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American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access published online on August 10, 2005

American Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/aje/kwi236
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American Journal of Epidemiology Copyright © 2005 by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health All rights reserved
Received January 10, 2005
Accepted April 19, 2005

Article

Decrements in Lung Function Related to Arsenic in Drinking Water in West Bengal, India

Ondine S. von Ehrenstein 1, D. N. Guha Mazumder 2, Yan Yuan 1, Sambit Samanta 2, John Balmes 3, Arabinda Sil 2, Nilima Ghosh 2, Meera Hira-Smith 1, Reina Haque 4, Radhika Purushothamam 1, Sarbari Lahiri 2, Subhankar Das 2, and Allan H. Smith 1*

1 Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
2 Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India
3 Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA; Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA
4 Department of Research and Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Allan H. Smith, E-mail: ahsmith{at}berkeley.edu


   Abstract

During 1998-2000, the authors investigated relations between lung function, respiratory symptoms, and arsenic in drinking water among 287 study participants, including 132 with arsenic-caused skin lesions, in West Bengal, India. The source population involved 7,683 participants who had been surveyed for arsenic-related skin lesions in 1995-1996. Respiratory symptoms were increased among men with arsenic-caused skin lesions (versus those without lesions), particularly "shortness of breath at night" (odds ratio (OR) = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 7.6) and "morning cough" (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.6) in smokers and "shortness of breath ever" (OR = 3.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 20.6) in nonsmokers. Among men with skin lesions, the average adjusted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was reduced by 256.2 ml (95% CI: 113.9, 398.4; p < 0.001) and the average adjusted forced vital capacity (FVC) was reduced by 287.8 ml (95% CI: 134.9, 440.8; p < 0.001). In men, a 100-µg/liter increase in arsenic level was associated with a 45.0-ml decrease (95% CI: 6.2, 83.9) in FEV1 (p = 0.02) and a 41.4-ml decrease (95% CI: -0.7, 83.5) in FVC (p = 0.054). Women had lower risks than men of developing skin lesions and showed little evidence of respiratory effects. In this study, consumption of arsenic-contaminated water was associated with respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function in men, especially among those with arsenic-related skin lesions.

Keywords: arsenic; India; respiratory function tests; signs and symptoms, respiratory; water; water pollutants.
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