Arsenic and Other Metals’ Presence in Biomarkers of Cambodians in Arsenic Contaminated Areas

Abstract

Chemical analyses of metal (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Ba, and Pb) concentrations in hair, nails, and urine of Cambodians in arsenic-contaminated areas who consumed groundwater daily showed elevated levels in these biomarkers for most metals of toxicological interest. The levels of metals in biomarkers corresponded to their levels in groundwater, especially for As, whose concentrations exceeded the WHO guidelines for drinking water. About 75.6% of hair samples from the population in this study contained As levels higher than the normal level in unexposed individuals (1 mg·kg−1). Most of the population (83.3%) showed As urinary levels exceeding the normal (<50 ng·mg−1). These results indicate the possibility of arsenicosis symptoms in residents of the areas studied. Among the three biomarkers tested, hair has shown to be a reliable indicator of metal exposures. The levels of As (r2 = 0.633), Ba (r2 = 0.646), Fe (r2 = 0.595), and Mo (r2 = 0.555) in hair were strongly positively associated with the levels of those metals in groundwater. In addition, significant weak correlations (p < 0.01) were found between levels of exposure to As and As concentrations in both nails (r2 = 0.544) and urine (r2 = 0.243).

Biomonitoring of Metals in Children Living in an Urban Area and Close to Waste Incinerators

“…Toenail concentration of Mn has been frequently studied both in children [47][48][49][50] and in adults [40], with an LOD ranging from 0.001 [81] to 0.33 µg/g [66] and values usually below 10 µg/g [40]. The highest Mn toenail concentrations have been found in subjects living near a highly industrialized city in Pakistan (average value 52.1 µg/g) [82] and in highly polluted areas in Cambodia (average concentration 43.9 µg/g) [66]. In our study, the average Mn concentration recorded in toenails from exposed children (4.4 µg/g) was slightly higher than that previously reported in pediatric age (3.57 µg/g, weighted means) in an analysis of pooled literature [47].…”

“…Toenails were selected for sampling as preferential to fingernails due to a minor risk of external contamination [58]. The procedures for toenail collection, sample preparation, and analysis have been extensively employed in previous studies [47,48,[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67].…”

Evaluation of Respiratory Symptoms, Spirometric Lung Patterns and Metal Fume Concentrations among Welders in Indoor Air-Conditioned Building at Malaysia

“…Meanwhile, Laohaudomchok et al [50] reported manganese concentration in welders to toenail in the range of 0.05 to 10.41 µg/g, being lower with the finding range of this study. Apart from the fact that the manganese was mostly emitted through welding and various occupational setting, the manganese also can be found in surface soil, groundwater, drinking water, and the accumulation of this metal in terrestrial and aquatic food chain had exposed the elevated of manganese concentration in the human body including in toenail [12], [51], [52]. A chronic effect from a prolonged exposure to manganese toxicity specifically through the industrial common route of exposure (inhalation) may potentially lead to mental disorder and neurotoxicity issues that mainly relates to the damage of central nervous system.…”

Managing Water and Soils to Achieve Adaptation and Reduce Methane Emissions and Arsenic Contamination in Asian Rice Production

“…Within the lower Mekong region, notable areas with elevated concentrations of arsenic in groundwater have been reported in Cambodia and Vietnam, while too few data are available to characterize the arsenic situation in Laos and Myanmar [262][263][264][265][266][267]. In Thailand, there is little evidence of naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater, but some areas are impacted by arsenic from mining operations [265].…”