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INCREASED MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH WELL-WATER EXPOSURE IN INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA
Citation:
WADE, T. J., Y. XIA, K. WU, Y. LI, Z. NING, C. LE, X. HE, B. CHEN, AND J. S. MUMFORD. INCREASED MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH WELL-WATER EXPOSURE IN INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland, 6(3):1107-1123, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
This is the first study to observe increased mortality resulting from chronic arsenic well water exposure in the affected region of Bayingnormen Inner Mongolia, China.
Description:
We conducted a retrospective mortality and morbidity study in the Inner Mongolia region of China to evaluate health effects associated with arsenic exposure. The village we studied has been affected by arsenic contaminated well water since the 1980s. A complete census of the village was conducted and all deaths that occurred between January 1, 1997 and December 1, 2004 were identified. Underlying cause of death was classified by a group of medical experts using the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Water samples were collected at each household’s primary water source, usually a hand pump well, and tested for total arsenic using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We interviewed a total of 3,277 households, and collected information about 12,894 individuals. Residents contributed a total of 78,187 person-years of observation time and 581 deaths were reported. Heart disease was the most frequent cause of death, followed by cerebrovascular disease, malignant neoplasms, and accidents. Among living residents, well water arsenic was associated with skin lesions at exposures as low as 10-50 µg/L. These skin lesions were also associated with self-reported cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Well water arsenic was associated with an increased all-cause mortality rate, heart disease mortality rate and all-cancer mortality rate among those exposed to the same water source 10-20 years. Among those exposed before 1990, there was a 23% increase in heart disease mortality for each 50 μg/L increase in arsenic exposure. Among those exposed before 1985, there was a 22% increase in cancer mortality for every 50 μg/L increase in arsenic exposure. This is the first study to observe increased mortality resulting from chronic arsenic well water exposure in the affected region of Bayingnormen Inner Mongolia, China.
