In Latin America, several regions have a long history of widespread arsenic (As) contamination from both natural and anthropological sources. Yet, relatively little is known about the extent of As exposure from drinking water and its related health consequences in these countries. It has been estimated that at least 4.5 million people in Latin America are chronically exposed to high levels of As (>50µg/L), some to as high as 2000 µg/L - 200 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) provisional standard for drinking water. We conducted a systematic review of 82 peer reviewed papers and reports to fully explore the current understanding of As exposure and its health effects, as well as the influence of genetic factors that modulate those effects in the populations of Latin America. Despite some methodological limitations, these studies suggested important links between high levels of chronic As exposure and elevated risks of numerous adverse health outcomes in Latin America - including internal and external cancers, reproductive outcomes, and childhood cognitive function. Several studies demonstrated genetic polymorphisms that influence susceptibility to these and other disease states through their modulation of As metabolism, with As methyltransferase (AS3MT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), and genes of one-carbon metabolism being specifically implicated. While the full extent and nature of the health burden are yet to be known in Latin America, these studies have significantly enriched knowledge of As toxicity and led to subsequent research. Targeted future studies will not only yield a better understanding of the public health impact of As in Latin America populations, but also allow for effective and timely mitigation efforts.

The case of a 46-year-old woman who survived after a brodifacoum poisoning is presented. The patient was admitted due to a severe coagulopathy. Initial prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were both greater than 110 seconds and the patient suffered severe gastric and pulmonary hemorrhage requiring fresh frozen plasma transfusion and parenteral phytonadione administration (up to 100 mg per day). Serum brodifacoum levels were determined by HPLC during seven months. Five days after admission, serum brodifacoum level was 1302 ng/ml. Serum brodifacoum levels decreased till day 209 when became not detectable. Brodifacoum elimination showed a first order kinetic and a 56-day half-life. Investigation of superwarfarin should be considered in any patient with vitamin K dependent coagulation disorder. It would be also useful to obtain periodic brodifacoum levels and build the corresponding elimination curve to help direct phytonadione therapy in poisoned patients.

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