Arsenic and amputations in Cambodia

Journal of Health and Pollution

Yumvihoze

et al. 2018

Background.Arsenic bioaccumulation in rice is a global concern affecting food security and public health.Objective.The present study examined arsenic species in rice in Cambodia to characterize health risks with rice consumption and to clarify uncertainties with Codex guidelines.Methods.The present study collected 61 well water samples, 105 rice samples, 70 soil samples, and conducted interviews with 44 families in Preak Russey near the Bassac River and Kandal Province along the Mekong River in Cambodia. Analyses of metals, total arsenic and arsenic species were conducted in laboratories in Canada, Cambodia and Singapore.Results.Unlike in Bangladesh, rice with the highest total arsenic concentrations in Cambodia contains mostly organic arsenic, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), which is unregulated and much less toxic than inorganic arsenic. The present study found that storing surface runoff in ditches prior to irrigation can significantly reduce the arsenic concentration in rice. It is possible to remove > 95% of arsenic from groundwater prior to irrigation with natural reactions.Conclusions.The provision of high quality drinking water in 2015 to Preak Russey removed about 95% of the dietary inorganic arsenic exposure. The extremes in arsenic toxicity that are still obvious in these farmers should become less common. Rice from the site with the highest documented levels of arsenic in soils and water in Cambodia passes current Codex guidelines for arsenic.Informed Consent.ObtainedCompeting Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 7 Documented effects can be as subtle as impairment of intellectual development in children or extreme, including amputations of limbs to remove cancerous growths. 12 , 13 Congenital birth defects and mortality from arsenic are also well known. The most serious source of arsenic toxicity is from drinking groundwater rich in arsenic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groundwater Irrigation and Arsenic Speciation in Rice in Cambodia

Journal of Health and Pollution

Yumvihoze

et al. 2018

“…In Cambodia, arsenic toxicity can be as subtle as impairment of intellectual development, but may also include congenital birth defects in children [107]. In adults, arsenic toxicity may lead to amputation of cancerous limbs and mortality [108]. The inorganic arsenic content in drinking water from Preak Russey, Cambodia (23 wells 883 ± 332 µg/L) was the most important source of arsenic in the human diet [109].…”

Section: Arsenicmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Micronutrients and Toxic Metals in the Management of Epidemics in Cambodia

Irvine

et al. 2021

IJERPH

The illegal trade of wildlife in SE Asia has been identified as the likely cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. We reviewed 198 papers on the current COVID pandemic in Cambodia, diseases such as avian influenza and Nipah virus, most likely to develop into a new pandemic in Cambodia, and common features of disease that require mitigation. Artisanal goldmining uses pure mercury in the areas where wildlife is smuggled to China. Moreover, 30–40% of Cambodians are zinc deficient. High levels of arsenic in irrigation water (>1000 µg/L) are associated with very low levels of zinc in rice (5 µg/g) and rice is the primary staple food for the region. Brown rice from nine of 15 paddy fields in the arsenic zone of Cambodia had double the new guidelines of 100 µg/kg inorganic arsenic for children’s food in the EU and USA. The combination of deficiencies of essential micronutrients like zinc and pervasive presence of arsenic and mercury has the potential to compromise the immunity of many Cambodians. Innovative solutions are suggested to improve micronutrient nutrition. Toxins that suppress the immune system must be better managed to reduce the virulence of pathogens. Cambodia was not likely the source of the COVID-19 but does have problems that could result in a new pandemic.

“…According to one report, arsenocosis develops faster in Cambodia than expected relative to other countries with similar arsenic exposure. Arsenic inductions include congenital birth defects, suppression of mental development of children, cancer resulting in limb amputation, and death 5,7,8. It is thought that malnutrition might enhance arsenic toxicity in Cambodia 3.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Health Implications of the Correlation Between Arsenic and Zinc Levels in Rice from an Arsenic-Rich Zone in Cambodia

Irvine

Journal of Health and Pollution

et al. 2019

Background. In parts of Cambodia, irrigation of rice with groundwater results in arsenic accumulation in soils and rice, leading to health concerns associated with rice consumption. In Bangladesh and China, low zinc levels in rice have been found in regions where arsenic levels in rice are high. Furthermore, there have been claims that zinc deficiency is responsible for stunting of children in Cambodia. There are limited data on zinc in Cambodian rice, but in rural Asia, rice is the major source of zinc. Objectives. To provide a preliminary evaluation of the zinc content in rice grain in Preak Russey, an area with elevated levels of arsenic. The importance of zinc in rice for infants was also assessed. Methods. Rice cultivation was evaluated in sixty farms along the Mekong River in Cambodia. Analyses for metals, total arsenic, and arsenic species in the water and rice were conducted at the University of Ottawa, Canada by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry. Analysis of total zinc and arsenic in soils were analyzed in Phnom Penh using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). Total zinc in rice was also measured by XRF analysis. Results. Rice in the Preak Russey area contained zinc with ½ to ¼ of the 1987 Codex standard for rice in Infant Formula. Moreover, our average zinc concentration in rice samples was less than a third that recommended for zinc fortification in rice by the United Nations World Food Programme. There was a significant (α=0.05) negative correlation between the arsenic and zinc content of rice with the lowest zinc levels occurring near the irrigation wells, the source of arsenic. There was a significantly higher content of zinc in rice from farms that fertilized with cow manure. Conclusions. Handheld XRF spectrometers are useful tools for detection of zinc levels in rice. The potential for zinc deficiency in farmers in areas of Cambodia with arsenic toxicity is high. Competing Interests. The authors declare no competing financial interests.