Evaluation of Toxic Risk Assessment of Arsenic in Male Subjects Through Drinking Water in Southern Sindh Pakistan

Abstract

The arsenic (As) hazardous quotient was estimated based on concentration of As in drinking water and scalp hair of male subjects of two age groups (n=360) consuming As contaminated water at different levels and non-contaminated drinking water. The total As concentrations in drinking water of less-exposed (LE) and high-exposed (HE) areas was found to be 3- to 30-fold higher than the permissible limit of the World Health Organization (2004) for drinking water, while the levels of As in drinking water of non-exposed (NE) areas was within the permissible limit. The levels of As in scalp hair samples of male subjects of two age groups belonging to NE, LE, and HE areas ranged from 0.01 to 0.27, 0.11-1.31, and 0.36-6.80 μg/g, respectively. A significant correlation between As contents of drinking water and As concentration in scalp hair was observed in sub-district Gambit (r=0.825-0.852, p<0.001) as compared to those subjects belonging to LE sub-district Thari Mirwah. A toxicity risk assessment provides a hazard quotient corresponding to <10 that indicates non-carcinogenic exposure risk of understudy areas.

Correlation Between Arsenic Concentration in Fish and Human Scalp Hair of People Living in Arsenic-Contaminated and Noncontaminated Areas of Pakistan

“…The understudied exposed subjects are mainly consuming fish in their diet (at least once a day) because they cannot use diversity of food items due to poverty. The contamination of water by As is probably more harmful to humans than As in food, because As bioavailability in water is generally higher than its bioavailability in food [24]. The concentration of arsenic in tissues of fish species (n=100) collected from the lake were found in the range of 2.11 to 14.1 μg/g, where As contents in tissues of fish species in the Indus river were observed in the range of 1.92-12.2 μg/g [7].…”

Homicidal arsenic poisoning

“…28 The victim had spent time in Pakistan where concentrations of inorganic arsenic in water from bore wells are elevated compared to the UK. 29,30 For example, in a report of 330 Pakistani subjects, the median urine concentration was 1.6 mmol/L in exposed individuals but these ranged up to 28.9 mmol/L (2166 mg/L). 31 In another study, urine concentrations as high as 24.6 mmol/L were found.…”

An Apportionment of Arsenic and Iron Contamination of Tube-well Groundwater with Possible Health Risk in Bangladesh

“…[4]. Among these groundwater contaminations, iron and arsenic are the most harmful which are present trace in amount, but have significant effects on drinking water and causes harmful impacts on human health in developing countries of South East Asia [5]. In developing countries, about 80% of the diseases are related to contaminated water and the resulting death 10 million per year [6].…”

“…About more than 20 million people drink water exceeding the national standard for arsenic levels [10]. Different studies have reported that inorganic arsenic has the risk of liver cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer and kidney cancer [3,5,8]. Arsenic has a non-carcinogenic effect due to its contamination in groundwater includes stomach pain, thickening, and discoloration of the skin, diarrhea, nausea, partial paralysis, vomiting numbness in hands and feet, blindness etc.…”