Outbreak of chronic arsenic poisoning among retired workers from an arsenic mine in Japan.

Abstract

Retired former workers of Matsuo Arsenic Mine of Miyazaki prefecture in Japan were subjected to extensive medical examination. The number of retired workers subjected to examination were 61 of 208 workers who were engaged in the works of the mine and were tracked down by the work rolls. These workers left the mine more than 15 years prior to the time of the examination. The main works in the mine were classified as mining, dressing of ores, refining, and clerical work. Several findings such as arsenodermatitis, depigmentation, performation of nasal septum, hyposmia, anosmia, and peripheral nervous disturbance attributed to exposure to arsenic were observed in 9 of 21 roasters who often worked in the arsenic kitchen. No characteristic findings of arsenic poisoning, that is, gastrointestinal disturbance, disorder of the cardiovascular system, hematopoietic disorders, or liver disturbance were observed in the retired workers. Another notable finding was that 8 cases diagnosed as pneumoconiosis were found in 18 miners.

Olfactory toxicity: long-term effects of occupational exposures

“…Clinical cases of hyposmia and anosmia were observed in retired mine workers, heavily exposed to arsenic during their working period (Ishinishi et al 1977;Kawasaki et al 2002). Furthermore, hyposmia is one of the clinical manifestations of organic mercury intoxication observed in patients with Minamata disease (Furuta et al 1994;Hamada and Osame 1996).…”

Exposure to Arsenite in CD-1 Mice during Juvenile and Adult Stages: Effects on Intestinal Microbiota and Gut-Associated Immune Status

“…In 2016, FDA proposed an action level of 100 ppb for iAs (inorganic arsenic) in infant rice products (5). Larger amounts of arsenic are known to be associated with gastrointestinal disturbance and other adverse effects (6)(7)(8). These adverse health hazards could include cancer or other health disorders (5,7,(9)(10)(11)(12).…”

Clinical Symptoms, Neurological Signs, and Electrophysiological Findings in Surviving Residents with Probable Arsenic Exposure in Toroku, Japan

“…In addition, female participants who experienced probable arsenic exposure during infancy and early childhood were more likely to develop olfactory dysfunction. Previous studies of olfactory problems (Ishinishi et al 1977 ; Mukherjee et al 2014 ) did not compare males and females, and the reason for the sex difference in this study was unclear.…”

“…In our participants, contaminated drinking water was less of a problem than direct exposure of the ears, eyes, mouth, or nose to air containing high concentrations of arsenic. Furthermore, previous studies revealed that chronic arsenic exposure caused eye diseases (See et al 2007 ; Sinczuk-Walczak et al 2010 ; Chen 2014 ), hearing impairment (Kesici et al 2016 ; Li et al 2017 ), oral cavity lesions (Sarwar et al 2010 ; Syed et al 2013 ), olfactory dysfunction (Ishinishi et al 1977 ; Mukherjee et al 2014 ), and memory impairment (Tyler and Allan 2014 ). Arsenic levels in some of our participants’ hair were found to be high when the Toroku Medical Examination was first administered (10 years after exposure ended).…”

“…Chronic arsenic toxicity, which is due to low-concentration exposure over a long period of time, impairs the same organs and tissues as acute toxicity, although in cases of higher exposure levels, skin and nervous system disturbances are usually more pronounced (Lagerkvist and Zetterlund 1994 ; Ahsan et al 2006 ; Naujokas et al 2013 ). Chronic arsenic intoxication has been caused not only by drinking contaminated groundwater (Mazumder et al 1998 ; Milton and Rahman 2002 ; Chakraborti et al 2003 ; Otto et al 2006 ; Chen 2014 ; Del Rio et al 2017 ; Rehman et al 2018 ) but also by occupational exposures, such as mining (Ishinishi et al 1977 ; Kawasaki et al 2002 ; Eisler 2004 ) and work with copper smelters (Feldman et al 1979 ; Lubin et al 2008 ; Halatek et al 2009 ; Sinczuk-Walczak et al 2010 ).…”