Hydrochemical controls on arsenic contamination and its health risks in the Comarca Lagunera region (Mexico): Implications of the scientific evidence for public health policy

Mahlknecht, Jürgen; Aguilar-Barajas, Ismael; Farías, Paulina; Knappett, Peter S.K.; Torres-Martínez, Juan Antonio; Hoogesteger, Jaime; Lara, René H.; Ramírez-Ambrosio, Ricardo A.; Mora, Abrahan

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159347

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…The presence of As in groundwater and aquifer overexploitation impacts not only the population's health but also compromises the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of La Comarca Lagunera province 20 . People in CERHA municipalities are more vulnerable and have a poor living standard of life because the basic health services and sanitation are compromised.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, determining the As species present both urine and water enables a more accurate risk assessment and comprehensive understanding of the potential health effects associated with As exposure, surpassing the limitations of solely measuring total As levels 19 , 55 .Population living in CERHA municipalities are vulnerable not only to metabolic diseases (O&O, T2D, and AHT), such as our study evidenced, but also the association of As metabolism with cancer has been reported in La Comarca Lagunera. Mahlknecht et al (2023) 20 estimated that the lifetime risk of developing cancer for the population drinking water with As in CERHA municipalities ranged from 0.5 to 61 cases in 10,000 children and 0.2 to 33 cases in 10,000 adults 19 . The authors also reported that the probability of exceeding the acceptable incremental lifetime cancer risk level was 96% for children and 83% for adults.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In regards to basic housing services, the majority of people have access to water (between 84.3 and 91.1%), sewage drainage (between 86.5 and 98.0%), and electricity (99.8%). However, ensuring access to water remains a significant challenge for many municipalities in the region 20 . Based on multidimensional poverty measures, the majority of people experience either moderate poverty (between 33.2 and 45.6%) or are vulnerable due to a lack of basic services (between 31.7 and 45.6%).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nine municipalities within the Coahuila and Durango states, with a population of close to 1.75 million people 2 , have been affected by arsenic in groundwater for seven decades. Typical As concentrations in groundwater in La Comarca Lagunera province range from 0.7 to > 800 µg L −1 [e.g., 16 – 20 ]. Adverse health effects related to As exposure have been documented since the 1960s.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension with arsenic in drinking water in the Comarca Lagunera province (north-central Mexico)

Sánchez-Rodríguez¹,

Castillo-Maldonado²,

Pedroza-Escobar³

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Chronic endemic regional hydroarsenicism (CERHA) is a global issue that affects over 200 million people exposed to arsenic (As) in drinking water. This includes 1.75 million individuals residing in La Comarca Lagunera, a region in north-central Mexico. Arsenic levels in this region typically exceeds the WHO guideline of 10 µg L−1. Biochemical alterations related to the human As metabolism may increase the risk of overweight and obesity (O&O), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and hypertension (AHT). In our study, we investigated the role of As in drinking water as a risk factor for these metabolic diseases. We focused on populations with historically moderate (San Pedro) and low (Lerdo) drinking water As levels and people with no historical evidence of As water contamination. The exposure assessment to As was based on measurements of the drinking water (medians 67.2, 21.0, 4.3 µg L−1) and urinary As concentrations in women (9.4, 5.3, 0.8 µg L−1) and men (18.1, 4.8, 1.0 µg L−1). A significant correlation between As in drinking water and urine evidenced the As exposure in the population (R2 = 0.72). Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals evidenced higher chances of being diagnosed with T2D (1.7, 1.2–2.0) and AHT (1.8, 1.7–1.9) in individuals living in San Pedro than those in Lerdo. Still, there was no significant association with obesity. Individuals living in CERHA towns were found to have a higher risk of obesity (1.3–1.9), T2D (1.5 to 3.3), and AHT (1.4 to 2.4) compared to those residing in non-CERHA towns. Finally, obesity is more probable in women [inverse of OR and 95%CI 0.4 (0.2–0.7)] compared to men, while men is more likely to be diagnosed with T2D [OR = 2.0 (1.4–2.3)] and AHT [OR = 2.0 (1.5–2.3)] than women, independently of the municipality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Association of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension with arsenic in drinking water in the Comarca Lagunera province (north-central Mexico)

Sánchez-Rodríguez¹,

Castillo-Maldonado²,

Pedroza-Escobar³

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Several recent studies indicated contrasting environmental behaviour and mobility of Sb and As (Hao et al, 2021; Johnston et al, 2020; Zhang, O'Loughlin, & Kwon, 2022), which complicates the remediation of soils polluted with both Sb and As. Because millions of people live near both abandoned and active mining areas worldwide, and they are exposed to various contaminated environmental media, such as Sb/As polluted soil and water, assessment of potential soil management and remediation methods are of outmost importance to protect the environment and human health (Fei et al, 2017; Mahlknecht et al, 2023; Zhao et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of a contaminated mine soil: Effect of soil water content on antimony and arsenic immobilisation by iron‐based amendments and biochar composites

Zarzsevszkij,

Vítková,

Zelená Pospíšková

et al. 2023

Soil Use and Management

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Alteration of wet and dry periods affects soil geochemical properties that drive contaminant availability and mobility. Consequently, the efficiency of soil remediation may vary, and thus soil management needs to consider these variations. This study reveals the effect of soil moisture manipulation on the behaviour of the toxic metalloids antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) and the immobilisation efficiency of nanoscale zero‐valent iron (nZVI), biochar (BC) and BC modified by iron or iron/ferrous sulphide (nZVI‐BC and Fe/FeS‐BC). Soil samples from an abandoned Sb mining site were tested under laboratory conditions. Two distinct (organic and mineral) soil layers were incubated with each of the amendments (2% w/w application rate) at 50% and 100% water holding capacity (WHC) of the soils for 10 weeks, and subsequently extracted with demineralised water and rainwater. The immobilisation efficiency of the tested amendments was significantly influenced by the different soil moisture regimes and type of contaminant. Sorption onto secondary Fe minerals was the dominant Sb/As immobilizing mechanism. The iron‐based amendments showed up to 97% efficiency for Sb and up to 96% for As. However, Sb/As release was generally higher at 100% WHC and in the rainwater extracts compared to the other conditions, indicating that heavy rainfall and flooding of soils in‐situ may increase contaminant availability and mobility. In the organic layer, enhanced formation and leaching of metalloid‐DOC complexes and sorption competition of the negatively charged Sb/As species and DOC can be expected. Also, reductive dissolution of Sb or As‐bearing metal oxides could lead to the observed higher Sb/As release under flooded conditions, resulting in exacerbated environmental and health risks. Therefore, it is crucial to (1) improve the sorption characteristics of the tested amendments and/or develop other effective amendments for Sb/As immobilisation in different water regimes in soil; (2) test the amendments under real field conditions to evaluate the long term wet/dry exposure; and (3) develop proper risk assessment and soil remediation strategy for the study area and similar sites.

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Evaluation of groundwater quality and health risk assessment in southeastern Tibet, China

Wang,

Liu,

et al. 2023

Environ Earth Sci

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Hydrochemical controls on arsenic contamination and its health risks in the Comarca Lagunera region (Mexico): Implications of the scientific evidence for public health policy

Cited by 15 publications

References 53 publications

Association of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension with arsenic in drinking water in the Comarca Lagunera province (north-central Mexico)

Association of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension with arsenic in drinking water in the Comarca Lagunera province (north-central Mexico)

Management of a contaminated mine soil: Effect of soil water content on antimony and arsenic immobilisation by iron‐based amendments and biochar composites

Evaluation of groundwater quality and health risk assessment in southeastern Tibet, China

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