health and have long been abundant in the Earth’s crust [1]. Arsenic has been used as a pesticide, a chemotherapeutic agent, and a constituent of consumer products It can cause acute organ damage in the short term, as well as various health impairments, such as peripheral neuropathy, following chronic, low-concentration exposure [3,4]. Arsenic was actively roasted to produce arsenious acid from 1933 to 1941 and from 1955 to 1962 [5,6] During these years, more than 300 residents were exposed to arsenic via food, water, air, and skin. According to the Miyazaki Prefecture report [6], many Toroku residents continued to be exposed to arsenic in contaminated drinking water after 1962, and the mean arsenic concentration in the hair of Toroku residents (N = 29) was 1.52 mg/kg in. We analyzed 190 consecutive participants for whom detailed neurological symptoms and findings were recorded by 2002
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