Medical geochemistry research in Spišsko-Gemerské rudohorie Mts., Slovakia

Abstract

This study presents an assessment of the potential impact of geological contamination of the environment on the health of the population in Spissko-Gemerské rudohorie Mts. (SGR Mts.). The concentration levels of potentially toxic elements (mainly As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sb, and Zn) were determined in soils, groundwater, surface water, and stream sediments as well as in the food chain (locally grown vegetables). A medical study included some 30 health indicators for all 98 municipalities of the study area. The As and Sb contents in human fluids and tissues were analyzed in one municipality identified to be at the highest risk. Based on element content, environmental and health risks were calculated for respective municipalities. Out of 98 municipalities 14 were characterized with extremely high environmental risk and 10 were characterized with very high carcinogenic risk from arsenic (groundwater). Extensive statistical analysis of geochemical data (element contents in soils, groundwater, surface water, and stream sediments) and health indicators was performed. Significant correlations between element contents in the geological environment and health indicators, mainly cancer and cardiovascular diseases, were identified. Biological monitoring has confirmed the transfer of elements from the geological environment to human fluids and tissues as well as to the local food chain.

Association Between Exposure to Low to Moderate Arsenic Levels and Incident Cardiovascular Disease

“…Further adjustment for hypertension, diabetes, eGFR, and especially albuminuria (Tables 2 and 3, models 3 and 4) attenuated the associations. Based on Model 2, the incidence rates (95% CI) per 10,000 person-years for increasing arsenic quartiles were 49 (38, 61), 56 (44, 68), 62 (50, 75) and 82 (66, 97) for cardiovascular disease mortality and 189 (164, 214), 214 (189, 239), 198 (174, 223), and 238 (219, 279) for cardiovascular disease incidence. The dose-response relationships of arsenic concentrations with cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease incidence and mortality were statistically significant (Tables 2 and 3), with no significant departures from linearity (Figure 1).…”

Arsenic Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease:An Updated Systematic Review

“…Twelve studies were conducted in high arsenic exposure areas of Taiwan (5), Bangladesh (3), Chile (1), Inner Mongolia (2) and Pakistan (1), and six studies were conducted in low to moderate arsenic exposure areas in the U.S. (3), Japan (1), Slovakia (1), and Spain (1). Of 12 cohort studies, six used internal comparisons [27, 28••, 29•, 30, 31•, 33] and six used external comparisons [32•, 34, 37, 42–44]. Of the cohort studies with internal comparisons, four were prospective [27, 28••, 29•, 33] and two were retrospective [30, 31•].…”

“…For CHD, stroke, and PAD, we also evaluated dose-response trends for each study with three or more exposure categories. Two studies, one found in this updated review [42] and one in the original review [49], could not be included in the pooled analyses, because they did not report enough data to calculate confidence intervals. For studies that presented results for both urine and water arsenic, we used urine arsenic for the pooled analysis and dose-response analysis [8, 25, 28••].…”

Mechanisms of action for arsenic in cardiovascular toxicity and implications for risk assessment

“…Part of the difficulty in evaluating relationships to CVD at low exposure levels has been methodological; for instance, in the United States, the heterogeneity of water sources and limited ranges of exposure make it challenging to derive long-term epidemiological conclusions (Moon et al, 2012;Tsuji et al, 2014a). Nonetheless, while some studies of low to moderate iAs exposure are suggestive of a statistically significant relationship between low arsenic exposure and CVD risk (Gong et al, 2012;Lisabeth et al, 2010;Medrano et al, 2010;Rapant et al, 2009;Meliker et al, 2007), conflicting evidence exists (Lewis et al, 1999;Ruiz-Navarro et al, 1998;Zierold et al, 2004). A recent meta-analysis of 31 studies suggests that the evidence does not support a significant relationship between exposure to 50 mg iAs/L water and CVD outcomes (Moon et al, 2012).…”