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Desai G, Barg G, Vahter M, Queirolo EI, Peregalli F, Mañay N, Millen AE, Yu J, Kordas K. Executive functions in school children from Montevideo, Uruguay and their associations with concurrent low-level arsenic exposure. Environ Int 2020; 142:105883. [PMID: 32599352 PMCID: PMC10927015 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Arsenic is a known childhood neurotoxicant, but its neurotoxicity at low exposure levels is still not well established. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to test the association between low-level arsenic exposure and executive functions (EF) among children in Montevideo. We also assessed effect modification by arsenic methylation capacity, a susceptibility factor for the health effects of arsenic, and by B-vitamin intake, which impacts arsenic methylation. METHODS Arsenic exposure was assessed as the specific gravity-adjusted sum of urinary arsenic metabolites (U-As) among 255 ~ 7 year-old children, and methylation capacity as the proportion of urinary monomethylarsonic acid (%MMA). Arsenic concentrations from kitchen water samples at participants' homes were assessed. B-vitamin intake was calculated from the average of two 24-hour dietary recalls. EF was measured using three tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery- Stockings of Cambridge (SOC), Intra-dimensional/extra-dimensional shift task (IED), and Spatial Span (SSP). Generalized linear models assessed the association between U-As and EF measures; models were adjusted for age, sex, maternal education, possessions score, Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory score, season, and school clusters. Additional analyses were conducted to address issues of residual confounding and sample size. A "B-vitamin index" was calculated using principal component analysis. Effect modification by the index and urinary %MMA was assessed in strata split at the respective medians of these variables. RESULTS The median (range) U-As and water arsenic levels were 9.9 µg/L (2.2, 47.7) and 0.45 µg/L (0.1, 18.9) respectively, indicating that exposure originated mainly from other sources. U-As was inversely associated with the number of stages completed (β = -0.02; 95% CI: -0.03, -0.002) and pre-executive shift errors (β = -0.08; 95% CI: -0.14, -0.02) of the IED task, and span length of the SSP task (β = -0.01; 95% CI: -0.02, -0.004). There was no clear pattern of effect modification by B-vitamin intake or urinary %MMA. CONCLUSION Low-level arsenic exposure may adversely affect executive function among children but additional, including longitudinal, studies are necessary to confirm these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gauri Desai
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - Gabriel Barg
- Department of Neurocognition, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Elena I Queirolo
- Center for Research, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Fabiana Peregalli
- Center for Research, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nelly Mañay
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Republic of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Amy E Millen
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jihnhee Yu
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Katarzyna Kordas
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA
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Prasad P, Sarkar N, Sinha D. Effect of low- and high-level groundwater arsenic on peripheral blood and lung function of exposed rural women. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 115:104684. [PMID: 32454235 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2020.104684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum contaminant level (MCL) of arsenic (As) in drinking water at 10 μg/L. Many Asian countries still have their MCL for As at 50 μg/L. The current cross sectional study was conducted on asymptomatic females (without As related skin lesions) selected from rural areas of West Bengal, Baruipur and Dhamakhali [low As 11-50 μg/L; N,93]; Kamardanga & Sibhati [high As>50 μg/L; N,70] and Boria [Control; As<10 μg/L N,118] of West Bengal, India. The study was designed to compare the status of peripheral blood and lung function due to prolonged As exposure. The lung function parameters were considered according to Miller's prediction quadrant - FVC less than 80% indicated restrictive lung, FEV1/FVC less than 70% showed obstructive lung and both FVC and FEV1/FVC less than predicted percentage exhibited combined lung function decrement. The study showed that groundwater As concentration [22.5 ± 19.2 (low), 67.8 ± 26.9 (high) and 1.02 ± 2.3 μg/L (control)] was correlated with nail As content of the enrolled women. Linear regression depicted that nail As content influenced reduction of haemoglobin (β: 0.43; 95%CI: 0.02 to -0.006; p = 0.0001) and CD56+ NK cells (β: 0.53; 95%CI: 0.07 to -0.03; p = 0.0001) per 1 μg/g increase in As in nails. Multivariate logistic regression exhibited that nail As content was associated with reduction of lung function parameters [FEV1 (Exp B:1.04; 95%CI: 1.022 to 1.055; p = 0.0001) and FVC (Exp B:1.05; 95%CI: 1.03 to 1.07; p = 0.0001) per 1 μg/g increase in As in nails. Hence the study may be indicative of the fact that even in asymptomatic women, increase in chronic As exposure may weaken immune surveillance and provoke respiratory ailments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Prasad
- Department of Receptor Biology and Tumor Metastasis, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, 37, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Nivedita Sarkar
- Department of Receptor Biology and Tumor Metastasis, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, 37, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Dona Sinha
- Department of Receptor Biology and Tumor Metastasis, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, 37, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India.
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Desai G, Barg G, Queirolo EI, Vahter M, Peregalli F, Mañay N, Kordas K. A cross-sectional study of general cognitive abilities among Uruguayan school children with low-level arsenic exposure, potential effect modification by methylation capacity and dietary folate. Environ Res 2018; 164:124-131. [PMID: 29486343 PMCID: PMC5911190 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.02.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have evaluated the association between low-level arsenic (As) exposure and cognitive performance among children. OBJECTIVES In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the association between low-level As exposure and cognitive performance among 5-8 year-old children in Montevideo, and tested effect modification by As methylation capacity and children's dietary folate intake. METHODS We measured total urinary As (UAs) concentrations and the proportion of monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in the urine of 328 children. Seven subtests of the standardized Woodcock-Muñoz cognitive battery were used to assess cognitive performance, from which, the general intellectual abilities (GIA) score was derived. Total folate intake was estimated from two 24-h dietary recalls. Linear regression analyses were performed. Effect modification was assessed by stratifying at the median %MMA value and tertiles of total folate intake calculated as micrograms (µg) of dietary folate equivalents (dfe). RESULTS The median UAs was 11.9 µg/l (range = 1.4-93.9), mean folate intake was 337.4 (SD = 123.3) µg dfe, and median %MMA was 9.42 (range = 2.6-24.8). There was no association between UAs and cognitive abilities, and no consistent effect modification by %MMA. UAs was associated inversely with concept formation, and positively with cognitive efficiency and numbers reversed subtest in the lowest folate intake tertile; UAs was also positively associated with sound integration in the second tertile and concept formation in the highest tertile of folate intake. There was no consistent pattern of effect modification by %MMA or folate intake. CONCLUSION There was no association between low-level As exposure and general cognitive abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gauri Desai
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA.
| | - Gabriel Barg
- Department of Neurocognition, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Elena I Queirolo
- Center for Research, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | | | - Fabiana Peregalli
- Center for Research, Catholic University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nelly Mañay
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Republic of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Katarzyna Kordas
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, NY, USA
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Liu H, Lu S, Zhang B, Xia W, Liu W, Peng Y, Zhang H, Wu K, Xu S, Li Y. Maternal arsenic exposure and birth outcomes: A birth cohort study in Wuhan, China. Environ Pollut 2018; 236:817-823. [PMID: 29462776 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Maternal arsenic exposure leads to adverse birth outcomes, but the critical window of this susceptibility keeps unclear. To determine whether the associations between maternal arsenic exposure and birth outcomes were trimester-specific, we conducted a birth cohort study of 1390 women from 2014 to 2016 in Wuhan, China. We examined associations between total urinary arsenic concentrations in three trimesters and birth weight, birth length and the risk of small for gestational age (SGA), and the differences of these associations across trimesters using generalized estimating equations. Maternal urinary arsenic concentrations varied across trimesters and were weakly correlated. Arsenic concentrations in the 3rd trimester, but not in the 1st and 2nd trimesters, were associated with birth outcomes. For each doubling of arsenic levels in the 3rd trimester, birth weight was decreased 24.27 g (95% confidence interval (CI): -46.99, -1.55), birth length was decreased 0.13 cm (95% CI: -0.22, -0.04), and the risk for SGA birth was increased 25% (95% CI: 1.03, 1.49). Further, stratified analyses indicated that these associations were only observed in female infants. Our findings indicate maternal arsenic levels in the 3rd trimester seemed to have significant impacts on birth outcomes, and also emphasize the public health interventions relevance to arsenic exposure in late pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shi Lu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wei Xia
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Wenyu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yang Peng
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | | | - Kangbing Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shunqing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Key Laboratory of Environment and Health (HUST), Ministry of Education & Ministry of Environmental Protection, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
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