Abstract
Introduction: Inorganic arsenic is a widespread toxicant and carcinogen. Differences in residential location as well as race/ethnicity and dietary habits may result in differences in arsenic exposure. We investigated the association of exposure to inorganic arsenic (as measured in urine) with race/ethnicity, geography and dietary intake of rice and poultry. Methods: We examined a random sample of 310 White, Black, Hispanic and Chinese adults with available urine arsenic measures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) at Visit 1 (2000- 2002). Participants were from 6 US cities (Winston-Salem, NC; New York, NY; Baltimore, MD; St Paul, MN; Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA). Information on food intake was assessed by food frequency questionnaire. After accounting for seafood intake, we estimated the ratios of the geometric means of urinary concentrations of the sum of inorganic and methylated arsenic species (ƩAs) across race/ethnicity, city and categories of frequency of intake of rice and poultry. Results: The median (interquartile range) for the ƩAs was 7.5 (4.2, 13.2) µg/L. After multivariable adjustment, Chinese and Hispanic race/ethnicity were associated with 60% (95% CI 21% to 110%) and 34% (95% CI 7% to 66%) higher urine arsenic concentrations, respectively, compared to White participants. No differences were observed for Black participants compared to Whites. Urine arsenic concentrations were higher for participants in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York compared to other sites (range 10% to 17%). Participants that ate rice ≥ 2 times/week had 37% higher urine arsenic compared to those that rarely/never consumed rice. Frequency of poultry intake was not associated with urinary arsenic concentrations. Conclusions: At the low to moderate levels typical of the US population, exposure to inorganic arsenic differed by race/ethnicity and geographic location as well as by frequency of rice intake.
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