In utero and early childhood exposure to arsenic decreases lung function in children

Rogelio Recio-Vega, Tania Gonzalez-Cortes, Edgar Olivas-Calderon, R. Clark Lantz, A. Jay Gandolfi, Cesar Gonzalez De Alba

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

57 Scopus citations

Abstract

The lung is a target organ for adverse health outcomes following exposure to As. Several studies have reported a high prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases in subjects highly exposed to As through drinking water; however, most studies to date has been performed in exposed adults, with little information on respiratory effects in children. The objective of the study was to evaluate the association between urinary levels of As and its metabolites with lung function in children exposed in utero and in early childhood to high As levels through drinking water. A total of 358 healthy children were included in our study. Individual exposure was assessed based on urinary concentration of inorganic As. Lung function was assessed by spirometry. Participants were exposed since pregnancy until early childhood to an average water As concentration of 152.13μgl-1. The mean urinary As level registered in the studied subjects was 141.2μgl-1 and only 16.7% had a urinary concentration below the national concern level. Forced vital capacity was significantly decreased in the studied population and it was negatively associated with the percentage of inorganic As. More than 57% of the subjects had a restrictive spirometric pattern. The urinary As level was higher in those children with restrictive lung patterns when compared with the levels registered in subjects with normal spirometric patterns. Exposure to As through drinking water during in utero and early life was associated with a decrease in forced vital capacity and with a restrictive spirometric pattern in the children evaluated.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)358-366
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Applied Toxicology
Volume35
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2015

Keywords

  • Arsenic
  • Children
  • Lung function
  • Spirometry
  • in utero exposure

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'In utero and early childhood exposure to arsenic decreases lung function in children'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this