Association between arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant and urinary arsenic concentrations in Prievidza District, Slovakia.

Abstract

To assess the arsenic exposure of a population living in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high arsenic emission in the Prievidza District, Slovakia, 548 spot urine samples were speciated for inorganic As (As inorg ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and their sum (As sum ). The urine samples were collected from the population of a case-control study on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 411 samples with complete As speciations and sufficient urine quality and without fish consumption were used for statistical analysis. Although current environmental As exposure and urinary As concentrations were low (median As in soil within 5 km distance to the power plant, 41 µg/g; median urinary As sum , 5.8 µg/L), there was a significant but weak association between As in soil and urinary As sum (r = 0.21, p < 0.01). We performed a multivariate regression analysis to calculate adjusted regression coefficients for environmental As exposure and other determinants of urinary As. Persons living in the vicinity of the plant had 27% higher As sum values (p < 0.01), based on elevated concentrations of the methylated species. A 32% increase of MMA occurred among subjects who consumed homegrown food (p < 0.001). NMSC cases had significantly higher levels of As sum , DMA, and As inorg . The methylation index As inorg /(MMA + DMA) was about 20% lower among cases (p < 0.05) and in men (p < 0.05) compared with controls and females, respectively.

Comparison of arsenic levels in fingernails with urinary As species as biomarkers of arsenic exposure in residents living close to a coal-burning power plant in Prievidza District, Slovakia

“…Arsenic levels in fingernailsWith respect to factors determining As levels in fingernails we found, even at the low environmental exposure levels close to the European average (Ranft et al, 2003), an association with As in soil, As in house dust and with the distance to the power plant. The influence of age (Table 4) should not be overinterpreted since our study population was of high age.…”

“…In this population-based case-control study, a nonmelanoma skin carcinoma excess risk was reported for environmental As exposure from power station emissions in the district of Prievidza, Slovakia (Pesch et al, 2002). Associations with environmental exposure were found for urinary As sum , the methylated species MMA and DMA but not for As inorg (Ranft et al, 2003). Here, we report the results on As analysis in fingernails and the comparison of As levels in fingernails with urinary As species.…”

“…In both urine and fingernail samples, distance to the power plant, As in soil and As in house dust were the main determining factors (Tables 4, 7, 8 and for details on factors determining As in urine, see Ranft et al, 2003). Additionally, as with As levels in fingernails (Table 7), urinary As sum also dropped with an increase of age (Ranft et al, 2003).…”

“…Place of residence held for at least 1 year since 1953 was classified into the following categories with respect to the dispersion modeling of the As emission and according to the distance from the power plant: r5 km, 6-10 km and 410 km. Environmental As in garden soil and household dust was positively associated with the distance to the power plant and the As levels in soil and in house dust correlated significantly (Ranft et al, 2003). Estimation of individual As intake via food was calculated from the frequencies of consumption of 25 food dietary items and the As content of these items (details in Pesch et al, 2002).…”

“…Spot urine samples were collected from 548 persons (details in Ranft et al, 2003). Samples were excluded from further statistical analysis of As species concentrations in urine if the participants had eaten fish within 3 days prior to sampling and if the range of specific gravity from 1.010 to 1.024 g/ml and that of creatinine concentration in urine from 0.5 to 2.5 g/l were exceeded.…”