Abstract
Inorganic arsenic (i-As) is a non-threshold human carcinogen that has been associated with several adverse health outcomes. Exposure to i-As is of particular concern among pregnant women, infants and children, as they are specifically vulnerable to the adverse health effects of i-As, and in utero and early-life exposure, even low to moderate levels of i-As, may have a marked effect throughout the lifespan. Ion chromatography-mass spectrometry detection (IC-ICP-MS) was used to analyse urinary arsenic speciation, as an exposure biomarker, in samples of 4-year-old children with relatively low-level arsenic exposure living in different regions in Spain including Asturias, Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia. The profile of arsenic metabolites in urine was also determined in samples taken during pregnancy (1st trimester) and in the children from Valencia of 7 years old. The median of the main arsenic species found in the 4-year-old children was 9.71 μg/l (arsenobetaine—AsB), 3.97 μg/l (dimethylarsinic acid—DMA), 0.44 μg/l (monomethylarsonic acid—MMA) and 0.35 μg/l (i-As). Statistically significant differences were found in urinary AsB, MMA and i-As according to the study regions in the 4-year-old, and also in DMA among pregnant women and their children. Spearman’s correlation coefficient among urinary arsenic metabolites was calculated, and, in general, a strong methylation capacity to methylate i-As to MMA was observed.
Highlights
Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous metalloid that is found in both inorganic arsenic (i-As) and organic forms, which can readily cross the placenta leading to foetal exposure (Concha et al 1998; Vahter 2009; Davis et al 2014)
Was predominant with median of 9.71 lg/l and interquartile range (IQR) from 2.58 to 34.92 lg/l followed by DMA, MMA and Inorganic arsenic (i-As)
Children living in Gipuzkoa had the lowest i-As concentration with a median of 0.22 lg/l and IQR from 0.13 to 0.37 lg/l (p \ 0.001), whereas they had the highest concentration of MMA and AsB
Summary
Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous metalloid that is found in both inorganic arsenic (i-As) and organic forms, which can readily cross the placenta leading to foetal exposure (Concha et al 1998; Vahter 2009; Davis et al 2014). Organic As, including arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenosugars and arsenolipids, are often found in fish and seafood and considered relatively non-toxic (Navas-Acien et al 2011), while i-As, mainly found as arsenite and arsenate, has been classified as a group I, non-threshold, human carcinogen (IARC 2004). Other health effects have been attributed to i-As exposure such as neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases. Exposure to i-As is of particular concern among pregnant women, infants and.
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