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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1 Arsenic Health Effects Research Program, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. 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.
Received January 10, 2005
Accepted April 19, 2005
Article
Decrements in Lung Function Related to Arsenic in Drinking Water in West Bengal, India
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
Allan H. Smith, E-mail: ahsmith{at}berkeley.edu
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