WorldWideScience

Sample records for inorganic arsenic based

  1. Total and inorganic arsenic in dietary supplements based on herbs, other botanicals and algae—a possible contributor to inorganic arsenic exposure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg; Rokkjær, Inge; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    2013-01-01

    The content of total and inorganic arsenic was determined in 16 dietary supplements based on herbs, other botanicals and algae purchased on the Danish market. The dietary supplements originated from various regions, including Asia, Europe and USA. The contents of total and inorganic arsenic...... was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS, respectively, were in the range of 0.58 to 5.0 mgkg−1 and 0.03 to 3.2 mg kg−1, respectively, with a ratio between inorganic arsenic and total arsenic ranging between 5 and 100 %. Consumption of the recommended...... dose of the individual dietary supplement would lead to an exposure to inorganic arsenic within the range of 0.07 to 13 μg day−1. Such exposure from dietary supplements would in worst case constitute 62.4 % of the range of benchmark dose lower confidence limit values (BMDL01 at 0.3 to 8 μg kg bw−1 kg−1...

  2. Biological monitoring of arsenic exposure of gallium arsenide- and inorganic arsenic-exposed workers by determination of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites in urine and hair

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamauchi, H.; Takahashi, K.; Mashiko, M.; Yamamura, Y. (St. Marianna Univ. School of Medicine, Kawasaki (Japan))

    1989-11-01

    In an attempt to establish a method for biological monitoring of inorganic arsenic exposure, the chemical species of arsenic were measured in the urine and hair of gallium arsenide (GaAs) plant and copper smelter workers. Determination of urinary inorganic arsenic concentration proved sensitive enough to monitor the low-level inorganic arsenic exposure of the GaAs plant workers. The urinary inorganic arsenic concentration in the copper smelter workers was far higher than that of a control group and was associated with high urinary concentrations of the inorganic arsenic metabolites, methylarsonic acid (MAA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). The results established a method for exposure level-dependent biological monitoring of inorganic arsenic exposure. Low-level exposures could be monitored only by determining urinary inorganic arsenic concentration. High-level exposures clearly produced an increased urinary inorganic arsenic concentration, with an increased sum of urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites (inorganic arsenic + MAA + DMAA). The determination of urinary arsenobetaine proved to determine specifically the seafood-derived arsenic, allowing this arsenic to be distinguished clearly from the arsenic from occupational exposure. Monitoring arsenic exposure by determining the arsenic in the hair appeared to be of value only when used for environmental monitoring of arsenic contamination rather than for biological monitoring.

  3. Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase and the inorganic arsenic methylation phenotype

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Jiaxin; Waters, Stephen B.; Drobna, Zuzana; Devesa, Vicenta; Styblo, Miroslav; Thomas, David J.

    2005-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic is enzymatically methylated; hence, its ingestion results in exposure to the parent compound and various methylated arsenicals. Both experimental and epidemiological evidences suggest that some of the adverse health effects associated with chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic may be mediated by these methylated metabolites. If i As methylation is an activation process, then the phenotype for inorganic arsenic methylation may determine risk associated with exposure to this metalloid. We examined inorganic arsenic methylation phenotypes and arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase genotypes in four species: three that methylate inorganic arsenic (human (Homo sapiens), rat (Rattus norwegicus), and mouse (Mus musculus)) and one that does not methylate inorganic arsenic (chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes). The predicted protein products from arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase are similar in size for rat (369 amino acid residues), mouse (376 residues), and human (375 residues). By comparison, a 275-nucleotide deletion beginning at nucleotide 612 in the chimpanzee gene sequence causes a frameshift that leads to a nonsense mutation for a premature stop codon after amino acid 205. The null phenotype for inorganic arsenic methylation in the chimpanzee is likely due to the deletion in the gene for arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase that yields an inactive truncated protein. This lineage-specific loss of function caused by the deletion event must have occurred in the Pan lineage after Homo-Pan divergence about 5 million years ago

  4. Inorganic arsenic levels in baby rice are of concern

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meharg, Andrew A.; Sun, Guoxin; Williams, Paul N.; Adomako, Eureka; Deacon, Claire; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Feldmann, Joerg; Raab, Andrea

    2008-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic is a chronic exposure carcinogen. Analysis of UK baby rice revealed a median inorganic arsenic content (n = 17) of 0.11 mg/kg. By plotting inorganic arsenic against total arsenic, it was found that inorganic concentrations increased linearly up to 0.25 mg/kg total arsenic, then plateaued at 0.16 mg/kg at higher total arsenic concentrations. Inorganic arsenic intake by babies (4-12 months) was considered with respect to current dietary ingestion regulations. It was found that 35% of the baby rice samples analysed would be illegal for sale in China which has regulatory limit of 0.15 mg/kg inorganic arsenic. EU and US food regulations on arsenic are non-existent. When baby inorganic arsenic intake from rice was considered, median consumption (expressed as μg/kg/d) was higher than drinking water maximum exposures predicted for adults in these regions when water intake was expressed on a bodyweight basis. - Median consumption of organic arsenic levels for UK babies from baby rice is above threshold considered safe

  5. Arsenic speciation in Chinese Herbal Medicines and human health implication for inorganic arsenic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Xiaojuan; Zhao Quanli; Sun Guoxin; Williams, Paul; Lu Xiujun; Cai Jingzhu; Liu Wenju

    2013-01-01

    Rice and drinking water are recognized as the dominant sources of arsenic (As) for human intake, while little is known about As accumulation and speciation in Chinese Herbal Medicines (CHMs), which have been available for many hundreds of years for the treatment of diseases in both eastern and western cultures. Inorganic arsenic was the predominant species in all of CHMs samples. The levels of inorganic arsenic in CHMs from fields and markets or pharmacies ranged from 63 to 550 ng/g with a mean of 208 ng/g and 94 to 8683 ng/g with a mean of 1092 ng/g, respectively. The highest concentration was found in the Chrysanthemum from pharmacies. It indicates that the risk of inorganic As in CHMs to human health is higher in medicines from markets or pharmacies than that collected directly from fields. Some CHMs may make a considerable contribution to the human intake of inorganic arsenic. - Highlights: ► Arsenic speciation was extracted using 1% HNO 3 in microwave. ► Inorganic arsenic was the predominant species in all of CHMs samples. ► The highest concentration of inorganic arsenic was found in the Chrysanthemum. - Inorganic arsenic was the predominant species in all of CHMs samples.

  6. A novel speciation alternative for the determination of inorganic arsenic in marine samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg; Herbst, M. Birgitte Koch

    Arsenic (As) is bioaccumulated from seawater to concentrations in the mg/kg range in marine animals. More than 50 naturally-occurring arsenic containing species, both inorganic and organic forms, have been identified in marine animals. The organic forms are mainly considered to be non......-toxic, whereas inorganic arsenic is highly toxic and exposure may lead to severe adverse effects including cancer. Since seafood is the major dietary source for arsenic exposure in the European population, arsenic speciation analysis of marine samples is highly relevant for food safety. However, most data...... of inorganic arsenic in marine based food is based on microwave extraction, species separation by strong anion solid phase extraction (SPE) and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) detection. Separation organic arsenic compounds (e.g. MA, DMA and AB) and inorganic arsenic in the form...

  7. Research toward the development of a biologically based dose response assessment for inorganic arsenic carcinogenicity: A progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clewell, Harvey J.; Thomas, Russell S.; Gentry, P. Robinan; Crump, Kenny S.; Kenyon, Elaina M.; El-Masri, Hisham A.; Yager, Janice W.

    2007-01-01

    Cancer risk assessments for inorganic arsenic have been based on human epidemiological data, assuming a linear dose response below the range of observation of tumors. Part of the reason for the continued use of the linear approach in arsenic risk assessments is the lack of an adequate biologically based dose response (BBDR) model that could provide a quantitative basis for an alternative nonlinear approach. This paper describes elements of an ongoing collaborative research effort between the CIIT Centers for Health Research, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENVIRON International, and EPRI to develop BBDR modeling approaches that could be used to inform a nonlinear cancer dose response assessment for inorganic arsenic. These efforts are focused on: (1) the refinement of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models of the kinetics of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites in the mouse and human; (2) the investigation of mathematical solutions for multi-stage cancer models involving multiple pathways of cell transformation; (3) the review and evaluation of the literature on the dose response for the genomic effects of arsenic; and (4) the collection of data on the dose response for genomic changes in the urinary bladder (a human target tissue for arsenic carcinogenesis) associated with in vivo drinking water exposures in the mouse as well as in vitro exposures of both mouse and human cells. An approach is proposed for conducting a biologically based margin of exposure risk assessment for inorganic arsenic using the in vitro dose response for the expression of genes associated with the obligatory precursor events for arsenic tumorigenesis

  8. Heavy metal, total arsenic, and inorganic arsenic contents of algae food products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almela, C; Algora, S; Benito, V; Clemente, M J; Devesa, V; Súñer, M A; Vélez, D; Montoro, R

    2002-02-13

    The total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury contents of 18 algae food products currently on sale in Spain were determined. The suitability of the analytical methodologies for this type of matrix was confirmed by evaluating their analytical characteristics. The concentration ranges found for each contaminant, expressed in milligrams per kilogram of dry weight, were as follows: total arsenic, 2.3-141; inorganic arsenic, 0.15-88; lead, mercury, 0.004-0.04. There is currently no legislation in Spain regarding contaminants in algae food products, but some of the samples analyzed revealed Cd and inorganic As levels higher than those permitted by legislation in other countries. Given the high concentrations of inorganic As found in Hizikia fusiforme, a daily consumption of 1.7 g of the product would reach the Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake recommended by the WHO for an average body weight of 68 kg. A more comprehensive study of the contents and toxicological implications of the inorganic As present in the algae food products currently sold in Spain may be necessary, which might then be the basis for the introduction of specific sales restrictions.

  9. New diffusive gradients in a thin film technique for measuring inorganic arsenic and selenium(IV) using a titanium dioxide based adsorbent

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bennett, William W.; Teasdale, Peter R.; Panther, Jared G.

    2010-01-01

    A new diffusive gradients in a thin film (DGT) technique, using a titanium dioxide based adsorbent (Metsorb), has been developed and evaluated for the determination of dissolved inorganic arsenic and selenium. AsIII, AsV, and SeIV were found to be quantitatively accumulated by the adsorbent (uptake...... measurement of inorganic arsenic. Reproducibility of the technique in field deployments was good (relative standard deviation arsenic and 0.05 μg L-1 for SeIV. The results of this study confirmed that DGT with Metsorb was a reliable...... and robust method for the measurement of inorganic arsenic and the selective measurement of SeIV within useful limits of accuracy....

  10. Electrochemical determination of inorganic mercury and arsenic--A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaib, Maria; Athar, Muhammad Makshoof; Saeed, Asma; Farooq, Umar

    2015-12-15

    Inorganic mercury and arsenic encompasses a term which includes As(III), As(V) and Hg(II) species. These metal ions have been extensively studied due to their toxicity related issues. Different analytical methods are used to monitor inorganic mercury and arsenic in a variety of samples at trace level. The present study reviews various analytical techniques available for detection of inorganic mercury and arsenic with particular emphasis on electrochemical methods especially stripping voltammetry. A detailed critical evaluation of methods, advantages of electrochemical methods over other analytical methods, and various electrode materials available for mercury and arsenic analysis is presented in this review study. Modified carbon paste electrode provides better determination due to better deposition with linear and improved response under studied set of conditions. Biological materials may be the potent and economical alternative as compared to macro-electrodes and chemically modified carbon paste electrodes in stripping analysis of inorganic mercury and arsenic. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Total and inorganic arsenic in fish samples from Norwegian waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Julshamn, Kaare; Nilsen, Bente M; Frantzen, Sylvia; Valdersnes, Stig; Maage, Amund; Nedreaas, Kjell; Sloth, Jens J

    2012-01-01

    The contents of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic were determined in fillet samples of Northeast Artic cod, herring, mackerel, Greenland halibut, tusk, saithe and Atlantic halibut. In total, 923 individual fish samples were analysed. The fish were mostly caught in the open sea off the coast of Norway, from 40 positions. The determination of total arsenic was carried out by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry following microwave-assisted wet digestion. The determination of inorganic arsenic was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography-ICP-MS following microwave-assisted dissolution of the samples. The concentrations found for total arsenic varied greatly between fish species, and ranged from 0.3 to 110 mg kg(-1) wet weight. For inorganic arsenic, the concentrations found were very low (fish used in the recent EFSA opinion on arsenic in food.

  12. Total arsenic in selected food samples from Argentina: Estimation of their contribution to inorganic arsenic dietary intake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigrist, Mirna; Hilbe, Nandi; Brusa, Lucila; Campagnoli, Darío; Beldoménico, Horacio

    2016-11-01

    An optimized flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (FI-HGAAS) method was used to determine total arsenic in selected food samples (beef, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, egg, rice, rice-based products, wheat flour, corn flour, oats, breakfast cereals, legumes and potatoes) and to estimate their contributions to inorganic arsenic dietary intake. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values obtained were 6μgkg(-)(1) and 18μgkg(-)(1), respectively. The mean recovery range obtained for all food at a fortification level of 200μgkg(-)(1) was 85-110%. Accuracy was evaluated using dogfish liver certified reference material (DOLT-3 NRC) for trace metals. The highest total arsenic concentrations (in μgkg(-)(1)) were found in fish (152-439), rice (87-316) and rice-based products (52-201). The contribution to inorganic arsenic (i-As) intake was calculated from the mean i-As content of each food (calculated by applying conversion factors to total arsenic data) and the mean consumption per day. The primary contributors to inorganic arsenic intake were wheat flour, including its proportion in wheat flour-based products (breads, pasta and cookies), followed by rice; both foods account for close to 53% and 17% of the intake, respectively. The i-As dietary intake, estimated as 10.7μgday(-)(1), was significantly lower than that from drinking water in vast regions of Argentina. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Total and inorganic arsenic in fish, seafood and seaweeds--exposure assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mania, Monika; Rebeniak, Małgorzata; Szynal, Tomasz; Wojciechowska-Mazurek, Maria; Starska, Krystyna; Ledzion, Ewa; Postupolski, Jacek

    2015-01-01

    According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), fish, seafood and seaweeds are foodstuffs that significantly contribute to dietary arsenic intake. With the exception of some algal species, the dominant compounds of arsenic in such food products are the less toxic organic forms. Both the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and EFSA recommend that speciation studies be performed to determine the different chemical forms in which arsenic is present in food due to the differences in their toxicity. Knowing such compositions can thus enable a complete exposure assessment to be made. Determination of total and inorganic arsenic contents in fish, their products, seafood and seaweeds present on the Polish market. This was then followed by an exposure assessment of consumers to inorganic arsenic in these foodstuffs. Total and inorganic arsenic was determined in 55 samples of fish, their products, seafood as well as seaweeds available on the market. The analytical method was hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS), after dry ashing of samples and reduction of arsenic to arsenic hydride using sodium borohydride. In order to isolate only the inorganic forms of arsenic prior to mineralisation, samples were subjected to concentrated HCl hydrolysis, followed by reduction with hydrobromic acid and hydrazine sulphate after which triple chloroform extractions and triple 1M HCl re-extractions were performed. Exposure of adults was estimated in relation to the Benchmark Dose Lower Confidence Limit (BMDL0.5) as set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) that resulted in a 0.5% increase in lung cancer (3.0 μg/kg body weight (b.w.) per day). Mean total arsenic content from all investigated fish samples was 0.46 mg/kg (90th percentile 0.94 mg/kg), whilst the inorganic arsenic content never exceeded the detection limit of the analytical method used (0.025 mg/kg). In fish products, mean total arsenic concentration was

  14. Total and inorganic arsenic in fish samples from Norwegian waters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Julshamn, K.; Nilsen, B. M.; Frantzen, S.

    2012-01-01

    The contents of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic were determined in fillet samples of Northeast Arctic cod, herring, mackerel, Greenland halibut, tusk, saithe and Atlantic halibut. In total, 923 individual fish samples were analysed. The fish were mostly caught in the open sea off the coast......-assisted dissolution of the samples. The concentrations found for total arsenic varied greatly between fish species, and ranged from 0.3 to 110 mg kg–1 wet weight. For inorganic arsenic, the concentrations found were very low (...

  15. Roxarsone, inorganic arsenic, and other arsenic species in chicken: a U.S.-based market basket sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nachman, Keeve E; Baron, Patrick A; Raber, Georg; Francesconi, Kevin A; Navas-Acien, Ana; Love, David C

    2013-07-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) causes cancer and possibly other adverse health outcomes. Arsenic-based drugs are permitted in poultry production; however, the contribution of chicken consumption to iAs intake is unknown. We sought to characterize the arsenic species profile in chicken meat and estimate bladder and lung cancer risk associated with consuming chicken produced with arsenic-based drugs. Conventional, antibiotic-free, and organic chicken samples were collected from grocery stores in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas from December 2010 through June 2011. We tested 116 raw and 142 cooked chicken samples for total arsenic, and we determined arsenic species in 65 raw and 78 cooked samples that contained total arsenic at ≥ 10 µg/kg dry weight. The geometric mean (GM) of total arsenic in cooked chicken meat samples was 3.0 µg/kg (95% CI: 2.5, 3.6). Among the 78 cooked samples that were speciated, iAs concentrations were higher in conventional samples (GM = 1.8 µg/kg; 95% CI: 1.4, 2.3) than in antibiotic-free (GM = 0.7 µg/kg; 95% CI: 0.5, 1.0) or organic (GM = 0.6 µg/kg; 95% CI: 0.5, 0.8) samples. Roxarsone was detected in 20 of 40 conventional samples, 1 of 13 antibiotic-free samples, and none of the 25 organic samples. iAs concentrations in roxarsone-positive samples (GM = 2.3 µg/kg; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.1) were significantly higher than those in roxarsone-negative samples (GM = 0.8 µg/kg; 95% CI: 0.7, 1.0). Cooking increased iAs and decreased roxarsone concentrations. We estimated that consumers of conventional chicken would ingest an additional 0.11 µg/day iAs (in an 82-g serving) compared with consumers of organic chicken. Assuming lifetime exposure and a proposed cancer slope factor of 25.7 per milligram per kilogram of body weight per day, this increase in arsenic exposure could result in 3.7 additional lifetime bladder and lung cancer cases per 100,000 exposed persons. Conventional chicken meat had higher iAs concentrations than did conventional antibiotic

  16. Use of arsenic-73 in research supports USEPA's regulatory decisions on inorganic arsenic in drinking water*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inorganic arsenic is a natural contaminant of drinking water in the United States and throughout the world. Long term exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water at elevated levels (>100 ug/L) is associated with development of cancer in several organs, cardiovascular disease,...

  17. Individual Variations in Inorganic Arsenic Metabolism Associated with AS3MT Genetic Polymorphisms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haruo Takeshita

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Individual variations in inorganic arsenic metabolism may influence the toxic effects. Arsenic (+3 oxidation state methyltransferase (AS3MT that can catalyze the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet to trivalent arsenical, may play a role in arsenic metabolism in humans. Since the genetic polymorphisms of AS3MT gene may be associated with the susceptibility to inorganic arsenic toxicity, relationships of several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in AS3MT with inorganic arsenic metabolism have been investigated. Here, we summarize our recent findings and other previous studies on the inorganic arsenic metabolism and AS3MT genetic polymorphisms in humans. Results of genotype dependent differences in arsenic metabolism for most of SNPs in AS3MT were Inconsistent throughout the studies. Nevertheless, two SNPs, AS3MT 12390 (rs3740393 and 14458 (rs11191439 were consistently related to arsenic methylation regardless of the populations examined for the analysis. Thus, these SNPs may be useful indicators to predict the arsenic metabolism via methylation pathways.

  18. Survey of total and inorganic arsenic content in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis L.) from Norwegian fiords: Revelation of unusual high levels of inorganic arsenic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jens Jørgen; Julshamn, Kåre

    2008-01-01

    arsenic. Total arsenic was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) following microwave-assisted acidic digestion of the samples. Inorganic arsenic was determined using an anion-exchange HPLC-ICPMS method following microwave-assisted alkaline solubilization of the samples...

  19. Biomarkers of Exposure: A Case Study with Inorganic Arsenic

    OpenAIRE

    Hughes, Michael F.

    2006-01-01

    The environmental contaminant inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a human toxicant and carcinogen. Most mammals metabolize iAs by reducing it to trivalency, followed by oxidative methylation to pentavalency. iAs and its methylated metabolites are primarily excreted in urine within 4–5 days by most species and have a relatively low rate of bioaccumulation. Intra- and interindividual differences in the methylation of iAs may affect the adverse health effects of arsenic. Both inorganic and organic trival...

  20. Methylation of inorganic arsenic in different mammalian species and population groups.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vahter, M

    1999-01-01

    Thousands of people in different parts of the world are exposed to arsenic via drinking water or contaminated soil or food. The high general toxic of arsenic has been known for centuries, and research during the last decades has shown that arsenic is a potent human carcinogen. However, most experimental cancer studies have failed to demonstrate carcinogenicity in experimental animals, indicating marked variation in sensitivity towards arsenic toxicity between species. It has also been suggested that there is a variation in susceptibility among human individuals. One reason for such variability in toxic response may be variation in metabolism. Inorganic arsenic is methylated in humans as well as animals and micro-organisms, but there are considerable differences between species and individuals. In many, but not all, mammalian species, inorganic arsenic is methylated to methylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), which are more rapidly excreted in urine than is the inorganic arsenic, especially the trivalent form (AsIII, arsenite) which is highly reactive with tissue components. Absorbed arsenate (AsV) is reduced to trivalent arsenic (AsIII) before the methyl groups are attached. It has been estimated that as much as 50-70% of absorbed AsV is rapidly reduced to AsIII, a reaction which seems to be common for most species. In most experimental animal species, DMA is the main metabolite excreted in urine. Compared to human subjects, very little MMA is produced. However, the rate of methylation varies considerably between species, and several species, e.g. the marmoset monkey and the chimpanzee have been shown not to methylate inorganic arsenic at all. In addition, the marmoset monkey accumulates arsenic in the liver. The rat, on the other hand, has an efficient methylation of arsenic but the formed DMA is to a large extent accumulated in the red blood cells. As a result, the rat shows a low rate of excretion of arsenic. In both human subjects and rodents

  1. Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Cancer from Exposure Inorganic Arsenic in Duplicate Food by Villagers in Ronphibun, Thailand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piyawat Saipan

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Ronphibun district is a district in Nakorn Si Thammarat province, within southern Thailand. This district is the site of several former tin mines that were in operation 100 years ago. Arsenic contamination caused by past mining activities remains in the area. The specific purpose of this study was conducted to assess cancer risk in people living within Ronphibun district from exposure to inorganic arsenic via duplicate food using probabilistic risk assessment. A hundred and fifty duplicate food samples were collected from participants. Inorganic arsenic concentrations are determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Inorganic arsenic concentrations in duplicate food ranged from 0.16 to 0.42 μg/g dry weight. The probabilistic carcinogenic risk levels were 6.76 x 10-4 and 1.74 x 10-3 based on the 50th and 95th percentile, respectively. Risk values for people in Ronphibun from exposure to inorganic arsenic remained higher than the acceptable target risk. Sensitivity analysis indicted that exposure duration and concentrations of arsenic in food were the two most influential of cancer risk estimates.

  2. HPLC inorganic arsenic speciation analysis of samples containing high sulfuric acid and iron levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gonzalez-Contreras, P.A.; Gerrits, I.P.A.M.; Weijma, J.; Buisman, C.J.N.

    2011-01-01

    To monitor the oxidation of arsenite to arsenate in oxidizing and bioleaching reactors, speciation analysis of the inorganic arsenic compounds is required. Existing arsenic speciation analysis techniques are based on the use of liquid chromatography columns coupled to detector equipment such as

  3. Geographical variation in total and inorganic arsenic content of polished (white) rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meharg, Andrew A; Williams, Paul N; Adomako, Eureka; Lawgali, Youssef Y; Deacon, Claire; Villada, Antia; Cambell, Robert C J; Sun, Guoxin; Zhu, Yong-Guan; Feldmann, Joerg; Raab, Andrea; Zhao, Fang-Jie; Islam, Rafiqul; Hossain, Shahid; Yanai, Junta

    2009-03-01

    An extensive data set of total arsenic analysis for 901 polished (white) grain samples, originating from 10 countries from 4 continents, was compiled. The samples represented the baseline (i.e., notspecifically collected from arsenic contaminated areas), and all were for market sale in major conurbations. Median total arsenic contents of rice varied 7-fold, with Egypt (0.04 mg/kg) and India (0.07 mg/kg) having the lowest arsenic content while the U.S. (0.25 mg/kg) and France (0.28 mg/kg) had the highest content. Global distribution of total arsenic in rice was modeled by weighting each country's arsenic distribution by that country's contribution to global production. A subset of 63 samples from Bangladesh, China, India, Italy, and the U.S. was analyzed for arsenic species. The relationship between inorganic arsenic contentversus total arsenic contentsignificantly differed among countries, with Bangladesh and India having the steepest slope in linear regression, and the U.S. having the shallowest slope. Using country-specific rice consumption data, daily intake of inorganic arsenic was estimated and the associated internal cancer risk was calculated using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cancer slope. Median excess internal cancer risks posed by inorganic arsenic ranged 30-fold for the 5 countries examined, being 0.7 per 10,000 for Italians to 22 per 10,000 for Bangladeshis, when a 60 kg person was considered.

  4. Rapid Reduction in Breast Cancer Mortality With Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Allan H. Smith

    2014-11-01

    Interpretation: We found biologically plausible major reductions in breast cancer mortality during high exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water which could not be attributed to bias or confounding. We recommend clinical trial assessment of inorganic arsenic in the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

  5. Inorganic arsenic exposure and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coronado-Gonzalez, Jose Antonio; Razo, Luz Maria del; Garcia-Vargas, Gonzalo; Sanmiguel-Salazar, Francisca; Escobedo-de la Pena, Jorge

    2007-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic exposure in drinking water has been recently related to diabetes mellitus. To evaluate this relationship the authors conducted in 2003, a case-control study in an arseniasis-endemic region from Coahuila, a northern state of Mexico with a high incidence of diabetes. The present analysis includes 200 cases and 200 controls. Cases were obtained from a previous cross-sectional study conducted in that region. Diagnosis of diabetes was established following the American Diabetes Association criteria, with two fasting glucose values ≥126 mg/100 ml (≥7.0 mmol/l) or a history of diabetes treated with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents. The next subject studied, subsequent to the identification of a case in the cross-sectional study was taken as control. Inorganic arsenic exposure was measured through total arsenic concentrations in urine, measured by hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Subjects with intermediate total arsenic concentration in urine (63.5-104 μg/g creatinine) had two-fold higher risk of having diabetes (odds ratio=2.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.23, 3.79), but the risk was almost three times greater in subjects with higher concentrations of total arsenic in urine (odds ratio=2.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.64, 4.92). This data provides additional evidence that inorganic arsenic exposure may be diabetogenic

  6. Multiple inorganic toxic substances contaminating the groundwater of Myingyan Township, Myanmar: Arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, and uranium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bacquart, Thomas [Better Life Laboratories, Calais, VT (United States); Frisbie, Seth [Better Life Laboratories, Calais, VT (United States); Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norwich University, Northfield, VT (United States); Mitchell, Erika [Better Life Laboratories, Calais, VT (United States); Grigg, Laurie [Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Norwich University, Northfield, VT (United States); Cole, Christopher [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Norwich University, Northfield, VT (United States); Small, Colleen [Vermont Department of Health Laboratory, Burlington, VT (United States); Sarkar, Bibudhendra, E-mail: bsarkar@sickkids.ca [Department of Molecular Structure and Function, The Research Institute of The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada); Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

    2015-06-01

    In South Asia, the technological and societal shift from drinking surface water to groundwater has resulted in a great reduction of acute diseases due to water borne pathogens. However, arsenic and other naturally occurring inorganic toxic substances present in groundwater in the region have been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including cancers, heart disease, and neurological problems. Due to the highly specific symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning, arsenic was the first inorganic toxic substance to be noticed at unsafe levels in the groundwater of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. Subsequently, other inorganic toxic substances, including manganese, uranium, and fluoride have been found at unsafe levels in groundwater in South Asia. While numerous drinking water wells throughout Myanmar have been tested for arsenic, relatively little is known about the concentrations of other inorganic toxic substances in Myanmar groundwater. In this study, we analyzed samples from 18 drinking water wells (12 in Myingyan City and 6 in nearby Tha Pyay Thar Village) and 2 locations in the Ayeyarwaddy River for arsenic, boron, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, fluoride, iron, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. Concentrations of arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, or uranium exceeded health-based reference values in most wells. In addition, any given well usually contained more than one toxic substance at unsafe concentrations. While water testing and well sharing could reduce health risks, none of the wells sampled provide water that is entirely safe with respect to inorganic toxic substances. It is imperative that users of these wells, and users of other wells that have not been tested for multiple inorganic toxic substances throughout the region, be informed of the need for drinking water testing and the health consequences of drinking water contaminated with inorganic toxic

  7. Multiple inorganic toxic substances contaminating the groundwater of Myingyan Township, Myanmar: Arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, and uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacquart, Thomas; Frisbie, Seth; Mitchell, Erika; Grigg, Laurie; Cole, Christopher; Small, Colleen; Sarkar, Bibudhendra

    2015-01-01

    In South Asia, the technological and societal shift from drinking surface water to groundwater has resulted in a great reduction of acute diseases due to water borne pathogens. However, arsenic and other naturally occurring inorganic toxic substances present in groundwater in the region have been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including cancers, heart disease, and neurological problems. Due to the highly specific symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning, arsenic was the first inorganic toxic substance to be noticed at unsafe levels in the groundwater of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. Subsequently, other inorganic toxic substances, including manganese, uranium, and fluoride have been found at unsafe levels in groundwater in South Asia. While numerous drinking water wells throughout Myanmar have been tested for arsenic, relatively little is known about the concentrations of other inorganic toxic substances in Myanmar groundwater. In this study, we analyzed samples from 18 drinking water wells (12 in Myingyan City and 6 in nearby Tha Pyay Thar Village) and 2 locations in the Ayeyarwaddy River for arsenic, boron, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, fluoride, iron, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. Concentrations of arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, or uranium exceeded health-based reference values in most wells. In addition, any given well usually contained more than one toxic substance at unsafe concentrations. While water testing and well sharing could reduce health risks, none of the wells sampled provide water that is entirely safe with respect to inorganic toxic substances. It is imperative that users of these wells, and users of other wells that have not been tested for multiple inorganic toxic substances throughout the region, be informed of the need for drinking water testing and the health consequences of drinking water contaminated with inorganic toxic

  8. Blood pressure hyperreactivity: an early cardiovascular risk in normotensive men exposed to low-to-moderate inorganic arsenic in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunrath, Julie; Gurzau, Eugen; Gurzau, Anca; Goessler, Walter; Gelmann, Elyssa R; Thach, Thu-Trang; McCarty, Kathleen M; Yeckel, Catherine W

    2013-02-01

    Essential hypertension is associated with chronic exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic in drinking water. However, early signs of risk for developing hypertension remain unclear in people exposed to chronic low-to-moderate inorganic arsenic. We evaluated cardiovascular stress reactivity and recovery in healthy, normotensive, middle-aged men living in an arsenic-endemic region of Romania. Unexposed (n = 16) and exposed (n = 19) participants were sampled from communities based on WHO limits for inorganic arsenic in drinking water (Water sources and urine samples were collected and analyzed for inorganic arsenic and its metabolites. Functional evaluation of blood pressure included clinical, anticipatory, cold pressor test, and recovery measurements. Blood pressure hyperreactivity was defined as a combined stress-induced change in SBP (> 20 mmHg) and DBP (>15 mmHg). Drinking water inorganic arsenic averaged 40.2 ± 30.4 and 1.0 ± 0.2 μg/l for the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively (P pressure hyperreactivity to both anticipatory stress (47.4 vs. 12.5%; P = 0.035) and cold stress (73.7 vs. 37.5%; P = 0.044). Moreover, the exposed group exhibited attenuated blood pressure recovery from stress and a greater probability of persistent hypertensive responses (47.4 vs. 12.5%; P = 0.035). Inorganic arsenic exposure increased stress-induced blood pressure hyperreactivity and poor blood pressure recovery, including persistent hypertensive responses in otherwise healthy, clinically normotensive men. Drinking water containing even low-to-moderate inorganic arsenic may act as a sympathetic nervous system trigger for hypertension risk.

  9. Inorganic arsenic and iron(II) distributions in sediment porewaters investigated by a combined DGTcolourimetric DET technique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bennett, William W.; Teasdale, Peter R.; Welsh, David T.

    2012-01-01

    A new approach for investigating the biogeochemistry of inorganic arsenic and iron(II) in freshwater, estuarine and marine sediments is reported. The recently developed Metsorb diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique for the measurement of total inorganic arsenic and the colourimetric d...... highly representative assessment of the biogeochemical status of arsenic and iron in a variety of natural sediments, including groundwater sediments where mobilised arsenic is responsible for significant human health risks.......A new approach for investigating the biogeochemistry of inorganic arsenic and iron(II) in freshwater, estuarine and marine sediments is reported. The recently developed Metsorb diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique for the measurement of total inorganic arsenic and the colourimetric...... diffusive equilibration in thin films (DET) technique for the measurement of iron(II), were utilised in combination to determine co-located depth profiles of both solutes in sediment porewaters. DGT-measured porewater arsenic concentrations were typically less than 40nM, whereas iron(II) concentrations...

  10. Multiple inorganic toxic substances contaminating the groundwater of Myingyan Township, Myanmar: arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, and uranium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bacquart, Thomas; Frisbie, Seth; Mitchell, Erika; Grigg, Laurie; Cole, Christopher; Small, Colleen; Sarkar, Bibudhendra

    2015-06-01

    In South Asia, the technological and societal shift from drinking surface water to groundwater has resulted in a great reduction of acute diseases due to water borne pathogens. However, arsenic and other naturally occurring inorganic toxic substances present in groundwater in the region have been linked to a variety of chronic diseases, including cancers, heart disease, and neurological problems. Due to the highly specific symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning, arsenic was the first inorganic toxic substance to be noticed at unsafe levels in the groundwater of West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. Subsequently, other inorganic toxic substances, including manganese, uranium, and fluoride have been found at unsafe levels in groundwater in South Asia. While numerous drinking water wells throughout Myanmar have been tested for arsenic, relatively little is known about the concentrations of other inorganic toxic substances in Myanmar groundwater. In this study, we analyzed samples from 18 drinking water wells (12 in Myingyan City and 6 in nearby Tha Pyay Thar Village) and 2 locations in the Ayeyarwaddy River for arsenic, boron, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, fluoride, iron, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, antimony, selenium, thallium, uranium, vanadium, and zinc. Concentrations of arsenic, manganese, fluoride, iron, or uranium exceeded health-based reference values in most wells. In addition, any given well usually contained more than one toxic substance at unsafe concentrations. While water testing and well sharing could reduce health risks, none of the wells sampled provide water that is entirely safe with respect to inorganic toxic substances. It is imperative that users of these wells, and users of other wells that have not been tested for multiple inorganic toxic substances throughout the region, be informed of the need for drinking water testing and the health consequences of drinking water contaminated with inorganic toxic

  11. Distribution of inorganic arsenic species in groundwater from Central-West Part of Santa Fe Province, Argentina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sigrist, Mirna; Albertengo, Antonela; Brusa, Lucila; Beldoménico, Horacio; Tudino, Mabel

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Study on inorganic arsenic species in groundwater for drinking in Santa Fe Argentina. • This information is currently scarce or absent in the region. • An analytical methodology based on SPE-FI-HGAAS coupling was used for speciation. • Information is given for a more accurate interpretation of the toxicological impact. - Abstract: The distribution of inorganic arsenic species in groundwater used as drinking water supply by the peri-urban and rural population from central-western area of Santa Fe Province, Argentina, was studied. An analytical methodology based on an online system of atomic absorption spectrometry with hydride generation and flow injection (FI-HGAAS) was used for total inorganic arsenic determination. For speciation purposes, the distinction between As(V) and As(III) was performed through the on line coupling of FI-HGAAS to a solid phase system based on an anionic exchanger able to retain As(V) as oxyanion, allowing As(III) to be selectively determined. The concentration of As(V) was calculated as the difference between total arsenic and As(III) concentrations. Effects of matrix interference due to the nonselective behavior of the exchange resins were carefully laid. Results for 59 samples collected from 27 localities showed an almost exclusive predominance of pentavalent forms

  12. Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Calle, Maria B; Devesa, Vicenta; Fiamegos, Yiannis; Vélez, Dinoraz

    2017-09-01

    The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) underlined in its Scientific Opinion on Arsenic in Food that in order to support a sound exposure assessment to inorganic arsenic through diet, information about distribution of arsenic species in various food types must be generated. A method, previously validated in a collaborative trial, has been applied to determine inorganic arsenic in a wide variety of food matrices, covering grains, mushrooms and food of marine origin (31 samples in total). The method is based on detection by flow injection-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry of the iAs selectively extracted into chloroform after digestion of the proteins with concentrated HCl. The method is characterized by a limit of quantification of 10 µg/kg dry weight, which allowed quantification of inorganic arsenic in a large amount of food matrices. Information is provided about performance scores given to results obtained with this method and which were reported by different laboratories in several proficiency tests. The percentage of satisfactory results obtained with the discussed method is higher than that of the results obtained with other analytical approaches.

  13. Relationship between arsenic and selenium in workers occupationally exposed to inorganic arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janasik, Beata; Zawisza, Anna; Malachowska, Beata; Fendler, Wojciech; Stanislawska, Magdalena; Kuras, Renata; Wasowicz, Wojciech

    2017-07-01

    The interaction between arsenic (As) and selenium (Se) has been one of the most extensively studied. The antagonism between As and Se suggests that low Se status plays an important role in aggravating arsenic toxicity in diseases development. The objective of this study was to assess the Se contents in biological samples of inorganic As exposed workers (n=61) and in non-exposed subjects (n=52). Median (Me) total arsenic concentration in urine of exposed workers was 21.83μg/g creat. (interquartile range (IQR) 15.49-39.77) and was significantly higher than in the control group - (Me 3.75μg/g creat. (IQR 2.52-9.26), piAs+MMA+DMA) was significantly associated with the high total selenium urine excretion (B=0.14 (95%CI (confidence interval) 0.05-0.23)). Combination of both arsenic and selenium status to assess the risk of arsenic-induced diseases requires more studies with regard to both the analysis of speciation, genetics and the influence of factors such as nutritional status. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Determination of inorganic arsenic in food and feed – European initiatives in research and standardization of methods

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jens Jørgen; Rasmussen, Rie Romme

    determination of inorganic arsenic are required in order to perform a correct risk assessment of dietary exposure. The lecture will provide the current status for recent and ongoing European initiatives and projects on methods for specific determination of inorganic arsenic in foodstuffs and feedingstuffs...... detailed toxicological knowledge on the individual chemical elemental species should lead to more specific legislation. The present lecture will use arsenic as an illustrative example, where inorganic arsenic is considered much more toxic than organic bound and analytical methods for selective...

  15. Automated system for on-line determination of dimethylarsinic and inorganic arsenic by hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chaparro, L.L.; Leal, L.O. [Renewable Energy and Environmental Protection Department, Advanced Materials Research Center (CIMAV), Chihuahua, Chihuahua (Mexico); Ferrer, L.; Cerda, V. [University of the Balearic Islands, Department of Chemistry, Palma de Mallorca (Spain)

    2012-09-15

    A multisyringe flow-injection approach has been coupled to hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) with UV photo-oxidation for dimethylarsinic (DMA), inorganic As and total As determination, depending on the pre-treatment given to the sample (extraction or digestion). The implementation of a UV lamp allows on-line photo-oxidation of DMA and the following arsenic detection, whereas a bypass leads the flow directly to the HG-AFS system, performing inorganic arsenic determination. DMA concentration is calculated by the difference of total inorganic arsenic and measurement of the photo-oxidation step. The detection limits for DMA and inorganic arsenic were 0.09 and 0.47 {mu}g L{sup -1}, respectively. The repeatability values accomplished were of 2.4 and 1.8 %, whereas the injection frequencies were 24 and 28 injections per hour for DMA and inorganic arsenic, respectively. This method was validated by means of a solid reference material BCR-627 (muscle of tuna) with good agreement with the certified values. Satisfactory results for DMA and inorganic arsenic determination were obtained in several water matrices. The proposed method offers several advantages, such as increasing the sampling frequency, low detection limits and decreasing reagents and sample consumption, which leads to lower waste generation. (orig.)

  16. Binational Arsenic Exposure Survey: Methodology and Estimated Arsenic Intake from Drinking Water and Urinary Arsenic Concentrations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robin B. Harris

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available The Binational Arsenic Exposure Survey (BAsES was designed to evaluate probable arsenic exposures in selected areas of southern Arizona and northern Mexico, two regions with known elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater reserves. This paper describes the methodology of BAsES and the relationship between estimated arsenic intake from beverages and arsenic output in urine. Households from eight communities were selected for their varying groundwater arsenic concentrations in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico. Adults responded to questionnaires and provided dietary information. A first morning urine void and water from all household drinking sources were collected. Associations between urinary arsenic concentration (total, organic, inorganic and estimated level of arsenic consumed from water and other beverages were evaluated through crude associations and by random effects models. Median estimated total arsenic intake from beverages among participants from Arizona communities ranged from 1.7 to 14.1 µg/day compared to 0.6 to 3.4 µg/day among those from Mexico communities. In contrast, median urinary inorganic arsenic concentrations were greatest among participants from Hermosillo, Mexico (6.2 µg/L whereas a high of 2.0 µg/L was found among participants from Ajo, Arizona. Estimated arsenic intake from drinking water was associated with urinary total arsenic concentration (p < 0.001, urinary inorganic arsenic concentration (p < 0.001, and urinary sum of species (p < 0.001. Urinary arsenic concentrations increased between 7% and 12% for each one percent increase in arsenic consumed from drinking water. Variability in arsenic intake from beverages and urinary arsenic output yielded counter intuitive results. Estimated intake of arsenic from all beverages was greatest among Arizonans yet participants in Mexico had higher urinary total and inorganic arsenic concentrations. Other contributors to urinary arsenic concentrations should be evaluated.

  17. Toxicity of so-called edible hijiki seaweed (Sargassum fusiforme) containing inorganic arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokoi, Katsuhiko; Konomi, Aki

    2012-07-01

    The UK Food Standards Agency and its counterparts in other countries have warned consumers not to eat hijiki (Sargassum fusiforme; synonym Hizikia fusiformis), a Sargasso seaweed, because it contains large amounts of inorganic arsenic. We investigated dietary exposure of hijiki in weaning male F344/N rats fed an AIN-93G diet supplemented with 3% (w/w) hijiki powder for 7 weeks, compared with those fed only an AIN-93G diet. Body weight, body temperature, blood and tissue arsenic concentrations, plasma biochemistry and hematological parameters were measured. We found that feeding rats a 3% hijiki diet led to a marked accumulation of arsenic in blood and tissues, and evoked a high body temperature and abnormal blood biochemistry including elevated plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and inorganic phosphorus, consistent with arsenic poisoning. These findings should prompt further investigations to identify the health hazards related to consumption of hijiki and related Sargassum species in humans. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Cytotoxic effects of S-(dimethylarsino)-glutathione: A putative intermediate metabolite of inorganic arsenicals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirano, Seishiro; Kobayashi, Yayoi

    2006-01-01

    Glutathione (GSH) plays an important role in the metabolism of arsenite and arsenate by generating arsenic-glutathione complexes. Although dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V ) is the major metabolite of inorganic arsenicals (iAs) in urine, it is not clear how DMA V is produced from iAs. In the present study we report that S-(dimethylarsino)-glutathione (DMA III (SG)), a putative precursor of dimethylarsinic acid DMA V , was unstable in the culture medium without excess GSH and generated volatile substances which were highly cytotoxic for both rat heart microvascular endothelial cells and HL60, a human leukemia cell line. Cytotoxicity of DMA III (SG) was higher than that of iAs and its LC 5 value was calculated to be 7.8 μM in the endothelial cells. To our surprise DMA III (SG) effectively killed cells in the neighbor wells of the same multi-well dish, indicating that volatile toxic compounds generated from DMA III (SG) in the culture medium. High performance lipid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS) analyses suggested that the freshly generated volatile compounds dissolved into aqueous solution and formed an unstable arsenic compound and the unstable compound was further converted to DMA V . These results suggested that DMA III (SG) exerts its cytotoxicity by generating volatile arsenicals and is implicated in the metabolic conversion of inorganic arsenicals into DMA V , a major final metabolite of inorganic arsenicals in most mammals

  19. Treatability of inorganic arsenic and organoarsenicals in groundwater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhlmeier, P.D.; Sherwood, S.P.

    1996-01-01

    A 2-year three-phase study into methods for treatment of mixed inorganic and organic arsenic species to drinking water levels was conducted at a former pesticide facility in Houston, Tex. The species present include monomethylarsinic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenate, and arsenite. Phase One studies reported here included the evaluation of four adsorbents using bottle roll and column flow through techniques, oxidation through the application of Fenton's reagent followed by coprecipitation, coprecipitation without oxidation, and ultraviolet (UV)/ozone tests. The four adsorbents tested were activated carbon, activated alumina, ferrous sulfide, and a strongly basic ion exchange resin. All adsorbents removed some arsenic, but none except ferrous sulfide was sufficiently effective to warrant follow-up studies. Two small ferrous sulfide column tests, run under different conditions, removed arsenic but not to the levels and loading capacities needed to make this method practical. Organic compound destruction was tested using Fenton's reagent (a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron) before coprecipitation. Arsenic was reduced to 170 ppb in the treated liquor. Coprecipitation without oxidative pretreatment produced a liquor containing 260 ppb arsenic. A two-stage Fenton-type coprecipitation procedure produced a supernatant containing 110 ppb total arsenic. Preliminary tests with a second-stage oxidative process, using ozone and UV radiation, showed approximately 80% destruction of an organic-arsenic surrogate (cacodylic acid) in 1 hour

  20. Developmental and reproductive toxicity of inorganic arsenic: animal studies and human concerns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golub, M S; Macintosh, M S; Baumrind, N

    1998-01-01

    Information on the reproductive and developmental toxicity of inorganic arsenic is available primarily from studies in animals using arsenite and arsenate salts and arsenic trioxide. Inorganic arsenic has been extensively studied as a teratogen in animals. Data from animal studies demonstrate that arsenic can produce developmental toxicity, including malformation, death, and growth retardation, in four species (hamsters, mice, rats, rabbits). A characteristic pattern of malformations is produced, and the developmental toxicity effects are dependent on dose, route, and the day of gestation when exposure occurs. Studies with gavage and diet administration indicate that death and growth retardation are produced by oral arsenic exposure. Arsenic is readily transferred to the fetus and produces developmental toxicity in embryo culture. Animal studies have not identified an effect of arsenic on fertility in males or females. When females were dosed chronically for periods that included pregnancy, the primary effect of arsenic on reproduction was a dose-dependent increase in conceptus mortality and in postnatal growth retardation. Human data are limited to a few studies of populations exposed to arsenic from drinking water or from working at or living near smelters. Associations with spontaneous abortion and stillbirth have been reported in more than one of these studies, but interpretation of these studies is complicated because study populations were exposed to multiple chemicals. Thus, animal studies suggest that environmental arsenic exposures are primarily a risk to the developing fetus. In order to understand the implications for humans, attention must be given to comparative pharmacokinetics and metabolism, likely exposure scenarios, possible mechanisms of action, and the potential role of arsenic as an essential nutrient.

  1. Transplacental carcinogenicity of inorganic arsenic in the drinking water: induction of hepatic, ovarian, pulmonary, and adrenal tumors in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waalkes, Michael P.; Ward, Jerrold M.; Liu Jie; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.

    2003-01-01

    Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, but development of rodent models of inorganic arsenic carcinogenesis has been problematic. Since gestation is often a period of high sensitivity to chemical carcinogenesis, we performed a transplacental carcinogenicity study in mice using inorganic arsenic. Groups (n=10) of pregnant C3H mice were given drinking water containing sodium arsenite (NaAsO 2 ) at 0 (control), 42.5, and 85 ppm arsenite ad libitum from day 8 to 18 of gestation. These doses were well tolerated and body weights of the dams during gestation and of the offspring subsequent to birth were not reduced. Dams were allowed to give birth, and offspring were weaned at 4 weeks and then put into separate gender-based groups (n=25) according to maternal exposure level. The offspring received no additional arsenic treatment. The study lasted 74 weeks in males and 90 weeks in females. A complete necropsy was performed on all mice and tissues were examined by light microscopy in a blind fashion. In male offspring, there was a marked increase in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence in a dose- related fashion (control, 12%; 42.5 ppm, 38%; 85 ppm, 61%) and in liver tumor multiplicity (tumors per liver; 5.6-fold over control at 85 ppm). In males, there was also a dose-related increase in adrenal tumor incidence and multiplicity. In female offspring, dose-related increases occurred in ovarian tumor incidence (control, 8%; 42.5 ppm, 26%; 85 ppm, 38%) and lung carcinoma incidence (control, 0%; 42.5 ppm, 4%; 85 ppm, 21%). Arsenic exposure also increased the incidence of proliferative lesions of the uterus and oviduct. These results demonstrate that oral inorganic arsenic exposure, as a single agent, can induce tumor formation in rodents and establishes inorganic arsenic as a complete transplacental carcinogen in mice. The development of this rodent model of inorganic arsenic carcinogenesis has important implications in defining the mechanism of action for this common environmental

  2. Accuracy of a method based on atomic absorption spectrometry to determine inorganic arsenic in food: Outcome of the collaborative trial IMEP-41.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiamegkos, I; Cordeiro, F; Robouch, P; Vélez, D; Devesa, V; Raber, G; Sloth, J J; Rasmussen, R R; Llorente-Mirandes, T; Lopez-Sanchez, J F; Rubio, R; Cubadda, F; D'Amato, M; Feldmann, J; Raab, A; Emteborg, H; de la Calle, M B

    2016-12-15

    A collaborative trial was conducted to determine the performance characteristics of an analytical method for the quantification of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in food. The method is based on (i) solubilisation of the protein matrix with concentrated hydrochloric acid to denature proteins and allow the release of all arsenic species into solution, and (ii) subsequent extraction of the inorganic arsenic present in the acid medium using chloroform followed by back-extraction to acidic medium. The final detection and quantification is done by flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HG-AAS). The seven test items used in this exercise were reference materials covering a broad range of matrices: mussels, cabbage, seaweed (hijiki), fish protein, rice, wheat, mushrooms, with concentrations ranging from 0.074 to 7.55mgkg(-1). The relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 4.1 to 10.3%, while the relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 6.1 to 22.8%. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  3. Inorganic arsenic impairs differentiation and functions of human dendritic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macoch, Mélinda; Morzadec, Claudie; Fardel, Olivier; Vernhet, Laurent

    2013-01-01

    Experimental studies have demonstrated that the antileukemic trivalent inorganic arsenic prevents the development of severe pro-inflammatory diseases mediated by excessive Th1 and Th17 cell responses. Differentiation of Th1 and Th17 subsets is mainly regulated by interleukins (ILs) secreted from dendritic cells (DCs) and the ability of inorganic arsenic to impair interferon-γ and IL-17 secretion by interfering with the physiology of DCs is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that high concentrations of sodium arsenite (As(III), 1–2 μM) clinically achievable in plasma of arsenic-treated patients, block differentiation of human peripheral blood monocytes into immature DCs (iDCs) by inducing their necrosis. Differentiation of monocytes in the presence of non-cytotoxic concentrations of As(III) (0.1 to 0.5 μM) only slightly impacts endocytotic activity of iDCs or expression of co-stimulatory molecules in cells activated with lipopolysaccharide. However, this differentiation in the presence of As(III) strongly represses secretion of IL-12p70 and IL-23, two major regulators of Th1 and Th17 activities, from iDCs stimulated with different toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists in metalloid-free medium. Such As(III)-exposed DCs also exhibit reduced mRNA levels of IL12A and/or IL12B genes when activated with TLR agonists. Finally, differentiation of monocytes with non-cytotoxic concentrations of As(III) subsequently reduces the ability of activated DCs to stimulate the release of interferon-γ and IL-17 from Th cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that clinically relevant concentrations of inorganic arsenic markedly impair in vitro differentiation and functions of DCs, which may contribute to the putative beneficial effects of the metalloid towards inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Highlights: ► Inorganic arsenic impairs differentiation and functions of human dendritic cells (DCs) ► Arsenite (> 1 μM) blocks differentiation of dendritic cells by

  4. Inorganic arsenic impairs differentiation and functions of human dendritic cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Macoch, Mélinda; Morzadec, Claudie [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France); Fardel, Olivier [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France); Pôle Biologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Rennes, 2 rue Henri Le Guilloux, 35033 Rennes (France); Vernhet, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.vernhet@univ-rennes1.fr [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France)

    2013-01-15

    Experimental studies have demonstrated that the antileukemic trivalent inorganic arsenic prevents the development of severe pro-inflammatory diseases mediated by excessive Th1 and Th17 cell responses. Differentiation of Th1 and Th17 subsets is mainly regulated by interleukins (ILs) secreted from dendritic cells (DCs) and the ability of inorganic arsenic to impair interferon-γ and IL-17 secretion by interfering with the physiology of DCs is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that high concentrations of sodium arsenite (As(III), 1–2 μM) clinically achievable in plasma of arsenic-treated patients, block differentiation of human peripheral blood monocytes into immature DCs (iDCs) by inducing their necrosis. Differentiation of monocytes in the presence of non-cytotoxic concentrations of As(III) (0.1 to 0.5 μM) only slightly impacts endocytotic activity of iDCs or expression of co-stimulatory molecules in cells activated with lipopolysaccharide. However, this differentiation in the presence of As(III) strongly represses secretion of IL-12p70 and IL-23, two major regulators of Th1 and Th17 activities, from iDCs stimulated with different toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists in metalloid-free medium. Such As(III)-exposed DCs also exhibit reduced mRNA levels of IL12A and/or IL12B genes when activated with TLR agonists. Finally, differentiation of monocytes with non-cytotoxic concentrations of As(III) subsequently reduces the ability of activated DCs to stimulate the release of interferon-γ and IL-17 from Th cells. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that clinically relevant concentrations of inorganic arsenic markedly impair in vitro differentiation and functions of DCs, which may contribute to the putative beneficial effects of the metalloid towards inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Highlights: ► Inorganic arsenic impairs differentiation and functions of human dendritic cells (DCs) ► Arsenite (> 1 μM) blocks differentiation of dendritic cells by

  5. Estimating Inorganic Arsenic Exposure from U.S. Rice and Total Water Intakes

    OpenAIRE

    Mantha, Madhavi; Yeary, Edward; Trent, John; Creed, Patricia A.; Kubachka, Kevin; Hanley, Traci; Shockey, Nohora; Heitkemper, Douglas; Caruso, Joseph; Xue, Jianping; Rice, Glenn; Wymer, Larry; Creed, John T.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Among nonoccupationally exposed U.S. residents, drinking water and diet are considered primary exposure pathways for inorganic arsenic (iAs). In drinking water, iAs is the primary form of arsenic (As), while dietary As speciation techniques are used to differentiate iAs from less toxic arsenicals in food matrices. Objectives: Our goal was to estimate the distribution of iAs exposure rates from drinking water intakes and rice consumption in the U.S. population and ethnic- and age-b...

  6. A rapid monitoring method for inorganic arsenic in rice flour using reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narukawa, Tomohiro; Chiba, Koichi; Sinaviwat, Savarin; Feldmann, Jörg

    2017-01-06

    A new rapid monitoring method by means of high performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) following the heat-assisted extraction was developed for measurement of total inorganic arsenic species in rice flour. As(III) and As(V) eluted at the same retention time and completely separated from organoarsenic species by an isocratic elution program on a reversed phase column. Therefore, neither ambiguous oxidation of arsenite to arsenate nor the integration of two peaks were necessary to determine directly the target analyte inorganic arsenic. Rapid injection allowed measuring 3 replicates within 6min and this combined with a quantitative extraction of all arsenic species from rice flour by a 15min HNO 3 -H 2 O 2 extraction makes this the fastest laboratory based method for inorganic arsenic in rice flour. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Changes in Serum Adiponectin in Mice Chronically Exposed to Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xuanbo; Li, Ying; Liu, Junqiu; Ji, Xiaohong; Zhao, Lijun; Wei, Yudan

    2017-09-01

    Cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus are prominent features of glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. Adiponectin is a key adipokine that is largely involved in glucose and lipid metabolism processes. A growing body of evidence suggests that chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. We hypothesized that arsenic exposure may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus by affecting the level of adiponectin. In this study, we examined serum adiponectin levels, as well as serum levels of metabolic measures (including fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol) in C57BL/6 mice exposed to inorganic arsenic in drinking water (5 and 50 ppm NaAsO 2 ) for 18 weeks. Body mass and adiposity were monitored throughout the study. We found no significant changes in serum insulin and glucose levels in mice treated with arsenic for 18 weeks. However, arsenic exposure decreased serum levels of adiponectin, triglyceride, and HDL-cholesterol. Further, an inverse relationship was observed between urinary concentrations of total arsenic and serum levels of adiponectin. This study suggests that arsenic exposure could disturb the metabolism of lipids and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by reducing the level of adiponectin.

  8. Inorganic arsenic contents in rice-based infant foods from Spain, UK, China and USA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carbonell-Barrachina, Ángel A.; Wu, Xiangchun; Ramírez-Gandolfo, Amanda; Norton, Gareth J.; Burló, Francisco; Deacon, Claire; Meharg, Andrew A.

    2012-01-01

    Spanish gluten-free rice, cereals with gluten, and pureed baby foods were analysed for total (t-As) and inorganic As (i-As) using ICP-MS and HPLC–ICP-MS, respectively. Besides, pure infant rice from China, USA, UK and Spain were also analysed. The i-As contents were significantly higher in gluten-free rice than in cereals mixtures with gluten, placing infants with celiac disease at high risk. All rice-based products displayed a high i-As content, with values being above 60% of the t-As content and the remainder being dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Approximately 77% of the pure infant rice samples showed contents below 150 μg kg −1 (Chinese limit). When daily intake of i-As by infants (4–12 months) was estimated and expressed on a bodyweight basis (μg d −1 kg −1 ), it was higher in all infants aged 8–12 months than drinking water maximum exposures predicted for adults (assuming 1 L consumption per day for a 10 μg L −1 standard). Highlights: ► Inorganic As was higher in rice-based foods than in items based on other cereals. ► Total As was very high in fish-based foods but As was present as non-toxic species. ► The maximum daily intake of i-As was found between 8 and 12 months of age. ► Pure infant rice samples from Spain presented relatively low i-As contents. ► Infants with the celiac disease are exposed to elevated levels of i-As. - Infants with the celiac disease are exposed to high levels of inorganic arsenic because of their high consumption of rice-based foods.

  9. Does the determination of inorganic arsenic in rice depend on the method?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    de la Calle, Maria Beatriz; Emteborg, Håkan; Linsinger, Thomas P.J.

    2011-01-01

    , on the determination of total and inorganic arsenic (As) in rice. The main aim of this PT was to judge the state of the art of analytical capability for the determination of total and inorganic As in rice. For this reason, participation in this exercise was open to laboratories from all over the world. Some 98...... laboratories reported results for total As and 32 for inorganic As. The main conclusions of IMEP-107 were that the concentration of inorganic As determined in rice does not depend on the analytical method applied and that introduction of a maximum level for inorganic As in rice should not be postponed because...

  10. Speciation of inorganic arsenic by electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Xun [Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Department of Chemistry and Life Science, Gannan Teachers College, Ganzhou 341000 (China); Jia Jing [Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Wang Zhenghao [Department of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China)]. E-mail: zhwang@bnu.edu.cn

    2006-02-23

    A simple procedure was developed for the speciation of inorganic arsenic by electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (EcHG-AAS), without pre-reduction of As(V). Glassy carbon was selected as cathode material in the flow cell. An optimum catholyte concentration for simultaneous generation of arsine from As(III) and As(V) was 0.06 mol l{sup -1} H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}. Under the optimized conditions, adequate sensitivity and difference in ratio of slopes of the calibration curves for As(III) and As(V) can be achieved at the electrolytic currents of 0.6 and 1 A. The speciation of inorganic arsenic can be performed by controlling the electrolytic currents, and the concentration of As(III) and As(V) in the sample can be calculated according to the equations of absorbance additivity obtained at two selected electrolytic currents. The calibration curves were linear up to 50 ng ml{sup -1} for both As(III) and As(V) at 0.6 and 1 A. The detection limits of the method were 0.2 and 0.5 ng ml{sup -1} for As(III) and As(V) at 0.6 A, respectively. The relative standard deviations were of 2.1% for 20 ng ml{sup -1} As(III) and 2.5% for 20 ng ml{sup -1} As(V). The method was validated by the analysis of human hair certified reference material and successfully applied to speciation of soluble inorganic arsenic in Chinese medicine.

  11. Speciation of inorganic arsenic by electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xun; Jia Jing; Wang Zhenghao

    2006-01-01

    A simple procedure was developed for the speciation of inorganic arsenic by electrochemical hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (EcHG-AAS), without pre-reduction of As(V). Glassy carbon was selected as cathode material in the flow cell. An optimum catholyte concentration for simultaneous generation of arsine from As(III) and As(V) was 0.06 mol l -1 H 2 SO 4 . Under the optimized conditions, adequate sensitivity and difference in ratio of slopes of the calibration curves for As(III) and As(V) can be achieved at the electrolytic currents of 0.6 and 1 A. The speciation of inorganic arsenic can be performed by controlling the electrolytic currents, and the concentration of As(III) and As(V) in the sample can be calculated according to the equations of absorbance additivity obtained at two selected electrolytic currents. The calibration curves were linear up to 50 ng ml -1 for both As(III) and As(V) at 0.6 and 1 A. The detection limits of the method were 0.2 and 0.5 ng ml -1 for As(III) and As(V) at 0.6 A, respectively. The relative standard deviations were of 2.1% for 20 ng ml -1 As(III) and 2.5% for 20 ng ml -1 As(V). The method was validated by the analysis of human hair certified reference material and successfully applied to speciation of soluble inorganic arsenic in Chinese medicine

  12. Performance of laboratories in speciation analysis in seafood – Case of methylmercury and inorganic arsenic

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baer, Ines; Baxter, Malcolm; Devesa, Vicenta

    2011-01-01

    arsenic analysis. Results for inorganic arsenic were spread, but not method dependant. The measurand seems to be difficult to analyse in this matrix and possible method issues were identified. Methylmercury results were satisfactory, but not many laboratories perform this type of analysis because...

  13. IRIS Toxicological Review of Inorganic Arsenic (Cancer) ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA's Science Advisory Board (SAB) conducted a review of the scientific basis supporting the human health cancer hazard and dose-response assessment of inorganic arsenic that will appear on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. EPA revised the assessment and is now returning the assessment to the SAB and releasing the document to the public for a focused review of EPA's responses to the SAB recommendations. This draft IRIS health assessment addresses only cancer human health effects that may result from chronic exposure to this chemical.

  14. Dilution of rice with other gluten free grains to lower inorganic arsenic in foods for young children in response to European Union regulations provides impetus to setting stricter standards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donaldson, Emily; Signes-Pastor, Antonio J.

    2018-01-01

    There has been an increasing realisation that young infants are exposed to elevated concentrations of the carcinogen inorganic arsenic, relative to adults. This is because many infant food products are rice based, and rice is ~10-fold elevated in inorganic arsenic compared to most other foods. The European Commission (EC) has acted on this concern setting stricter standards for infants, 100 μg of inorganic arsenic per kg of food (100 μg/kg), as compared to adults (200 μg/kg), for rice based foods, a law that was brought into place in 1st January 2016. Here we investigate how this law has impacted on inorganic arsenic in baby food products in the UK market, and compare the findings to previous baby food surveys taken before and just after the law came into place. We find that for a wide range of UK infant products that the new regulations are being adhered to, with all samples surveyed, being under 100 μg/kg inorganic arsenic. The prevalence of pure rice products had decreased in the UK, and there appears to be careful sourcing of the rice used in these products to ensure conformity with regulations. There has been an increased presence of mixed cereal products, with rice and maize as the main ingredient, appearing on the UK market, with varying rice contents for infant porridges, cakes and mueslis, with the latter being a relatively innovative product for infant foods. There was a highly significant correlation (P<0.0001) between rice content and inorganic arsenic concentration across all infant foods. When UK infant rice cakes, breakfast cereals and porridges were compare to their general, i.e. not labelled specifically for being for infant consumption, equivalent it was found that the adult foods generally exceeded the 100 μg/kg inorganic arsenic standard for infant foods. Thus, infants should not be given rice products not specifically labelled as being for them if a lower inorganic arsenic diet is to be maintained. PMID:29547635

  15. Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in Natural Water by Solid Phase Extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazaratul Ashifa Abdullah Salim; Amares Chatt, A.

    2011-01-01

    Arsenic (As) is generally known for its toxicity. The toxicity and mobility of As in the environment are dependent on the chemical forms or species in which it exists. Arsenic (III) and (V) are the most often determined species in environmental water, soil and sediment, while organic As species are common constituents of biological tissue and fluids. It is well known that inorganic As, such as arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) are more toxic than their organic counterparts. This study is conducted to investigate the separation of each As inorganic species using solid phase extraction (SPE) technique. The technique utilizes SPE column for selective retention of As species, followed by elution and measurement of eluted fractions by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for total As. Several type of SPE columns namely strongly anion exchange (SAX), strongly cation exchange (SCX), weakly anion exchange (WAX) and weakly cation exchange (WCX) were tested using three different types of media including deionized water, succinic acid and acetic acid containing inorganic As species. The SPE technique is suitable for on-site separation and preservation of As species from water. (author)

  16. Protective effects of plasma alpha-tocopherols on the risk of inorganic arsenic-related urothelial carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Chi-Jung; Pu, Yeong-Shiau; Chen, Ying-Ting; Su, Chien-Tien; Wu, Chia-Chang; Shiue, Horng-Sheng; Huang, Chao-Yuan; Hsueh, Yu-Mei

    2011-01-01

    Arsenic plays an important role in producing oxidative stress in cultured cells. To investigate the interaction between high oxidative stress and low arsenic methylation capacity on arsenic carcinogenesis, a case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relationship among the indices of oxidative stress, such as urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyquanine (8-OHdG), as well as plasma micronutrients and urinary arsenic profiles on urothelial carcinoma (UC) risk. Urinary 8-OHdG was measured using high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The urinary arsenic species were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Plasma micronutrient levels were analyzed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The present study showed a significant protective effect of plasma alpha-tocopherol on UC risk. Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were significantly inversely related to urinary total arsenic concentrations and inorganic arsenic percentage (InAs%), and significantly positively related to dimethylarsinic acid percentage (DMA%). There were no correlations between plasma micronutrients and urinary 8-OHdG. Study participants with lower alpha-tocopherol and higher urinary total arsenic, higher InAs%, higher MMA%, and lower DMA% had a higher UC risk than those with higher alpha-tocopherol and lower urinary total arsenic, lower InAs%, lower MMA%, and higher DMA%. These results suggest that plasma alpha-tocopherol might modify the risk of inorganic arsenic-related UC. - Research Highlights: → Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were significantly inversely related to UC risk. → There were no correlations between plasma micronutrients and urinary 8-OHdG. → People with lower alpha-tocopherol and higher total arsenic had increased UC risk.

  17. Protective effects of plasma alpha-tocopherols on the risk of inorganic arsenic-related urothelial carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Chi-Jung [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Pu, Yeong-Shiau [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chen, Ying-Ting [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Su, Chien-Tien [Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chia-Chang [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Urology, Taipei Medical Universtiy-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Shiue, Horng-Sheng [Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China); Huang, Chao-Yuan [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2011-02-15

    Arsenic plays an important role in producing oxidative stress in cultured cells. To investigate the interaction between high oxidative stress and low arsenic methylation capacity on arsenic carcinogenesis, a case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relationship among the indices of oxidative stress, such as urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyquanine (8-OHdG), as well as plasma micronutrients and urinary arsenic profiles on urothelial carcinoma (UC) risk. Urinary 8-OHdG was measured using high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. The urinary arsenic species were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography and hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Plasma micronutrient levels were analyzed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The present study showed a significant protective effect of plasma alpha-tocopherol on UC risk. Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were significantly inversely related to urinary total arsenic concentrations and inorganic arsenic percentage (InAs%), and significantly positively related to dimethylarsinic acid percentage (DMA%). There were no correlations between plasma micronutrients and urinary 8-OHdG. Study participants with lower alpha-tocopherol and higher urinary total arsenic, higher InAs%, higher MMA%, and lower DMA% had a higher UC risk than those with higher alpha-tocopherol and lower urinary total arsenic, lower InAs%, lower MMA%, and higher DMA%. These results suggest that plasma alpha-tocopherol might modify the risk of inorganic arsenic-related UC. - Research Highlights: {yields} Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels were significantly inversely related to UC risk. {yields} There were no correlations between plasma micronutrients and urinary 8-OHdG. {yields} People with lower alpha-tocopherol and higher total arsenic had increased UC risk.

  18. Distribution and speciation of arsenic by transplacental and early life exposure to inorganic arsenic in offspring rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xi, Shuhua; Jin, Yaping; Lv, Xiuqiang; Sun, Guifan

    2010-04-01

    The amount of arsenic compounds was determined in the liver and brain of pups and in breast milk in the pup's stomach in relation to the route of exposure: transplacental, breast milk, or drinking water. Forty-eight pregnant rats were randomly divided into four groups, each group was given free access to drinking water that contained 0, 10, 50, and 100 mg/L NaAsO(2) from gestation day 6 (GD 6) until postnatal day 42 (PND 42). Once pups were weaned, they started to drink the same arsenic-containing water as the dams. Contents of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and trimethylarsenic acid (TMA) in livers and brains of the pups on PND 0, 15, 28, and 42 and breast milk taken from the pup's stomach on PND 0 and 15 were detected using the hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy method. Concentrations of iAs, MMA, and DMA in the breast milk, the brain, and the liver of the pups increased with the concentration of arsenic in drinking water on PND 0, 15, 28, and 42. Compared to the liver or brain, breast milk had the lowest arsenic concentrations. There was a significant decrease in the levels of arsenic species on PND 15 compared to PND 0, 28, or 42. It was confirmed that arsenic species can pass through the placental barrier from dams to offspring and across the blood-brain barrier in the pups, and breast milk from dams exposed to arsenic in drinking water contains less arsenic than the liver and brain of pups.

  19. Speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic by magnetic solid phase extraction on-line with inductively coupled mass spectrometry determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montoro Leal, P; Vereda Alonso, E; López Guerrero, M M; Cordero, M T Siles; Cano Pavón, J M; García de Torres, A

    2018-07-01

    Arsenic, one of the main environmental pollutants and potent natural poison, is a chemical element that is spread throughout the Earth's crust. It is well known that the toxicity of arsenic is highly dependent on its chemical forms. Generally, the inorganic species are more toxic than its organics forms, and As(III) is 60 times more toxic than As(V). In environmental waters, arsenic exists predominantly in two chemical forms: As(III) and As(V). In view of these facts, fast, sensitive, accurate and simple analytical methods for the speciation of inorganic arsenic in environmental waters are required. In this work, a new magnetic solid phase extraction with a hydride generation system was coupled on line with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MSPE-HG-ICP-MS). The new system was based on the retention of As(III) and As(V) in two knotted reactors filled with (Fe 3 O 4 ) magnetic nanoparticles functionalized with [1,5-bis (2-pyridyl) 3-sulfophenylmethylene] thiocarbonohydrazide (PSTH-MNPs). As(III) and total inorganic As were sequentially eluted in different reduction conditions. The concentration of As(V) was obtained by subtracting As(III) from total As. The system runs in a fully automated way and the method has proved to have a wide linear range and to be precise, sensitive and fast. The detection limits found were 2.7 and 3.2 ng/L for As(III) and total As, respectively; with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.5% and 2.7% and a sample throughput of 14.4 h -1 . In order to validate the developed method, several certified reference samples of environmental waters including sea water, were analyzed and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values. The proposed method was successfully applied to the speciation analysis of inorganic arsenic in well-water and sea water. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Evaluation of potential effects of soil available phosphorus on soil arsenic availability and paddy rice inorganic arsenic content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Wei; Hou, Qingye; Yang, Zhongfang; Zhong, Cong; Zheng, Guodong; Yang, Zhiqiang; Li, Jie

    2014-05-01

    The transfer of arsenic from paddy field to rice is a major exposure route of the highly toxic element to humans. The aim of our study is to explore the effects of soil available phosphorus on As uptake by rice, and identify the effects of soil properties on arsenic transfer from soil to rice under actual field conditions. 56 pairs of topsoil and rice samples were collected. The relevant parameters in soil and the inorganic arsenic in rice grains were analyzed, and then all the results were treated by statistical methods. Results show that the main factors influencing the uptake by rice grain include soil pH and available phosphorus. The eventual impact of phosphorus is identified as the suppression of As uptake by rice grains. The competition for transporters from soil to roots between arsenic and phosphorus in rhizosphere soil has been a dominant feature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. A simple thermometric technique for reaction-rate determination of inorganic species, based on the iodide-catalysed cerium(IV)-arsenic(III) reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grases, F; Forteza, R; March, J G; Cerda, V

    1985-02-01

    A very simple reaction-rate thermometric technique is used for determination of iodide (5-20 ng ml ), based on its catalytic action on the cerium(IV)-arsenic(III) reaction, and for determination of mercury(II) (1.5-10 ng ml ) and silver(I) (2-10 ng ml ), based on their inhibitory effect on this reaction. The reaction is followed by measuring the rate of temperature increase. The method suffers from very few interferences and is applied to determination of iodide in biological and inorganic samples, and Hg(II) and Ag(I) in pharmaceutical products.

  2. Is it possible to agree on a value for inorganic arsenic in food? The outcome of IMEP-112

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calle, M. B. de la; Baer, I.; Robouch, P.

    2012-01-01

    . This article presents the results of the 12th proficiency test organised by the EU-RL-HM (IMEP-112) that focused on the determination of total and inorganic arsenic in wheat, vegetable food and algae. The test items used in this exercise were: wheat sampled in a field with a high concentration of arsenic...... in the soil, spinach (SRM 1570a from NIST) and an algae candidate reference material. Participation in this exercise was open to laboratories from all around the world to be able to judge the state of the art of the determination of total and, more in particular, inorganic arsenic in several food commodities...... in the algae test material....

  3. Determination of total inorganic arsenic in potable water through spectroscopy of atomic absorption with generation of hydride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Roman, S.

    1997-01-01

    This study developed a method for the cuantitative analysis of arsenic in potable water , through the spectrophotometric technique of atomic absorption. It used an automatic system of injection of flux for the generation of hydrides. It studied the effect produced by reducer agents, in the prereduction of arsenic in water, obtaining the best result with the use of potasium iodide 1.5% and ascorbic acid 0.25% in hydrochloric acid 3.7%, for the direct determination of total inorganic arsenic. It observed the effect produced by cadmium and selenium to the half of the concentration of arsenic, chromium, lead and silver at the same concentration, and barium at a ten times higher concentration, in the recuperation of total inorganic arsenic. It also used sodium borohydride 0.3% in sodium hydroxide 0.05% (5mL/min), for the formation of the volatile hydrides. It used hydrochloric acid 3.7% (12 mL/min) as disolution of transport; argon as inert gas, and a flame air-acetylene, for the atomization of the hydrides. This method was applied to 19 samples of potable water, and the result was no detectable for all of them. (S. Grainger)

  4. A novel speciation alternative for the determination of inorganic arsenic in marine samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg; Herbst, M. Birgitte Koch

    collected in the official EU food control today are reported as total arsenic. High Performance Liquid Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) is a useful but expensive tool for metal speciation analysis. Our novel, simple and inexpensive method for determination...... exchange SPE. The procedure include first pre-condition of the column, then loading of the buffered samples (pH 5.0-7.5), washing with 0.5 M acetic acid and finally elution of the sample from the column by 0.5 M HCl. The concentration of arsenic is determined by HG-AAS using external standards. The method......Arsenic (As) is bioaccumulated from seawater to concentrations in the mg/kg range in marine animals. More than 50 naturally-occurring arsenic containing species, both inorganic and organic forms, have been identified in marine animals. The organic forms are mainly considered to be non...

  5. A biological indicator of inorganic arsenic exposure using the sum of urinary inorganic arsenic and monomethylarsonic acid concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hata, Akihisa; Kurosawa, Hidetoshi; Endo, Yoko; Yamanaka, Kenzo; Fujitani, Noboru; Endo, Ginji

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: The sum of urinary inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) concentrations is used for the biological monitoring of occupational iAs exposure. Although DMA is a major metabolite of iAs, it is an inadequate index because high DMA levels are present in urine after seafood consumption. We estimated the urinary iAs+MMA concentration corresponding to iAs exposure. Methods: We used data from two arsenic speciation analyses of urine samples from 330 Bangladeshi with oral iAs exposure and 172 Japanese workers without occupational iAs exposure using high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results: iAs, MMA, and DMA, but not arsenobetaine (AsBe), were detected in the urine of the Bangladeshi subjects. The correlation between iAs+MMA+DMA and iAs+MMA was obtained as log (iAs+MMA) = 1.038 log (iAs+MMA+DMA) -0.658. Using the regression formula, the iAs+MMA value was calculated as 2.15 and 7.5 μg As/l, corresponding to 3 and 10 μg As/m3 of exposures, respectively. In the urine of the Japanese workers, arsenic was mostly excreted as AsBe. We used the 95th percentile of iAs+MMA (12.6 μg As/l) as the background value. The sum of the calculated and background values can be used as a biological indicator of iAs exposure. Conclusion: We propose 14.8 and 20.1 μg As/l of urinary iAs+MMA as the biological indicators of 3 and 10 μg As/m3 iAs exposure, respectively. PMID:27010090

  6. Inorganic arsenic in Chinese food and its cancer risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Gang; Sun, Guo-Xin; Williams, Paul N; Nunes, Luis; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2011-10-01

    Even moderate arsenic exposure may lead to health problems, and thus quantifying inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure from food for different population groups in China is essential. By analyzing the data from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey (CNNHS) and collecting reported values of iAs in major food groups, we developed a framework of calculating average iAs daily intake for different regions of China. Based on this framework, cancer risks from iAs in food was deterministically and probabilistically quantified. The article presents estimates for health risk due to the ingestion of food products contaminated with arsenic. Both per individual and for total population estimates were obtained. For the total population, daily iAs intake is around 42 μg day(-1), and rice is the largest contributor of total iAs intake accounting for about 60%. Incremental lifetime cancer risk from food iAs intake is 106 per 100,000 for adult individuals and the median population cancer risk is 177 per 100,000 varying between regions. Population in the Southern region has a higher cancer risk than that in the Northern region and the total population. Sensitive analysis indicated that cancer slope factor, ingestion rates of rice, aquatic products and iAs concentration in rice were the most relevant variables in the model, as indicated by their higher contribution to variance of the incremental lifetime cancer risk. We conclude that rice may be the largest contributor of iAs through food route for the Chinese people. The population from the South has greater cancer risk than that from the North and the whole population. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Arsenic: bioaccessibility from seaweed and rice, dietary exposure calculations and risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandon, Esther F A; Janssen, Paul J C M; de Wit-Bos, Lianne

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic is a metalloid that occurs in food and the environment in different chemical forms. Inorganic arsenic is classified as a class I carcinogen. The inorganic arsenic intake from food and drinking water varies depending on the geographic arsenic background. Non-dietary exposure to arsenic is likely to be of minor importance for the general population within the European Union. In Europe, arsenic in drinking water is on average low, but food products (e.g. rice and seaweed) are imported from all over the world including from regions with naturally high arsenic levels. Therefore, specific populations living in Europe could also have a high exposure to inorganic arsenic due to their consumption pattern. Current risk assessment is based on exposure via drinking water. For a good estimation of the risks of arsenic in food, it is important to investigate if the bioavailability of inorganic arsenic from food is different from drinking water. The present study further explores the issue of European dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic via rice and seaweed and its associated health risks. The bioavailability of inorganic arsenic was measured in in vitro digestion experiments. The data indicate that the bioavailability of inorganic arsenic is similar for rice and seaweed compared with drinking water. The calculated dietary intake for specific European Union populations varied between 0.44 and 4.51 µg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹. The margins of exposure between the inorganic intake levels and the BMDL0.5 values as derived by JECFA are low. Decreasing the intake of inorganic arsenic via Hijiki seaweed could be achieved by setting legal limits similar to those set for rice by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in July 2014.

  8. Inorganic arsenic levels in tissues and ingesta of poisoned cattle: an eight-year survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatch, R C; Funnell, H S

    1969-05-01

    During the period 1959 to 1967, arsenic analyses were performed on food, liver and kidney tissue of 21 cattle which died of inorganic arsenic poisoning. The average levels of arsenic measured were: food 35.7 ppm; liver 14.0 ppm; and kidneys 13.3 ppm. Levels as low as 1.5 to 5.0 ppm and as high as 30.0 to 38.0 ppm were found in liver and kidney tissue of some of these cattle. There was a direct relationship between arsenic levels in food and levels in liver and kidney. The relationship between kidney arsenic levels and liver levels of the metal in the same animals was not significantly different from 1:1. Individual animal data varied considerably from the group averages. Diagnosis of arsenic poisoning requires details of the past history of the animal and an account of characteristic clinical signs and lesions observed at post-mortem examination, as well as a detectable level of the metal which may be as low as 1.5 to 5.0 ppm in the liver or kidneys.

  9. Urinary arsenic profiles reveal exposures to inorganic arsenic from private drinking water supplies in Cornwall, UK

    Science.gov (United States)

    Middleton, D. R. S.; Watts, M. J.; Hamilton, E. M.; Ander, E. L.; Close, R. M.; Exley, K. S.; Crabbe, H.; Leonardi, G. S.; Fletcher, T.; Polya, D. A.

    2016-05-01

    Private water supplies (PWS) in Cornwall, South West England exceeded the current WHO guidance value and UK prescribed concentration or value (PCV) for arsenic of 10 μg/L in 5% of properties surveyed (n = 497). In this follow-up study, the first of its kind in the UK, volunteers (n = 207) from 127 households who used their PWS for drinking, provided urine and drinking water samples for total As determination by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and urinary As speciation by high performance liquid chromatography ICP-MS (HPLC-ICP-MS). Arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 μg/L were found in the PWS of 10% of the volunteers. Unadjusted total urinary As concentrations were poorly correlated (Spearman’s ρ = 0.36 (P < 0.001)) with PWS As largely due to the use of spot urine samples and the dominance of arsenobetaine (AB) from seafood sources. However, the osmolality adjusted sum, U-AsIMM, of urinary inorganic As species, arsenite (AsIII) and arsenate (AsV), and their metabolites, methylarsonate (MA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA), was found to strongly correlate (Spearman’s ρ: 0.62 (P < 0.001)) with PWS As, indicating private water supplies as the dominant source of inorganic As exposure in the study population of PWS users.

  10. Chronic arsenic exposure increases TGFalpha concentration in bladder urothelial cells of Mexican populations environmentally exposed to inorganic arsenic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valenzuela, Olga L.; Germolec, Dori R.; Borja-Aburto, Victor H.; Contreras-Ruiz, Jose; Garcia-Vargas, Gonzalo G.; Razo, Luz M. del

    2007-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a well-established carcinogen and human exposure has been associated with a variety of cancers including those of skin, lung, and bladder. High expression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) has associated with local relapses in early stages of urinary bladder cancer. iAs exposures are at least in part determined by the rate of formation and composition of iAs metabolites (MAs III , MAs V , DMAs III , DMAs V ). This study examines the relationship between TGF-α concentration in exfoliated bladder urothelial cells (BUC) separated from urine and urinary arsenic species in 72 resident women (18-51 years old) from areas exposed to different concentrations of iAs in drinking water (2-378 ppb) in central Mexico. Urinary arsenic species, including trivalent methylated metabolites were measured by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry method. The concentration of TGF-α in BUC was measured using an ELISA assay. Results show a statistically significant positive correlation between TGF-α concentration in BUC and each of the six arsenic species present in urine. The multivariate linear regression analyses show that the increment of TGF-α levels in BUC was importantly associated with the presence of arsenic species after adjusting by age, and presence of urinary infection. People from areas with high arsenic exposure had a significantly higher TGF-α concentration in BUC than people from areas of low arsenic exposure (128.8 vs. 64.4 pg/mg protein; p < 0.05). Notably, exfoliated cells isolated from individuals with skin lesions contained significantly greater amount of TGF-α than cells from individuals without skin lesions: 157.7 vs. 64.9 pg/mg protein (p = 0.003). These results suggest that TGF-α in exfoliated BUC may serve as a susceptibility marker of adverse health effects on epithelial tissue in arsenic-endemic areas

  11. Non-chromatographic screening procedure for arsenic speciation analysis in fish-based baby foods by using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez-Garcia, Ignacio; Briceno, Marisol; Hernandez-Cordoba, Manuel

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Arsenic in fish-based food samples can be determined without the need of a dissolution stage. → Speciation of the main forms of arsenic in fish-based baby foods does not require chromatography. → The behavior of arsenic compounds in ETAAS strongly depends on the chemical modifier used. - Abstract: A procedure for the speciation analysis of arsenic in fish-based baby foods is presented. Inorganic arsenic, methylarsonic acid (MA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and arsenobetaine (AB) were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using suspensions prepared in a 0.01 mol L -1 tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. Speciation is based on the use of three different chemically modified ETAAS atomizers to obtain the analytical signals. Using a palladium salt as the chemical modifier, the signal corresponding to the total arsenic concentration is obtained. When palladium is replaced by Ce(IV), the signal is solely due to inorganic arsenic (III and V) + MA. If no signal is obtained in this latter case, it is possible to distinguish between DMA and AB using a zirconium coated atomizer. The signal obtained in this way is due solely to DMA, and the concentration of AB can be obtained by the difference with the total arsenic content. Determinations by ETAAS require the use of the standard additions method. The limits of detection for the determination of AB, DMA and inorganic arsenic (+MA) are 15, 25 and 50 ng g -1 expressed as arsenic, respectively. These detection limits are good enough for the procedure to be appropriate for the rapid determination of these compounds, avoiding extraction processes and/or chromatographic separations. Data for commercial samples, as well as for four standard reference materials, are given.

  12. Non-chromatographic screening procedure for arsenic speciation analysis in fish-based baby foods by using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lopez-Garcia, Ignacio; Briceno, Marisol [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, E-30071 Murcia (Spain); Hernandez-Cordoba, Manuel, E-mail: hcordoba@um.es [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, E-30071 Murcia (Spain)

    2011-08-05

    Highlights: {yields} Arsenic in fish-based food samples can be determined without the need of a dissolution stage. {yields} Speciation of the main forms of arsenic in fish-based baby foods does not require chromatography. {yields} The behavior of arsenic compounds in ETAAS strongly depends on the chemical modifier used. - Abstract: A procedure for the speciation analysis of arsenic in fish-based baby foods is presented. Inorganic arsenic, methylarsonic acid (MA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and arsenobetaine (AB) were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) using suspensions prepared in a 0.01 mol L{sup -1} tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. Speciation is based on the use of three different chemically modified ETAAS atomizers to obtain the analytical signals. Using a palladium salt as the chemical modifier, the signal corresponding to the total arsenic concentration is obtained. When palladium is replaced by Ce(IV), the signal is solely due to inorganic arsenic (III and V) + MA. If no signal is obtained in this latter case, it is possible to distinguish between DMA and AB using a zirconium coated atomizer. The signal obtained in this way is due solely to DMA, and the concentration of AB can be obtained by the difference with the total arsenic content. Determinations by ETAAS require the use of the standard additions method. The limits of detection for the determination of AB, DMA and inorganic arsenic (+MA) are 15, 25 and 50 ng g{sup -1} expressed as arsenic, respectively. These detection limits are good enough for the procedure to be appropriate for the rapid determination of these compounds, avoiding extraction processes and/or chromatographic separations. Data for commercial samples, as well as for four standard reference materials, are given.

  13. Accuracy of a method based on atomic absorption spectrometry to determine inorganic arsenic in food: Outcome of the collaborative trial IMEP-41

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fiamegkos, I.; Cordeiro, F.; Robouch, P.

    2016-01-01

    A collaborative trial was conducted to determine the performance characteristics of an analytical method for the quantification of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in food. The method is based on (i) solubilisation of the protein matrix with concentrated hydrochloric acid to denature proteins and allow...... (FI-HG-AAS). The seven test items used in this exercise were reference materials covering a broad range of matrices: mussels, cabbage, seaweed (hijiki), fish protein, rice, wheat, mushrooms, with concentrations ranging from 0.074 to 7.55 mg kg(-1). The relative standard deviation for repeatability...

  14. Preservation strategies for inorganic arsenic species in high iron, low-Ehgroundwater from West Bengal, India

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gault, Andrew G.; Polya, David A. [University of Manchester, Department of Earth Sciences and Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science, Manchester (United Kingdom); Jana, Joydeb; Chakraborty, Sudipto; Mukherjee, Partha; Sarkar, Mitali; Nath, Bibash; Chatterjee, Debashis [University of Kalyani, Department of Chemistry, Kalyani, (India)

    2005-01-01

    Despite the importance of accurately determining inorganic arsenic speciation in natural waters to predicting bioavailability and environmental and health impacts, there remains considerable debate about the most appropriate species preservation strategies to adopt. In particular, the high-iron, low-Eh(redox potential) shallow groundwaters in West Bengal, Bangladesh and SE Asia, the use of which for drinking and irrigation purposes has led to massive international concerns for human health, are particularly prone to changes in arsenic speciation after sampling. The effectiveness of HCl and EDTA preservation strategies has been compared and used on variably arsenic-rich West Bengali groundwater samples, analysed by ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS). Immediate filtration and acidification with HCl followed by refrigerated storage was found to be the most effective strategy for minimizing the oxidation of inorganic As(III) during storage. The use of a PRP-X100 (Hamilton) column with a 20 mmol L{sup -1} NH{sub 4}H{sub 2}PO{sub 4} as mobile phase enabled the separation of Cl{sup -} from As(III), monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid and As(V), thereby eliminating any isobaric interference between {sup 40}Ar{sup 35}Cl{sup +} and {sup 75}As{sup +}. The use of EDTA as a preservative, whose action is impaired by the high calcium concentrations typical of these types of groundwater, resulted in marked oxidation during storage. The use of HCl is therefore indicated for analytical methods in which chloride-rich matrices are not problematical. The groundwaters analysed by IC-ICP-MS were found to contain between 5 and 770 ng As mL{sup -1} exclusively as inorganic arsenic species. As(III)/total-As varied between 0 and 0.94. (orig.)

  15. Voltammetric methods for determination and speciation of inorganic arsenic in the environment-A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mays, Douglas E. [Centre for Clean Water and Sustainable Technologies, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 20120 (United States); Hussam, Abul, E-mail: ahussam@gmu.edu [Centre for Clean Water and Sustainable Technologies, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 20120 (United States)

    2009-07-30

    The measurement of inorganic arsenic in the environment has received considerable attention over the past 40+ years due to its toxicity and prevalence in drinking water. This paper provides an overview of voltammetric techniques used since 2001. More than fifty papers from refereed analytical chemistry journals on the speciation and measurement of inorganic arsenic (As(III) and As(V)) in practical and environmental samples are included. The present review shows that stripping voltammetry is a sensitive and inexpensive technique. The new approaches include development of novel measurement protocols through media variation, development and use of new boron doped diamond electrodes modified with metals, nano Au-modified electrodes on carbon or carbon nano-tubes, novel rotating disc and vibrating electrodes to enhance mass transfer, and modified Hg(l) and thin film Bi on carbon for cathodic stripping voltammetry are discussed. Although, majority of the papers were of exploratory in nature, the trend towards developing a commercial standalone instrument for field use is still in progress.

  16. Chronic inorganic arsenic exposure in vitro induces a cancer cell phenotype in human peripheral lung epithelial cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Person, Rachel J.; Olive Ngalame, Ntube N.; Makia, Ngome L.; Bell, Matthew W.; Waalkes, Michael P.; Tokar, Erik J., E-mail: tokare@niehs.nih.gov

    2015-07-01

    Inorganic arsenic is a human lung carcinogen. We studied the ability of chronic inorganic arsenic (2 μM; as sodium arsenite) exposure to induce a cancer phenotype in the immortalized, non-tumorigenic human lung peripheral epithelial cell line, HPL-1D. After 38 weeks of continuous arsenic exposure, secreted matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) activity increased to over 200% of control, levels linked to arsenic-induced cancer phenotypes in other cell lines. The invasive capacity of these chronic arsenic-treated lung epithelial (CATLE) cells increased to 320% of control and colony formation increased to 280% of control. CATLE cells showed enhanced proliferation in serum-free media indicative of autonomous growth. Compared to control cells, CATLE cells showed reduced protein expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN (decreased to 26% of control) and the putative tumor suppressor gene SLC38A3 (14% of control). Morphological evidence of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurred in CATLE cells together with appropriate changes in expression of the EMT markers vimentin (VIM; increased to 300% of control) and e-cadherin (CDH1; decreased to 16% of control). EMT is common in carcinogenic transformation of epithelial cells. CATLE cells showed increased KRAS (291%), ERK1/2 (274%), phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK; 152%), and phosphorylated AKT1 (p-AKT1; 170%) protein expression. Increased transcript expression of metallothioneins, MT1A and MT2A and the stress response genes HMOX1 (690%) and HIF1A (247%) occurred in CATLE cells possibly in adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure. Thus, arsenic induced multiple cancer cell characteristics in human peripheral lung epithelial cells. This model may be useful to assess mechanisms of arsenic-induced lung cancer. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure transforms a human peripheral lung epithelia cell line. • Cells acquire characteristics in common with human lung adenocarcinoma cells. • These transformed cells provide a

  17. Arsenic species excretion after dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid (DMPS) treatment of an acute arsenic trioxide poisoning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heinrich-Ramm, R. [Ordinariat fuer Arbeitsmedizin der Universitaet Hamburg und Zentralinstitut fuer Arbeitsmedizin, Hamburg (Germany); Schaller, K.H.; Angerer, J. [Institut und Poliklinik fuer Arbeits-, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin der Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Schillerstr. 25, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Horn, J. [Medizinische Klinik II, Toxikologische-internistische Intensivstation, Klinikum Nuernberg, Nuernberg (Germany)

    2003-02-01

    We studied the urinary excretion of the different arsenic species in urine samples from a young man who tried to commit suicide by ingesting about 0.6 g arsenic trioxide. He received immediate therapy with dimercaptopropanesulfonic acid (DMPS) after his delivery into the hospital. We assessed urinary arsenite (inorganic trivalent arsenic), arsenate (inorganic pentavalent arsenic), pentavalent dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and pentavalent monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in urine with ion-exchange chromatography and on-line hydride-technique atomic absorption spectrometry. The predominant amount of the excreted arsenic was unchanged trivalent inorganic arsenic (37.4%), followed by pentavalent inorganic arsenic (2.6%), MMA (2.1%), DMA (0.2%) and one unidentified arsenic species (0.7%, if calculated as DMA). In the first urine voiding in the clinic, the total arsenic concentration was 215 mg/l, which fell 1000-fold after 8 days of DMPS therapy. A most striking finding was the almost complete inhibition of the second methylation step in arsenic metabolism. As mechanisms for the reduced methylation efficiency, the saturation of the enzymatic process of arsenic methylation, the high dosage of antidote DMPS, which might inhibit the activity of the methyl transferases, and analytical reasons are discussed. The high dosage of DMPS is the most likely explanation. The patient left the hospital after a 12-day treatment with antidote. (orig.)

  18. Phycoremediation potential of brown macroalgae species Saccharina latissimi and Laminaria digitata towards inorganic arsenic in a multitrophic pilot-scale experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Cunha, Sara; Fernandes, José

    2017-01-01

    on the chemical species, where inorganic arsenic is considered to be the most toxic form of arsenic.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the phycoremediation capacity of the two brown seaweed species Sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) and Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) in a controlled multitrophic...

  19. Inorganic arsenic removal in rice bran by percolating cooking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Signes-Pastor, Antonio J; Carey, Manus; Meharg, Andrew A

    2017-11-01

    Rice bran, a by-product of milling rice, is highly nutritious but contains very high levels of the non-threshold carcinogen inorganic arsenic (i-As), at concentrations around 1mg/kg. This i-As content needs to be reduced to make rice bran a useful food ingredient. Evaluated here is a novel approach to minimizing rice bran i-As content which is also suitable for its stabilization namely, cooking bran in percolating arsenic-free boiling water. Up to 96% of i-As removal was observed for a range of rice bran products, with i-As removal related to the volume of cooking water used. This process reduced the copper, potassium, and phosphorus content, but had little effect on other trace- and macro-nutrient elements in the rice bran. There was little change in organic composition, as assayed by NIR, except for a decrease in the soluble sugar and an increase, due to biomass loss, in dietary fiber. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Fluxes of inorganic and organic arsenic species in a Norway spruce forest floor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, J.-H. [Department of Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth (Germany)], E-mail: jenhow.huang@uni-bayreuth.de; Matzner, Egbert [Department of Soil Ecology, University of Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth (Germany)

    2007-09-15

    To identify the role of the forest floor in arsenic (As) biogeochemistry, concentrations and fluxes of inorganic and organic As in throughfall, litterfall and forest floor percolates at different layers were investigated. Nearly 40% of total As{sub total} input (5.3 g As ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}) was retained in Oi layer, whereas As{sub total} fluxes from Oe and Oa layers exceeded the input by far (10.8 and 20 g As ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}, respectively). Except dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), fluxes of organic As decreased with depth of forest floor so that <10% of total deposition (all <0.3 g As ha{sup -1} yr{sup -1}) reached the mineral soil. All forest floor layers are sinks for most organic As. Conversely, Oe and Oa layers are sources of As{sub total}, arsenite, arsenate and DMA. Significant correlations (r {>=} 0.43) between fluxes of As{sub total}, arsenite, arsenate or DMA and water indicate hydrological conditions and adsorption-desorption as factors influencing their release from the forest floor. The higher net release of arsenite from Oe and Oa and of DMA from Oa layer in the growing than dormant season also suggests microbial influences on the release of arsenite and DMA. - The forest floor layers are generally a source for inorganic arsenic species but a sink for most organic arsenic species under the present deposition rate.

  1. Levels of infants' urinary arsenic metabolites related to formula feeding and weaning with rice products exceeding the EU inorganic arsenic standard.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio J Signes-Pastor

    Full Text Available Early childhood inorganic arsenic (i-As exposure is of particular concern since it may adversely impact on lifetime health outcomes. Infants' urinary arsenic (As metabolites were analysed in 79 infants by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometric detection (IC-ICP-MS to evaluate i-As exposure pre- and post-weaning. Levels of i-As in rice-based weaning and infants' foods were also determined to relate to urinary As levels. Higher As levels, especially of monomethylarsonic acid (MMA and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA, were found in urine from formula fed infants compared to those breastfed. Urine from infants post-weaning consuming rice-products resulted in higher urinary MMA and DMA compared to the paired pre-weaning urine samples. The European Union (EU has regulated i-As in rice since 1st January 2016. Comparing infants' rice-based foods before and after this date, little change was found. Nearly ¾ of the rice-based products specifically marketed for infants and young children contained i-As over the 0.1 mg/kg EU limit. Efforts should be made to provide low i-As rice and rice-based products consumed by infants and young children that do not exceed the maximum i-As level to protect this vulnerable subpopulation.

  2. Application of titanium dioxide in arsenic removal from water: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Xiaohong; Du, Juanshan; Meng, Xiaoguang; Sun, Yuankui; Sun, Bo; Hu, Qinghai

    2012-05-15

    Natural arsenic pollution is a global phenomenon and various technologies have been developed to remove arsenic from drinking water. The application of TiO(2) and TiO(2)-based materials in removing inorganic and organic arsenic was summarized. TiO(2)-based arsenic removal methods developed to date have been focused on the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of arsenite/organic arsenic to arsenate and adsorption of inorganic and organic arsenic. Many efforts have been taken to improve the performance of TiO(2) by either combing TiO(2) with adsorbents with good adsorption property in one system or developing bifunctional adsorbents with both great photocatalytic ability and high adsorption capacity. Attempts have also been made to immobilize fine TiO(2) particles on supporting materials like chitosan beads or granulate it to facilitate its separation from water. Among the anions commonly exist in groundwater, humic acid and bicarbonate have significant influence on TiO(2) photocatalyzed oxidation of As(III)/organic arsenic while phosphate, silicate, fluoride, and humic acid affect arsenic adsorption by TiO(2)-based materials. There has been a controversy over the TiO(2) PCO mechanisms of arsenite for the past 10 years but the adsorption mechanisms of inorganic and organic arsenic onto TiO(2)-based materials are relatively well established. Future needs in TiO(2)-based arsenic removal technology are proposed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Cancer from Exposure Inorganic Arsenic in Duplicate Food by Villagers in Ronphibun, Thailand

    OpenAIRE

    Piyawat Saipan

    2010-01-01

    Ronphibun district is a district in Nakorn Si Thammarat province, within southern Thailand. This district is the site of several former tin mines that were in operation 100 years ago. Arsenic contamination caused by past mining activities remains in the area. The specific purpose of this study was conducted to assess cancer risk in people living within Ronphibun district from exposure to inorganic arsenic via duplicate food using probabilistic risk assessment. A hundred and fifty duplicate fo...

  4. Correlation of Breastmilk Arsenic With Maternal, Infant Urinary Arsenic and Drinking Water Arsenic in an Arsenic Affected Area of Bangladesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alauddin, M.; Islam, M. R.; Milton, A. H.; Alauddin, S. T.; Mouly, T.; Behri, E.; Ayesha, A.; Akter, S.; Islam, M. M.

    2016-12-01

    About 97% of population in Bangladesh depend on groundwater as the principle source of drinking water and this water is highly contaminated with inorganic arsenic. Consumption of arsenic contaminated drinking water by pregnant women raises the prospect of early life exposure to inorganic arsenic for newborn which may be lead to adverse health effect in later life. This work was carried out in parts of Gopalganj district in Bangladesh, a region affected by arsenic contamination in groundwater. The objective of the work was to assess potential early life exposure to arsenic for infants through breastfeeding by mothers who were drinking water with arsenic levels ranging from 100 to 300 µg/l. A cohort of 30 mother-baby pairs were selected for the current study. Breastmilk samples from mothers, urine samples from each pair of subjects at 1, 6 and 9 month age of infant were collected and total arsenic were determined in these samples. In addition speciation of urinary arsenic and metabolites were carried out in 12 mother-baby pairs. Median level for breastmilk arsenic were 0.50 µg/l. Urinary arsenic of infants did not correlate with breastmilk arsenic with progressing age of infants. Maternal and infant urinary total arsenic at 1 month age of infant showed some positive correlation (r = 0.39). In infant urine major metabolite were dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA) (approximately 70%) indicating good methylating capacity for infants at 1 and 6 months of age. In conclusion, infants were not exposed to arsenic through breastfeeding even though mothers were exposed to significant levels of arsenic through drinking water.

  5. Characterization of intracellular inclusions in the urothelium of mice exposed to inorganic arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodmane, Puttappa R; Arnold, Lora L; Muirhead, David E; Suzuki, Shugo; Yokohira, Masanao; Pennington, Karen L; Dave, Bhavana J; Lu, Xiufen; Le, X Chris; Cohen, Samuel M

    2014-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a known human carcinogen at high exposures, increasing the incidences of urinary bladder, skin, and lung cancers. In most mammalian species, ingested iAs is excreted mainly through urine primarily as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)). In wild-type (WT) mice, iAs, DMA(V), and dimethylarsinous acid (DMA(III)) exposures induce formation of intramitochondrial urothelial inclusions. Arsenite (iAs(III)) also induced intranuclear inclusions in arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase knockout (As3mt KO) mice. The arsenic-induced formation of inclusions in the mouse urothelium was dose and time dependent. The inclusions do not occur in iAs-treated rats and do not appear to be related to arsenic-induced urothelial cytotoxicity. Similar inclusions in exfoliated urothelial cells from humans exposed to iAs have been incorrectly identified as micronuclei. We have characterized the urothelial inclusions using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), DNA-specific 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and non-DNA-specific Giemsa staining and determined the arsenical content. The mouse inclusions stained with Giemsa but not with the DAPI stain. Analysis of urothelial mitochondrial- and nuclear-enriched fractions isolated from WT (C57BL/6) and As3mt KO mice exposed to arsenate (iAs(V)) for 4 weeks showed higher levels of iAs(V) in the treated groups. iAs(III) was the major arsenical present in the enriched nuclear fraction from iAs(V)-treated As3mt KO mice. In conclusion, the urothelial cell inclusions induced by arsenicals appear to serve as a detoxifying sequestration mechanism similar to other metals, and they do not represent micronuclei.

  6. A need for determination of arsenic species at low levels in cereal-based food and infant cereals. Validation of a method by IC-ICPMS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorente-Mirandes, Toni; Calderón, Josep; Centrich, Francesc; Rubio, Roser; López-Sánchez, José Fermín

    2014-03-15

    The present study arose from the need to determine inorganic arsenic (iAs) at low levels in cereal-based food. Validated methods with a low limit of detection (LOD) are required to analyse these kinds of food. An analytical method for the determination of iAs, methylarsonic acid (MA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in cereal-based food and infant cereals is reported. The method was optimised and validated to achieve low LODs. Ion chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICPMS) was used for arsenic speciation. The main quality parameters were established. To expand the applicability of the method, different cereal products were analysed: bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals, wheat flour, corn snacks, pasta and infant cereals. The total and inorganic arsenic content of 29 cereal-based food samples ranged between 3.7-35.6 and 3.1-26.0 μg As kg(-1), respectively. The present method could be considered a valuable tool for assessing inorganic arsenic contents in cereal-based foods. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Speciation without chromatography using selective hydride generation: Inorganic arsenic in rice and samples of marine origin

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Musil, Stanislav; Pétursdóttir, A. H.; Raab, A.; Gunnlaugsdóttir, H.; Krupp, E.; Feldmann, J.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 86, č. 2 (2014), s. 993-999 ISSN 0003-2700 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) M200311271 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : inorganic arsenic * hydride generation * inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 5.636, year: 2014

  8. 76 FR 65217 - Inorganic Arsenic Standard; Extension of the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Approval of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-20

    ... effects of exposure to inorganic arsenic. II. Special Issues for Comment OSHA has a particular interest in... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Occupational Safety and Health Administration [Docket No. OSHA-2011-0186... Collection (Paperwork) Requirements AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Labor...

  9. Transplacental and early life exposure to inorganic arsenic affected development and behavior in offspring rats

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xi, Shuhua; Jin, Yaping; Sun, Guifan [China Medical University, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, Shenyang, Liaoning (China); Sun, Wenjuan; Wang, Fengzhi [Shenyang Medical College, Department of Preventive Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning (China)

    2009-06-15

    To evaluate the developmental neurotoxicity of arsenic in offspring rats by transplacental and early life exposure to sodium arsenite in drinking water, the pregnant rats or lactating dams, and weaned pups were given free access to drinking water, which contained arsenic at concentrations of 0, 10, 50, 100 mg/L from GD 6 until PND 42. A battery of physical and behavioral tests was applied to evaluate the functional outcome of pups. Pups in arsenic exposed groups weighed less than controls throughout lactation and weaning. Body weight of 10, 50 and 100 mg/L arsenic exposed groups decreased significantly on PND 42, 16 and 12, respectively. Physical development (pinna unfolding, fur appearance, incisor eruption, or eye opening) in pups displayed no significant differences between control and arsenic treated groups. The number of incidences within the 100 mg/L arsenic treated group, in tail hung, auditory startle and visual placing showed significant decrease compared to the control group (p<0.05). In square water maze test, the trained numbers to finish the trials successfully in 50 and 100 mg/L arsenic exposed groups increased remarkably compared to control group, and there was a dose-related increase (p<0.01) observed. Taken together, these data show that exposure of inorganic arsenite to pregnant dams and offspring pups at levels up to 100 mg/L in drinking water may affect their learning and memory functions and neuromotor reflex. (orig.)

  10. Titanium dioxide solid phase for inorganic species adsorption and determination: the case of arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vera, R; Fontàs, C; Anticó, E

    2017-04-01

    We have evaluated a new titanium dioxide (Adsorbsia As600) for the adsorption of both inorganic As (V) and As (III) species. In order to characterize the sorbent, batch experiments were undertaken to determine the capacities of As (III) and As (V) at pH 7.3, which were found to be 0.21 and 0.14 mmol g -1 , respectively. Elution of adsorbed species was only possible using basic solutions, and arsenic desorbed under batch conditions was 50 % when 60 mg of loaded titanium dioxide was treated with 0.5 M NaOH solution. Moreover, its use as a sorbent for solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of arsenic species from well waters has been investigated, without any previous pretreatment of the sample. Solid-phase extraction was implemented by packing several minicolumns with Adsorbsia As600. The method has been validated showing good accuracy and precision. Acceptable recoveries were obtained when spiked waters at 100-200 μg L -1 were measured. The presence of major anions commonly found in waters did not affect arsenic adsoption, and only silicate at 100 mg L -1 level severely competed with arsenic species to bind to the material. Finally, the measured concentrations in water samples containing arsenic from the Pyrinees (Catalonia, Spain) showed good agreement with the ICP-MS results.

  11. Speciation of dissolved inorganic arsenic by diffusive gradients in thin films

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bennett, William W.; Teasdale, Peter R.; Panther, Jared G.

    2011-01-01

    A diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique for selectively measuring As III utilizes commercially available 3-mercaptopropyl- functionalized silica gel. Deployment of the new technique alongside the Metsorb-DGT for total inorganic arsenic allows the calculation of As III directly and As V...... strength (0.0001-0.75 mol L -1 NaNO 3) and pH (3.5-8.5). Deployment of mercapto-silica DGT and Metsorb DGT in seawater spiked with As III and As V demonstrated the ability of the combined approach to accurately quantify both species in the presence of potential competing ions. Ferrihydrite DGT, which has...

  12. Elements in rice from the Swedish market: 1. Cadmium, lead and arsenic (total and inorganic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorhem, L; Astrand, C; Sundström, B; Baxter, M; Stokes, P; Lewis, J; Grawé, K Petersson

    2008-03-01

    A survey of the levels of cadmium, lead and arsenic in different types of rice available on the Swedish retail market was carried out in 2001--03. The types of rice included long and short grain, brown, white, and parboiled white rice. The mean levels found were as follows: total As: 0.20 mg kg(-1), inorganic As: 0.11 mg kg(-1); Cd: 0.024 mg kg(-1); and Pb: 0.004 mg kg(-1). ICP-MS was used for the determination of As (total and inorganic) after acid digestion. Lead and cadmium were determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) after dry ashing. In countries where rice is a staple food, it may represent a significant contribution in relation to the provisional tolerable weekly intake for Cd and inorganic As.

  13. Estimating Inorganic Arsenic Exposure from U.S. Rice and Total Water Intakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mantha, Madhavi; Yeary, Edward; Trent, John; Creed, Patricia A; Kubachka, Kevin; Hanley, Traci; Shockey, Nohora; Heitkemper, Douglas; Caruso, Joseph; Xue, Jianping; Rice, Glenn; Wymer, Larry; Creed, John T

    2017-05-30

    Among nonoccupationally exposed U.S. residents, drinking water and diet are considered primary exposure pathways for inorganic arsenic (iAs). In drinking water, iAs is the primary form of arsenic (As), while dietary As speciation techniques are used to differentiate iAs from less toxic arsenicals in food matrices. Our goal was to estimate the distribution of iAs exposure rates from drinking water intakes and rice consumption in the U.S. population and ethnic- and age-based subpopulations. The distribution of iAs in drinking water was estimated by population, weighting the iAs concentrations for each drinking water utility in the Second Six-Year Review data set. To estimate the distribution of iAs concentrations in rice ingested by U.S. consumers, 54 grain-specific, production-weighted composites of rice obtained from U.S. mills were extracted and speciated using both a quantitative dilute nitric acid extraction and speciation (DNAS) and an in vitro gastrointestinal assay to provide an upper bound and bioaccessible estimates, respectively. Daily drinking water intake and rice consumption rate distributions were developed using data from the What We Eat in America (WWEIA) study. Using these data sets, the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation (SHEDS) model estimated mean iAs exposures from drinking water and rice were 4.2 μg/day and 1.4 μg/day, respectively, for the entire U.S. population. The Tribal, Asian, and Pacific population exhibited the highest mean daily exposure of iAs from cooked rice (2.8 μg/day); the mean exposure rate for children between ages 1 and 2 years in this population is 0.104 μg/kg body weight (BW)/day. An average consumer drinking 1.5 L of water daily that contains between 2 and 3 ng iAs/mL is exposed to approximately the same amount of iAs as a mean Tribal, Asian, and Pacific consumer is exposed to from rice. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP418. Among nonoccupationally exposed U.S. residents, drinking water and diet are considered

  14. Determination of inorganic arsenic in white fish using microwave-assisted alkaline alcoholic sample dissolution and HPLC-ICP-MS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt; Engman, Joakim; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    2005-01-01

    An analytical method for the determination of inorganic arsenic in fish samples using HPLC-ICP-MS has been developed. The fresh homogenised sample was subjected to microwave-assisted dissolution by sodium hydroxide in ethanol, which dissolved the sample and quantitatively oxidised arsenite (As...

  15. Systematic review of differential inorganic arsenic exposure in minority, low-income, and indigenous populations in the United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is carcinogenic in humans and also associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, and skin diseases. Natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to low concentrations of iAs in water, food, soil, and air. Minority and low income populations are often at hig...

  16. Determination of dietary intake of total arsenic, inorganic arsenic and total mercury in the Chilean school meal program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastías, J M; Bermúdez, M; Carrasco, J; Espinoza, O; Muñoz, M; Galotto, M J; Muñoz, O

    2010-10-01

    The dietary intake of total arsenic (tAs), inorganic arsenic (iAs) and total mercury (tHg) in lunch and breakfast servings provided by the Chilean School Meal Program (SMP) was estimated, using the duplicate-portion variant of the total diet study. Lunch and breakfast samples were collected from 65 schools throughout the country in 2006. The population sample was a group of girls and boys between 6 and 18 years old. The tAs concentration was measured via hydride-generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The total mercury concentration was measured via cold-vapor atomic absorption spectroscopy. The estimated iAs intake was 12.5% (5.4 μg/day) of the Provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) as proposed by the FAO/WHO, and the tHg intake was 13.2% (1.9 μg/day) of the PTDI as proposed by the FAO/WHO. It was therefore concluded that tAs, iAs and tHg intake from food provided by the SMP do not pose risks to student health.

  17. Comparative phytotoxicity of methylated and inorganic arsenic- and antimony species to Lemna minor, Wolffia arrhiza and Selenastrum capricornutum

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Duester, L.; van der Geest, H.G.; Moelleken, S.; Hirner, A.V.; Kueppers, K.

    2011-01-01

    The alkylation of metalloids through the transfer of methyl groups is an important factor in the biogeochemical cycling of elements like arsenic and antimony. In the environment, many different organic and inorganic forms of these elements can therefore be found in soils, sediments or organisms.

  18. Mouse arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase genotype affects metabolism and tissue dosimetry of arsenicals after arsenite administration in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Baowei; Arnold, Lora L; Cohen, Samuel M; Thomas, David J; Le, X Chris

    2011-12-01

    Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (As3mt) catalyzes methylation of inorganic arsenic (iAs) producing a number of methylated arsenic metabolites. Although methylation has been commonly considered a pathway for detoxification of arsenic, some highly reactive methylated arsenicals may contribute to toxicity associated with exposure to inorganic arsenic. Here, adult female wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and female As3mt knockout (KO) mice received drinking water that contained 1, 10, or 25 ppm (mg/l) of arsenite for 33 days and blood, liver, kidney, and lung were taken for arsenic speciation. Genotype markedly affected concentrations of arsenicals in tissues. Summed concentrations of arsenicals in plasma were higher in WT than in KO mice; in red blood cells, summed concentrations of arsenicals were higher in KO than in WT mice. In liver, kidney, and lung, summed concentrations of arsenicals were greater in KO than in WT mice. Although capacity for arsenic methylation is much reduced in KO mice, some mono-, di-, and tri-methylated arsenicals were found in tissues of KO mice, likely reflecting the activity of other tissue methyltransferases or preabsorptive metabolism by the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract. These results show that the genotype for arsenic methylation determines the phenotypes of arsenic retention and distribution and affects the dose- and organ-dependent toxicity associated with exposure to inorganic arsenic.

  19. Urinary arsenic metabolism in a Western Chinese population exposed to high-dose inorganic arsenic in drinking water: Influence of ethnicity and genetic polymorphisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Songbo; Wu, Jie; Li, Yuanyuan; Liu, Yan; Gao, Yanhui; Yao, Feifei; Qiu, Chuanying; Song, Li; Wu, Yu; Liao, Yongjian; Sun, Dianjun

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the differences in urinary arsenic metabolism patterns of individuals exposed to a high concentration of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water, an epidemiological investigation was conducted with 155 individuals living in a village where the arsenic concentration in the drinking water was 969 μg/L. Blood and urine samples were collected from 66 individuals including 51 cases with skin lesions and 15 controls without skin lesions. The results showed that monomethylated arsenic (MMA), the percentage of MMA (%MMA) and the ratio of MMA to iAs (MMA/iAs) were significantly increased in patients with skin lesions as compared to controls, while dimethylated arsenic (DMA), the percentage of DMA (%DMA) and the ratio of DMA to MMA (DMA/MMA) were significantly reduced. The percent DMA of individuals with the Ala/Asp genotype of glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) was significantly lower than those with Ala/Ala. The percent MMA of individuals with the A2B/A2B genotype of arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) was significantly lower than those with AB/A2B. The iAs and total arsenic (tAs) content in the urine of a Tibetan population were significantly higher than that of Han and Hui ethnicities, whereas MMA/iAs was significantly lower than that of Han and Hui ethnicities. Our results showed that when exposed to the same arsenic environment, different individuals exhibited different urinary arsenic metabolism patterns. Gender and ethnicity affect these differences and above polymorphisms may be effectors too. - Highlights: • We first survey a village with high iAs content in the drinking water (969 μg/L). • 90 villagers suffered typical skin lesions with a morbidity rate of 58%. • Cases exhibited higher %MMA and MMA/iAs, and lower %DMA and DMA/MMA than controls. • Gender and ethnicity affect the differences of iAs methylation metabolism levels. • GSTO1 and AS3MT gene polymorphisms may be factors too

  20. Urinary arsenic metabolism in a Western Chinese population exposed to high-dose inorganic arsenic in drinking water: Influence of ethnicity and genetic polymorphisms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Songbo [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Wu, Jie [Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081 (China); Li, Yuanyuan [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Liu, Yan [Department of Health Statistics, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081 (China); Gao, Yanhui; Yao, Feifei [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Qiu, Chuanying [Dongcheng District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100009 (China); Song, Li; Wu, Yu [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Liao, Yongjian [Gansu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 730020 (China); Sun, Dianjun, E-mail: hrbmusdj@163.com [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China)

    2014-01-01

    To investigate the differences in urinary arsenic metabolism patterns of individuals exposed to a high concentration of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water, an epidemiological investigation was conducted with 155 individuals living in a village where the arsenic concentration in the drinking water was 969 μg/L. Blood and urine samples were collected from 66 individuals including 51 cases with skin lesions and 15 controls without skin lesions. The results showed that monomethylated arsenic (MMA), the percentage of MMA (%MMA) and the ratio of MMA to iAs (MMA/iAs) were significantly increased in patients with skin lesions as compared to controls, while dimethylated arsenic (DMA), the percentage of DMA (%DMA) and the ratio of DMA to MMA (DMA/MMA) were significantly reduced. The percent DMA of individuals with the Ala/Asp genotype of glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) was significantly lower than those with Ala/Ala. The percent MMA of individuals with the A2B/A2B genotype of arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) was significantly lower than those with AB/A2B. The iAs and total arsenic (tAs) content in the urine of a Tibetan population were significantly higher than that of Han and Hui ethnicities, whereas MMA/iAs was significantly lower than that of Han and Hui ethnicities. Our results showed that when exposed to the same arsenic environment, different individuals exhibited different urinary arsenic metabolism patterns. Gender and ethnicity affect these differences and above polymorphisms may be effectors too. - Highlights: • We first survey a village with high iAs content in the drinking water (969 μg/L). • 90 villagers suffered typical skin lesions with a morbidity rate of 58%. • Cases exhibited higher %MMA and MMA/iAs, and lower %DMA and DMA/MMA than controls. • Gender and ethnicity affect the differences of iAs methylation metabolism levels. • GSTO1 and AS3MT gene polymorphisms may be factors too.

  1. Inorganic species of arsenic in soil solution determined by microcartridges and ferrihydrite-based diffusive gradient in thin films (DGT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Jiménez, Eduardo; Six, Laetitia; Williams, Paul N; Smolders, Erik

    2013-01-30

    The bioavailability of soil arsenic (As) is determined by its speciation in soil solution, i.e., arsenite [As(III)] or arsenate [As(V)]. Soil bioavailability studies require suitable methods to cope with small volumes of soil solution that can be speciated directly after sampling, and thereby minimise any As speciation change during sample collection. In this study, we tested a self-made microcartridge to separate both As species and compared it to a commercially available cartridge. In addition, the diffusive gradient in thin films technique (DGT), in combination with the microcartridges, was applied to synthetic solutions and to a soil spiked with As. This combination was used to improve the assessment of available inorganic As species with ferrihydrite(FH)-DGT, in order to validate the technique for environmental analysis, mainly in soils. The self-made microcartridge was effective in separating As(III) from As(V) in solution with detection by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) in volumes of only 3 ml. The DGT study also showed that the FH-based binding gels are effective for As(III) and As(V) assessment, in solutions with As and P concentrations and ionic strength commonly found in soils. The FH-DGT was tested on flooded and unflooded As spiked soils and recoveries of As(III) and As(V) were 85-104% of the total dissolved As. This study shows that the DGT with FH-based binding gel is robust for assessing inorganic species of As in soils. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Hydride generation ICP-MS as a simple method for determination of inorganic arsenic in rice for routine biomonitoring

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pétursdóttir, Á. H.; Friedrich, N.; Musil, Stanislav; Raab, A.; Gunnlaugsdóttir, H.; Krupp, E. M.; Feldmann, J.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 14 (2014), s. 5392-5396 ISSN 1759-9660 Grant - others:GA AV ČR(CZ) M200311271 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : inorganic arsenic * hydride generation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry * rice samples Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 1.821, year: 2014

  3. Evaluation of the Content of Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth, Selenium, Tellurium and Their Inorganic Forms in Commercially Baby Foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-de-Cenzano, M; Rochina-Marco, A; Cervera, M L; de la Guardia, M

    2017-12-01

    Baby foods, from the Spanish market and prepared from meat, fish, vegetables, cereals, legumes, and fruits, were analyzed to obtain the concentration of antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), bismuth (Bi), and tellurium (Te) as toxic elements and selenium (Se) as essential element. An analytical procedure was employed based on atomic fluorescence spectroscopy which allowed to obtain accurate data at low levels of concentration. Values of 14 commercial samples, expressed in nanograms per gram fresh weight, ranged for Sb 0.66-6.9, As 4.5-242, Te 1.35-2.94, Bi 2.18-4.79, and Se 5.4-109. Additionally, speciation studies were performed based on data from a non-chromatographic screening method. It was concluded that tellurium and bismuth were mainly present as inorganic forms and selenium as organic form, and antimony and arsenic species depend on the ingredients of each baby food. Risk assessment considerations were made by comparing dietary intake of the aforementioned elements through the consumption of one baby food portion a day and recommended or tolerable guideline values.

  4. Ground water pollution by arsenic and its effects on health. Involvement of metabolic methylation in arsenic-induced genetic damage and tumorigenesis; Muki hiso no mechiru ka taisha to idenshi shogaisei narabini shuyo yuhatsusei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamanaka, K. [Nihon Univ., Tokyo (Japan)] Okada, S. [Shizuoka Prefecture (Japan)

    1997-07-10

    Drinking water contamination has become a worldwide problem. It is pointed out that re-evaluation of genetic damage with carcinogen is considered as an important problem particularly arsenic`s effects on health. To explain the genetic damage development mechanism of arsenic compound, results of the research conducted on the action of arsenic compound which develops during metabolic methylation process and inorganic arsenic are explained in this paper. The results of the study are summarized as follows. Arsenic genetic damage mutation is caused by dimethyl arsenic in main metabolism than inorganic arsenic. Lung DNA damage is induced by the interaction of O2 and arsenic peroxide radical. Dimethyl arsenic shows very important effect on lung cancer formation process which is induced based on 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO). It not only promotes lung cancer but it also plays an important role in malignant tumor`s mutation. 25 refs., 2 figs.

  5. Development and validation of an SPE HG-AAS method for determination of inorganic arsenic in samples of marine origin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg; Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt

    2012-01-01

    The present paper describes a novel method for the quantitative determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in food and feed of marine origin. The samples were subjected to microwave-assisted extraction using diluted hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, which solubilised the analytes and oxidised...

  6. TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (AS) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (ASV)

    Science.gov (United States)

    TISSUE DISTRIBUTION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (iAs) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (AsV). E M Kenyon1, L M Del Razo2, and M F Hughes1. 1NHEERL, ORD, US EPA, RTP, NC, USA; 2CINVESTAV-IPN, Mexico City, Mexico.The relationship o...

  7. Determination of total inorganic arsenic in potable water through spectroscopy of atomic absorption with generation of hydride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Roman, Susan; Barquero, M.

    2000-01-01

    Arsenic is an element that has been studied in the analysis of environmental samples for its toxicity showed in very low concentrations. The objective of this work is the validation of a method for the determination of total inorganic arsenic in drinking water. Through the spectrophotometric technique of atomic absorption an automatic system of flow injection for the generation of hydrides is used. The prereduction of Arsenic was made with potasium iodide 1,5% m/v and ascorbic acid 0.25% m/v dissolved in hydrochloric acid 3,7% m/v. The recuperation percentage of the method was 97 ± 3% in a dynamic range to 30 μg/L. The detection limit was 0,7 μg/L established over 0,5 mL of sample. The samples analyzed were found under the set limits of normative in Costa Rica of 10 μg/L. (author) [es

  8. Effects of different inorganic arsenic species in Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae) tissues after short-time exposure: Bioaccumulation, biotransformation and biological responses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ventura-Lima, Juliane; Fattorini, Daniele; Regoli, Francesco; Monserrat, Jose M.

    2009-01-01

    Differences in the toxicological and metabolic pathway of inorganic arsenic compounds are largely unknown for aquatic species. In the present study the effects of short-time and acute exposure to As III and As V were investigated in gills and liver of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae), measuring accumulation and chemical speciation of arsenic, and the activity of glutathione-S-transferase omega (GST Ω), the rate limiting enzyme in biotransformation of inorganic arsenic. Oxidative biomarkers included antioxidant defenses (total glutathione-S-transferases, glutathione reductase, glutathione, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), total scavenging capacity toward peroxyl radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement and lipid peroxidation products. A marked accumulation of arsenic was observed only in gills of carps exposed to 1000 ppb As V . Also in gills, antioxidant responses were mostly modulated through a significant induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity which probably contributed to reduce ROS formation; however this increase was not sufficient to prevent lipid peroxidation. No changes in metal content were measured in liver of exposed carps, characterized by lower activity of GST Ω compared to gills. On the other hand, glutathione metabolism was more sensitive in liver tissue, where a significant inhibition of glutathione reductase was concomitant with increased levels of glutathione and higher total antioxidant capacity toward peroxyl radicals, thus preventing lipid peroxidation and ROS production. The overall results of this study indicated that exposure of C. carpio to As III and As V can induce different responses in gills and liver of this aquatic organism. - Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) presented marked differences between gills and liver after arsenic exposure in terms of antioxidant responses and also in biotransformation.

  9. Speciation of arsenic in rice and estimation of daily intake of different arsenic species by Brazilians through rice consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batista, Bruno L; Souza, Juliana M O; De Souza, Samuel S; Barbosa, Fernando

    2011-07-15

    Rice is an important source of essential elements. However, rice may also contain toxic elements such as arsenic. Therefore, in the present study, the concentration of total arsenic and five main chemical species of arsenic (As(3+), As(5+), DMA, MMA and AsB) were evaluated in 44 different rice samples (white, parboiled white, brown, parboiled brown, parboiled organic and organic white) from different Brazilian regions using high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). The mean level of total arsenic was 222.8 ng g(-1) and the daily intake of inorganic arsenic (the most toxic form) from rice consumption was estimated as 10% of the Provisional Tolerable Daily Intake (PTDI) with a daily ingestion of 88 g of rice. Inorganic arsenic (As(3+), As(5+)) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) are the predominant forms in all samples. The percentages of species were 38.7; 39.7; 3.7 and 17.8% for DMA, As(3+), MMA and As(5+), respectively. Moreover, rice samples harvested in the state of Rio Grande do Sul presented more fractions of inorganic arsenic than rice in Minas Gerais or Goiás, which could lead to different risks of arsenic exposure. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. A Pilot Study: The importance of inter-individual differences in inorganic arsenic metabolism for birth weight outcome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelmann, Elyssa R; Gurzau, Eugen; Gurzau, Anca; Goessler, Walter; Kunrath, Julie

    2013-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure is detrimental to birth outcome. We lack information regarding the potential for iAs metabolism to affect fetal growth. Our pilot study evaluated postpartum Romanian women with known birth weight outcome for differences in iAs metabolism. Subjects were chronically exposed to low-to-moderate drinking water iAs. We analyzed well water, arsenic metabolites in urine, and toenail arsenic. Urine iAs and metabolites, toenail iAs, and secondary methylation efficiency increased as an effect of exposure (piAs and metabolites showed a significant interaction effect between exposure and birth weight. Moderately exposed women with low compared to normal birth weight outcome had greater metabolite excretion (piAs >9μg/L (p=0.019). Metabolic partitioning of iAs toward excretion may impair fetal growth. Prospective studies on iAs excretion before and during pregnancy may provide a biomarker for poor fetal growth risk. PMID:24211595

  11. Inorganic arsenic –spe hg–aas method for rice tested in-house and collaboratively

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Rie Romme; Qian, Yiting; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    2013-01-01

    and is one of the major contributors to the iAs exposure in many countries. The work presented here describes the development, validation and application of a simple and inexpensive method for inorganic arsenic (iAs) determination in rice samples. The separation of iAs from organoarsenic compounds (MA...... sample extracts (pH 6±1) followed by selective elution of arsenate from a strong anion exchange SPE cartridge enabled the selective iAs quantification by HG-AAS, measuring total arsenic (As) in the SPE eluate. The in-house validation gave mean recoveries of 101–106 % for spiked rice samples and in two...... and DMA) was done by off-line solidphase extraction (SPE) followed by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) detection. Water bath heating (90 °C, 60 min) of samples with dilute nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide solubilised and oxidized all iAs to arsenate (AsV). Loading of buffered...

  12. Inorganic Arsenic Induces NRF2-Regulated Antioxidant Defenses in Both Cerebral Cortex and Hippocampus in Vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yang; Duan, Xiaoxu; Li, Jinlong; Zhao, Shuo; Li, Wei; Zhao, Lu; Li, Wei; Nie, Huifang; Sun, Guifang; Li, Bing

    2016-08-01

    Inorganic arsenic is reported to induce the reactive oxygen species-mediated oxidative stress, which is supposed to be one of the main mechanisms of arsenic-related neurological diseases. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), a master regulator of antioxidant defense systems, up-regulates the expression of target genes to fight against oxidative damages caused by harmful substances, including metals. In the present study, mice were used as a model to investigate the oxidative stress levels and the expressions of NRF2-regulated antioxidant substances in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus with 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg NaAsO2 exposure intra-gastrically. Our results showed that acute NaAsO2 treatment resulted in decreased total anti-oxidative capacity (T-AOC) and increased maleic dialdehyde production in the nervous system. We also detected rapidly elevation of NRF2 protein levels by enhancement of Nrf2 transcription, especially at 20 mg/kg NaAsO2 exposure group. In the meantime, mRNA and protein levels of Nrf2 encoding antioxidant enzymes heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), NAD(P)H: quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were consistently elevated time- and dose-dependently both in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Taken together, the presence study demonstrated the activation of NRF2 pathway, an early antioxidant defensive response, in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus upon inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure in vivo. A better knowledge on the roles of NRF2 pathway in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis would be helpful for the strategies on improvement of neurotoxicity related to this metalloid.

  13. Inorganic arsenic causes fatty liver and interacts with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease in zebrafish

    OpenAIRE

    Kathryn Bambino; Chi Zhang; Christine Austin; Chitra Amarasiriwardena; Manish Arora; Jaime Chu; Kirsten C. Sadler

    2018-01-01

    The rapid increase in fatty liver disease (FLD) incidence is attributed largely to genetic and lifestyle factors; however, environmental toxicants are a frequently overlooked factor that can modify the effects of more common causes of FLD. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with liver disease in humans and animal models, but neither the mechanism of action nor the combinatorial interaction with other disease-causing factors has been fully investigated. Here, we examined...

  14. Effects of different inorganic arsenic species in Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae) tissues after short-time exposure: Bioaccumulation, biotransformation and biological responses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ventura-Lima, Juliane [Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS (Brazil); Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Fisiologicas - Fisiologia Animal Comparada (FURG), Rio Grande, RS (Brazil); Fattorini, Daniele; Regoli, Francesco [Istituto di Biologia e Genetica, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, 60100, Ancona (Italy); Monserrat, Jose M., E-mail: josemmonserrat@pesquisador.cnpq.b [Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG, Rio Grande, RS (Brazil); Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Ciencias Fisiologicas - Fisiologia Animal Comparada (FURG), Rio Grande, RS (Brazil)

    2009-12-15

    Differences in the toxicological and metabolic pathway of inorganic arsenic compounds are largely unknown for aquatic species. In the present study the effects of short-time and acute exposure to As{sup III} and As{sup V} were investigated in gills and liver of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae), measuring accumulation and chemical speciation of arsenic, and the activity of glutathione-S-transferase omega (GST OMEGA), the rate limiting enzyme in biotransformation of inorganic arsenic. Oxidative biomarkers included antioxidant defenses (total glutathione-S-transferases, glutathione reductase, glutathione, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase), total scavenging capacity toward peroxyl radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS) measurement and lipid peroxidation products. A marked accumulation of arsenic was observed only in gills of carps exposed to 1000 ppb As{sup V}. Also in gills, antioxidant responses were mostly modulated through a significant induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity which probably contributed to reduce ROS formation; however this increase was not sufficient to prevent lipid peroxidation. No changes in metal content were measured in liver of exposed carps, characterized by lower activity of GST OMEGA compared to gills. On the other hand, glutathione metabolism was more sensitive in liver tissue, where a significant inhibition of glutathione reductase was concomitant with increased levels of glutathione and higher total antioxidant capacity toward peroxyl radicals, thus preventing lipid peroxidation and ROS production. The overall results of this study indicated that exposure of C. carpio to As{sup III} and As{sup V} can induce different responses in gills and liver of this aquatic organism. - Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) presented marked differences between gills and liver after arsenic exposure in terms of antioxidant responses and also in biotransformation.

  15. Urinary Arsenic Metabolites of Subjects Exposed to Elevated Arsenic Present in Coal in Shaanxi Province, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Linsheng Yang

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available In contrast to arsenic (As poisoning caused by naturally occurring inorganic arsenic-contaminated water consumption, coal arsenic poisoning (CAP induced by elevated arsenic exposure from coal combustion has rarely been reported. In this study, the concentrations and distributions of urinary arsenic metabolites in 57 volunteers (36 subjects with skin lesions and 21 subjects without skin lesions, who had been exposed to elevated levels of arsenic present in coal in Changshapu village in the south of Shaanxi Province (China, were reported. The urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic (iAs [arsenite (iAsIII and arsenate (iAsV], monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV, were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC combined with inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS. The relative distributions of arsenic species, the primary methylation index (PMI = MMAV/iAs and the secondary methylation index (SMI = DMAV/MMAV were calculated to assess the metabolism of arsenic. Subjects with skin lesions had a higher concentration of urinary arsenic and a lower arsenic methylation capability than subjects without skin lesions. Women had a significantly higher methylation capability of arsenic than men, as defined by a higher percent DMAV and SMI in urine among women, which was the one possible interpretation of women with a higher concentration of urinary arsenic but lower susceptibility to skin lesions. The findings suggested that not only the dose of arsenic exposure but also the arsenic methylation capability have an impact on the individual susceptibility to skin lesions induced by coal arsenic exposure.

  16. Arsenic exposure, urinary arsenic speciation, and peripheral vascular disease in blackfoot disease-hyperendemic villages in Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tseng, C.-H.; Huang, Y.-K.; Huang, Y.-L.; Chung, C.-J.; Yang, M.-H.; Chen, C.-J.; Hsueh, Y.-M.

    2005-01-01

    Long-term exposure to ingested inorganic arsenic is associated with peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in the blackfoot disease (BFD)-hyperendemic area in Taiwan. This study further examined the interaction between arsenic exposure and urinary arsenic speciation on the risk of PVD. A total of 479 (220 men and 259 women) adults residing in the BFD-hyperendemic area were studied. Doppler ultrasound was used to diagnose PVD. Arsenic exposure was estimated by an index of cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE). Urinary levels of total arsenic, inorganic arsenite (As III ) and arsenate (As V ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V ), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V ) were determined. Primary methylation index [PMI = MMA V /(As III + As V )] and secondary methylation index (SMI = DMA V /MMA V ) were calculated. The association between PVD and urinary arsenic parameters was evaluated with consideration of the interaction with CAE and the confounding effects of age, sex, body mass index, total cholesterol, triglycerides, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption. Results showed that aging was associated with a diminishing capacity to methylate inorganic arsenic and women possessed a more efficient arsenic methylation capacity than men did. PVD risk increased with a higher CAE and a lower capacity to methylate arsenic to DMA V . The multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for CAE of 0, 0.1-15.4, and >15.4 mg/L x year were 1.00, 3.41 (0.74-15.78), and 4.62 (0.96-22.21), respectively (P 6.93, PMI > 1.77 and SMI > 6.93, PMI > 1.77 and SMI ≤ 6.93, and PMI ≤ 1.77 and SMI ≤ 6.93 were 1.00, 2.93 (0.90-9.52), 2.85 (1.05-7.73), and 3.60 (1.12-11.56), respectively (P V have a higher risk of developing PVD in the BFD-hyperendemic area in Taiwan

  17. Inorganic Arsenic?Related Changes in the Stromal Tumor Microenvironment in a Prostate Cancer Cell?Conditioned Media Model

    OpenAIRE

    Shearer, Joseph J.; Wold, Eric A.; Umbaugh, Charles S.; Lichti, Cheryl F.; Nilsson, Carol L.; Figueiredo, Marxa L.

    2015-01-01

    Background: The tumor microenvironment plays an important role in the progression of cancer by mediating stromal?epithelial paracrine signaling, which can aberrantly modulate cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis. Exposure to environmental toxicants, such as inorganic arsenic (iAs), has also been implicated in the progression of prostate cancer. Objective: The role of iAs exposure in stromal signaling in the tumor microenvironment has been largely unexplored. Our objective was to elucidate...

  18. Urinary arsenic profile affects the risk of urothelial carcinoma even at low arsenic exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pu, Y.-S.; Yang, S.-M.; Huang, Y.-K.; Chung, C.-J.; Huang, Steven K.; Chiu, Allen Wen-Hsiang; Yang, M.-H.; Chen, C.-J.; Hsueh, Y.-M.

    2007-01-01

    Arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of urothelial carcinoma (UC). To explore the association between individual risk and urinary arsenic profile in subjects without evident exposure, 177 UC cases and 313 age-matched controls were recruited between September 2002 and May 2004 for a case-control study. Urinary arsenic species including the following three categories, inorganic arsenic (As III + As V ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V ) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V ), were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Arsenic methylation profile was assessed by percentages of various arsenic species in the sum of the three categories measured. The primary methylation index (PMI) was defined as the ratio between MMA V and inorganic arsenic. Secondary methylation index (SMI) was determined as the ratio between DMA V and MMA V . Smoking is associated with a significant risk of UC in a dose-dependent manner. After multivariate adjustment, UC cases had a significantly higher sum of all the urinary species measured, higher percent MMA V , lower percent DMA V , higher PMI and lower SMI values compared with controls. Smoking interacts with the urinary arsenic profile in modifying the UC risk. Differential carcinogenic effects of the urinary arsenic profile, however, were seen more prominently in non-smokers than in smokers, suggesting that smoking is not the only major environmental source of arsenic contamination since the UC risk differs in non-smokers. Subjects who have an unfavorable urinary arsenic profile have an increased UC risk even at low exposure levels

  19. Concentrations and chemical species of arsenic in human urine and hair

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamato, Naohisa (St. Marianna Univ. School of Medicine, Kawasaki (Japan))

    1988-05-01

    Because marine products are rich in arsenic, the concentration of arsenic in the human urine varies greatly with the state of ingestion of marine products. It has been revealed that inorganic arsenic is methylated in the human body to form MAA (methylarsonic acid) and DMAA (dimethylarsinic acid). It appears therefore that the arsenic present in the human urine is a mixture of the arsenic originating from marine products and the arsenic metabolized in vivo. Recent studies have shown that inorganic arsenic and methylarsenic compounds are quite different in toxicity and effect on the living body due to their difference in chemical species. Finding the chemical species of arsenic in the urine and hair of normal subjects will therefore provide valuable basal data for the biological monitoring of arsenic exposure and for toxicological studies of arsenic.

  20. Inorganic arsenic in seafood: does the extraction method matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pétursdóttir, Ásta H; Gunnlaugsdóttir, Helga; Krupp, Eva M; Feldmann, Jörg

    2014-05-01

    Nine different extraction methods were evaluated for three seafood samples to test whether the concentration of inorganic arsenic (iAs) determined in seafood is dependent on the extraction method. Certified reference materials (CRM) DOLT-4 (Dogfish Liver) and TORT-2 (Lobster Hepatopancreas), and a commercial herring fish meal were evaluated. All experimental work described here was carried out by the same operator using the same instrumentation, thus eliminating possible differences in results caused by laboratory related factors. Low concentrations of iAs were found in CRM DOLT-4 (0.012±0.003mgkg(-1)) and the herring fish meal sample (0.007±0.002mgkg(-1)) for all extraction methods. When comparing the concentration of iAs in CRM TORT-2 found in this study and in the literature dilute acids, HNO3 and HCl, showed the highest extracted iAs wheras dilute NaOH (in 50% ethanol) showed significantly lower extracted iAs. However, most other extraction solvents were not statistically different from one another. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Environmental biochemistry of arsenic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamaki, S.; Frankenberger, W.T. Jr. (Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside (United States))

    1992-01-01

    Microorganisms are involved in the redistribution and global cycling of arsenic. Arsenic can accumulate and can be subject to various biotransformations including reduction, oxidation, and methylation. Bacterial methylation of inorganic arsenic is coupled to the methane biosynthetic pathway in methanogenic bacteria under anaerobic conditions and may be a mechanism for arsenic detoxification. The pathway proceeds by reduction of arsenate to arsenite followed by methylation to dimethylarsine. Fungi are also able to transform inorganic and organic arsenic compounds into volatile methylarsines. The pathway proceeds aerobically by arsenate reduction to arsenite followed by several methylation steps producing trimethylarsine. Volatile arsine gases are very toxic to mammals because they destroy red blood cells (LD50 in rats; 3.0 mg kg-1). Further studies are needed on dimethylarsine and trimethylarsine toxicity tests through inhalation of target animals. Marine algae transform arsenate into non-volatile methylated arsenic compounds (methanearsonic and dimethylarsinic acids) in seawater. This is considered to be a beneficial step not only to the primary producers, but also to the higher trophic levels, since non-volatile methylated arsenic is much less toxic to marine invertebrates. Freshwater algae like marine algae synthesize lipid-soluble arsenic compounds and do not produce volatile methylarsines. Aquatic plants also synthesize similar lipid-soluble arsenic compounds. In terrestrial plants, arsenate is preferentially taken up 3 to 4 times the rate of arsenite. In the presence of phosphate, arsenate uptake is inhibited while in the presence of arsenate, phosphate uptake is only slightly inhibited. There is a competitive interaction between arsenate and phosphate for the same uptake system in terrestrial plants.

  2. Concentrations and speciation of arsenic in groundwater polluted by warfare agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daus, Birgit; Hempel, Michael; Wennrich, Rainer; Weiss, Holger

    2010-01-01

    Groundwater polluted with phenylarsenicals from former warfare agent deposits and their metabolites was investigated with respect to the behavior of relevant arsenic species. Depth profiles at the estimated source and at about 1 km downgradient from the source zone were sampled. The source zone is characterized by high total arsenic concentrations up to 16 mg L -1 and is dominated by organic arsenic compounds. The concentrations in the downgradient region are much lower (up to 400 μg L -1 ) and show a high proportion of inorganic arsenic species. Iron precipitation seems to be an effective mechanism to prevent dispersion of inorganic arsenic as well as phenylarsonic acid. Reductive conditions were observed in the deeper zone with predominant occurrence of trivalent arsenic species. The inorganic species are in redox equilibrium, whereas the phenylarsenic compounds have variable proportions. Methylphenylarsinic acid was identified in groundwater in traces which indicates microbial degradation activity. - The environmental fate and behavior of phenylarsenicals in groundwater are influenced by the geochemical environment.

  3. Concentrations and speciation of arsenic in groundwater polluted by warfare agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daus, Birgit, E-mail: birgit.daus@ufz.d [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Groundwater Remediation, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Hempel, Michael [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Groundwater Remediation, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Wennrich, Rainer [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany); Weiss, Holger [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Groundwater Remediation, Permoserstrasse 15, 04318 Leipzig (Germany)

    2010-11-15

    Groundwater polluted with phenylarsenicals from former warfare agent deposits and their metabolites was investigated with respect to the behavior of relevant arsenic species. Depth profiles at the estimated source and at about 1 km downgradient from the source zone were sampled. The source zone is characterized by high total arsenic concentrations up to 16 mg L{sup -1} and is dominated by organic arsenic compounds. The concentrations in the downgradient region are much lower (up to 400 {mu}g L{sup -1}) and show a high proportion of inorganic arsenic species. Iron precipitation seems to be an effective mechanism to prevent dispersion of inorganic arsenic as well as phenylarsonic acid. Reductive conditions were observed in the deeper zone with predominant occurrence of trivalent arsenic species. The inorganic species are in redox equilibrium, whereas the phenylarsenic compounds have variable proportions. Methylphenylarsinic acid was identified in groundwater in traces which indicates microbial degradation activity. - The environmental fate and behavior of phenylarsenicals in groundwater are influenced by the geochemical environment.

  4. Urinary arsenic speciation and its correlation with 8-OHdG in Chinese residents exposed to arsenic through coal burning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, X.; Pi, J.B.; Li, B.; Xu, Y.Y.; Jin, Y.P.; Sun, G.F. [China Medical University, Shenyang (China). Dept. for Occupational & Environmental Health

    2008-10-15

    In contrast to arsenicosis caused by consumption of water contaminated by naturally occurring inorganic arsenic, human exposure to this metalloid through coal burning has been rarely reported. In this study, arsenic speciation and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in urine were determined in the Chinese residents exposed to arsenic through coal burning in Guizhou, China, an epidemic area of chronic arsenic poisoning caused by coal burning. The urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and total arsenic (tAs) of high-arsenic exposed subjects were significantly higher than those of low-arsenic exposed residents. A biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, urinary 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in high-arsenic exposed subjects than that of low exposed. Significant positive correlations were found between 8-OHdG levels and concentrations of iAs, MMA, DMA and tAs, respectively. In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between 8-OHdG levels and the secondary methylation ratio (DMA/(MMA + DMA)). The results suggest that chronic arsenic exposure through burning coal rich in arsenic is associated with oxidative DNA damages, and that secondary methylation capacity is potentially related to the susceptibility of individuals to oxidative DNA damage induced by arsenic exposure through coal burning in domestic living.

  5. Speciation and Localization of Arsenic in White and Brown Rice Grains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meharg, Andrew A.; Lombi, Enzo; Williams, Paul N.; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Feldmann, Joerg; Raab, Andrea; Zhu, Yongguan; Islam, Rafiql (EPA); (Bangladesh); (UCopenhagen); (Aberdeen); (Chinese Aca. Sci.)

    2008-06-30

    Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence (S-XRF) was utilized to locate arsenic (As) in polished (white) and unpolished (brown) rice grains from the United States, China, and Bangladesh. In white rice As was generally dispersed throughout the grain, the bulk of which constitutes the endosperm. In brown rice As was found to be preferentially localized at the surface, in the region corresponding to the pericarp and aleurone layer. Copper, iron, manganese, and zinc localization followed that of arsenic in brown rice, while the location for cadmium and nickel was distinctly different, showing relatively even distribution throughout the endosperm. The localization of As in the outer grain of brown rice was confirmed by laser ablation ICP?MS. Arsenic speciation of all grains using spatially resolved X-ray absorption near edge structure (?-XANES) and bulk extraction followed by anion exchange HPLC?ICP?MS revealed the presence of mainly inorganic As and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). However, the two techniques indicated different proportions of inorganic:organic As species. A wider survey of whole grain speciation of white (n = 39) and brown (n = 45) rice samples from numerous sources (field collected, supermarket survey, and pot trials) showed that brown rice had a higher proportion of inorganic arsenic present than white rice. Furthermore, the percentage of DMA present in the grain increased along with total grain arsenic.

  6. Urinary arsenic speciation profile in ethnic group of the Atacama desert (Chile) exposed to variable arsenic levels in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yáñez, Jorge; Mansilla, Héctor D; Santander, I Paola; Fierro, Vladimir; Cornejo, Lorena; Barnes, Ramón M; Amarasiriwardena, Dulasiri

    2015-01-01

    Ethnic groups from the Atacama Desert (known as Atacameños) have been exposed to natural arsenic pollution for over 5000 years. This work presents an integral study that characterizes arsenic species in water used for human consumption. It also describes the metabolism and arsenic elimination through urine in a chronically exposed population in northern Chile. In this region, water contained total arsenic concentrations up to 1250 μg L(-1), which was almost exclusively As(V). It is also important that this water was ingested directly from natural water sources without any treatment. The ingested arsenic was extensively methylated. In urine 93% of the arsenic was found as methylated arsenic species, such as monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)]. The original ingested inorganic species [As(V)], represent less than 1% of the total urinary arsenic. Methylation activity among individuals can be assessed by measuring primary [inorganic As/methylated As] and secondary methylation [MMA/DMA] indexes. Both methylation indexes were 0.06, indicating a high biological converting capability of As(V) into MMA and then MMA into DMA, compared with the control population and other arsenic exposed populations previously reported.

  7. Study on the toxic effects induced by different arsenicals in primary cultured rat astroglia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin Yaping; Sun Guifan; Li Xin; Li Gexin; Lu Chunwei; Qu Long

    2004-01-01

    Arsenic toxicity is a global health problem affecting millions of people. The objectives of this study were to determine if the toxic effects on primary cultured rat astroglia would be induced by different arsenicals. Based on alamarBlue assay and the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE, comet assay), the cell viability and DNA damage in the cells exposed to different arsenicals were evaluated. Treatment of astroglia with methylated arsenicals, that is, pentavalent monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV), resulted in no obvious changes in cell viability and DNA damage at micromolar concentrations. However, treatment of astroglia with inorganic arsenicals, that is, arsenite and arsenate, caused decreased cell viability and increased DNA damage at micromolar levels, and showing a dose-related decrease in mean alamarBlue reduced rate and a dose-related increase in mean comet length. Our study is therefore highly suggestive for a link between inorganic exposure and cellular toxicity or DNA damage. Based on the results of this study, the toxic effects induced by arsenite were stronger than those induced by arsenate

  8. Inorganic arsenic contents in ready-to-eat rice products and various Korean rice determined by a highly sensitive gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Mun Yhung; Kang, Ju Hee; Jung, Hyun Jeong; Ma, Sang Yong

    2018-02-01

    Rice and rice products have been reported to contain high contents of toxic inorganic arsenic (iAs). The inorganic arsenic contents in microwavable ready-to-eat rice products (n=30) and different types of Korean rice (n=102) were determined by a gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The method showed low limit of detection (0.015pg), high intra- and inter-day repeatability (ready-to-eat rice products was 59μgkg -1 (dry weight basis). The mean iAs contents in polished white, brown, black, and waxy rice were 65, 109, 91, and 66μgkg -1 , respectively. The percentages of ready-to-eat rice products, white, brown, black, and waxy rice containing iAs over the maximum level (100μgkg -1 ) set by EU for the infant foods were 17, 4, 70, 36 and 0%, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Inorganic arsenic represses interleukin-17A expression in human activated Th17 lymphocytes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morzadec, Claudie; Macoch, Mélinda; Robineau, Marc; Sparfel, Lydie [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France); Fardel, Olivier [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France); Pôle Biologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Rennes, 2 rue Henri Le Guilloux, 35033 Rennes (France); Vernhet, Laurent, E-mail: laurent.vernhet@univ-rennes1.fr [UMR INSERM U1085, Institut de Recherche sur la Santé, l' Environnement et le Travail (IRSET), Université de Rennes 1, 2 avenue du Professeur Léon Bernard, 35043 Rennes (France)

    2012-08-01

    Trivalent inorganic arsenic [As(III)] is an efficient anticancer agent used to treat patients suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia. Recently, experimental studies have clearly demonstrated that this metalloid can also cure lymphoproliferative and/or pro-inflammatory syndromes in different murine models of chronic immune-mediated diseases. T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 lymphocytes play a central role in development of these diseases, in mice and humans, especially by secreting the potent pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-γ and IL-17A, respectively. As(III) impairs basic functions of human T cells but its ability to modulate secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by differentiated Th lymphocytes is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that As(III), used at concentrations clinically achievable in plasma of patients, has no effect on the secretion of interferon-γ from Th1 cells but almost totally blocks the expression and the release of IL-17A from human Th17 lymphocytes co-stimulated for five days with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies, in the presence of differentiating cytokines. In addition, As(III) specifically reduces mRNA levels of the retinoic-related orphan receptor (ROR)C gene which encodes RORγt, a key transcription factor controlling optimal IL-17 expression in fully differentiated Th17 cells. The metalloid also blocks initial expression of IL-17 gene induced by the co-stimulation, probably in part by impairing activation of the JNK/c-Jun pathway. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that As(III) represses expression of the major pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-17A produced by human Th17 lymphocytes, thus strengthening the idea that As(III) may be useful to treat inflammatory immune-mediated diseases in humans. -- Highlights: ► Arsenic inhibits secretion of IL-17A from human naïve and memory Th17 lymphocytes. ► Arsenic represses early expression of IL-17A gene in human activated T lymphocytes. ► Arsenic interferes with activation of

  10. Exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with increased mitochondrial DNA copy number and longer telomere length in peripheral blood.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syeda Shegufta Ameer

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs through drinking water causes cancer. Alterations in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn and telomere length in blood have been associated with cancer risk. We elucidated if arsenic exposure alters mtDNAcn and telomere length in individuals with different arsenic metabolizing capacity.Methods: We studied two groups in the Salta province, Argentina, one in the Puna area of the Andes (N=264, 89% females and one in Chaco (N=169, 75% females. We assessed arsenic exposure as the sum of arsenic metabolites [iAs, methylarsonic acid (MMA, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA] in urine (U-As using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hydride generation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Efficiency of arsenic metabolism was expressed as percentage of urinary metabolites. MtDNAcn and telomere length were determined in blood by real-time PCR. Results: Median U-As was 196 (5 - 95 percentile: 21 - 537 µg/L in Andes and 80 (5 - 95 percentile: 15 - 1637 µg/L in Chaco. The latter study group had less-efficient metabolism, with higher %iAs and %MMA in urine compared with the Andean group. U-As was significantly associated with increased mtDNAcn (log2 transformed to improve linearity in Chaco (β=0.027 per 100 µg/L, p=0.0085; adjusted for age and sex, but not in Andes (β=0.025, p=0.24. U-As was also associated with longer telomere length in Chaco (β=0.016, p=0.0066 and Andes (β=0.0075, p=0.029. In both populations, individuals with above median %iAs showed significantly higher mtDNAcn and telomere length compared with individuals with below median %iAs. Conclusions: Arsenic was associated with increased mtDNAcn and telomere length, particularly in individuals with less-efficient arsenic metabolism, a group who may have increased risk for arsenic-related cancer.

  11. Size-fractionation of groundwater arsenic in alluvial aquifers of West Bengal, India: the role of organic and inorganic colloids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majumder, Santanu; Nath, Bibhash; Sarkar, Simita; Chatterjee, Debashis; Roman-Ross, Gabriela; Hidalgo, Manuela

    2014-01-15

    Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and Fe mineral phases are known to influence the mobility of arsenic (As) in groundwater. Arsenic can be associated with colloidal particles containing organic matter and Fe. Currently, no data is available on the dissolved phase/colloidal association of As in groundwater of alluvial aquifers in West Bengal, India. This study investigated the fractional distribution of As (and other metals/metalloids) among the particulate, colloidal and dissolved phases in groundwater to decipher controlling behavior of organic and inorganic colloids on As mobility. The result shows that 83-94% of As remained in the 'truly dissolved' phases (i.e., 0.05 μm size) colloidal particles, which indicates the close association of As with larger Fe-rich inorganic colloids. In smaller (i.e., <0.05 μm size) colloidal particles strong positive correlation is observed between As and DOC (r(2)=0.85), which highlights the close association of As with smaller organic colloids. As(III) is mainly associated with larger inorganic colloids, whereas, As(V) is associated with smaller organic/organometallic colloids. Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirm the association of As with DOC and Fe mineral phases suggesting the formation of dissolved organo-Fe complexes and colloidal organo-Fe oxide phases. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy further confirms the formation of As-Fe-NOM organometallic colloids, however, a detailed study of these types of colloids in natural waters is necessary to underpin their controlling behavior. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Transplacental exposure to inorganic arsenic at a hepatocarcinogenic dose induces fetal gene expression changes in mice indicative of aberrant estrogen signaling and disrupted steroid metabolism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jie; Xie Yaxiong; Cooper, Ryan; Ducharme, Danica M.K.; Tennant, Raymond; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.; Waalkes, Michael P.

    2007-01-01

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic in utero in C3H mice produces hepatocellular carcinoma in male offspring when they reach adulthood. To help define the molecular events associated with the fetal onset of arsenic hepatocarcinogenesis, pregnant C3H mice were given drinking water containing 0 (control) or 85 ppm arsenic from day 8 to 18 of gestation. At the end of the arsenic exposure period, male fetal livers were removed and RNA isolated for microarray analysis using 22K oligo chips. Arsenic exposure in utero produced significant (p < 0.001) alterations in expression of 187 genes, with approximately 25% of aberrantly expressed genes related to either estrogen signaling or steroid metabolism. Real-time RT-PCR on selected genes confirmed these changes. Various genes controlled by estrogen, including X-inactive-specific transcript, anterior gradient-2, trefoil factor-1, CRP-ductin, ghrelin, and small proline-rich protein-2A, were dramatically over-expressed. Estrogen-regulated genes including cytokeratin 1-19 and Cyp2a4 were over-expressed, although Cyp3a25 was suppressed. Several genes involved with steroid metabolism also showed remarkable expression changes, including increased expression of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-7 (HSD17β7; involved in estradiol production) and decreased expression of HSD17β5 (involved in testosterone production). The expression of key genes important in methionine metabolism, such as methionine adenosyltransferase-1a, betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase and thioether S-methyltransferase, were suppressed. Thus, exposure of mouse fetus to inorganic arsenic during a critical period in development significantly alters the expression of various genes encoding estrogen signaling and steroid or methionine metabolism. These alterations could disrupt genetic programming at the very early life stage, which could impact tumor formation much later in adulthood

  13. Airborne arsenic and urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites during boiler cleaning operations in a Slovak coal-fired power plant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yager, J.W.; Hicks, J.B.; Fabianova, N. [EPRI, Palo Alto, CA (United States). Environment Group

    1997-08-01

    Little information is available on the relationship between occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic in coal fly ash and urinary excretion of arsenic metabolites. This study was undertaken in a coal-fired power plant in Slovakia during a routine maintenance outage. Arsenic was measured in the breathing zone of workers during 5 consecutive workdays, and urine samples were obtained for analysis of arsenic metabolites-inorganic arsenic (As), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) prior to the start of each shift. Results from a small number of cascade impacter air samples indicated that approximately 90% of total particle mass and arsenic was present in particle size fractions {ge} 3.5 {mu}m. The 8-hr time-weighted average (TWA) mean arsenic air concentration was 48.3 {mu}g/m{sup 3} (range 0.17-375.2) and the mean sum of urinary arsenic (Sigma As) metabolites was 16.9 {mu}g As/g creatinine (range 2.6-50.8). For an 8-hr TWA of 10 {mu}g/m{sup 3} arsenic from coal fly ash, the predicted mean concentration f the Sigma As urinary metabolites was 13.2 {mu}g As/g creatinine. Comparisons with previously published studies of exposure to arsenic trioxide vapors and dusts in copper smelters suggest that bioavailability of arsenic from airborne coal fly ash (as indicated by urinary excretion) is about one-third that seen in smelters and similar settings. Arsenic compound characteristics, matrix composition, and particle size distribution probably play major roles in determining actual uptake of airborne arsenic.

  14. Arsenic in rice: A cause for concern

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hojsak, Iva; Braegger, Christian; Bronsky, Jiri

    2015-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic intake is likely to affect long-term health. High concentrations are found in some rice-based foods and drinks widely used in infants and young children. In order to reduce exposure we recommend avoidance of rice drinks for infants and young children. For all rice products, stri...

  15. Trace speciation analysis of arsenic in beverages

    OpenAIRE

    Fajgarová, Aneta

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this bachelor thesis was to determine the toxicologically important arsenic species in beverages (beer, wine and apple juice) with minimal sample preparation. Determination of arsenic species was performed by selective hydride generation of arsenic hydrides with cryogenic collection under liquid nitrogen and detection by atomic absorption spectrometry. In all the samples only inorganic arsenic was found, methyl substituted species were below the limit of detection. The method is su...

  16. Determination of inorganic arsenic in algae using bromine halogenation and on-line nonpolar solid phase extraction followed by hydride generation atomic flourescence spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Accurate, stable and fast analysis of toxic inorganic arsenic (iAs) in complicated and arsenosugar-rich algae matrix is always a challenge. Herein, a novel analytical method for iAs in algae was reported, using bromine halogenation and on-line nonpolar solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by hydrid...

  17. Metallothionein blocks oxidative DNA damage induced by acute inorganic arsenic exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qu, Wei, E-mail: qu@niehs.nih.gov; Waalkes, Michael P.

    2015-02-01

    We studied how protein metallothionein (MT) impacts arsenic-induced oxidative DNA damage (ODD) using cells that poorly express MT (MT-I/II double knockout embryonic cells; called MT-null cells) and wild-type (WT) MT competent cells. Arsenic (as NaAsO{sub 2}) was less cytolethal over 24 h in WT cells (LC{sub 50} = 11.0 ± 1.3 μM; mean ± SEM) than in MT-null cells (LC{sub 50} = 5.6 ± 1.2 μM). ODD was measured by the immuno-spin trapping method. Arsenic (1 or 5 μM; 24 h) induced much less ODD in WT cells (121% and 141% of control, respectively) than in MT-null cells (202% and 260%). In WT cells arsenic caused concentration-dependent increases in MT expression (transcript and protein), and in the metal-responsive transcription factor-1 (MTF-1), which is required to induce the MT gene. In contrast, basal MT levels were not detectable in MT-null cells and unaltered by arsenic exposure. Transfection of MT-I gene into the MT-null cells markedly reduced arsenic-induced ODD levels. The transport genes, Abcc1 and Abcc2 were increased by arsenic in WT cells but either showed no or very limited increases in MT-null cells. Arsenic caused increases in oxidant stress defense genes HO-1 and GSTα2 in both WT and MT-null cells, but to much higher levels in WT cells. WT cells appear more adept at activating metal transport systems and oxidant response genes, although the role of MT in these responses is unclear. Overall, MT protects against arsenic-induced ODD in MT competent cells by potential sequestration of scavenging oxidant radicals and/or arsenic. - Highlights: • Metallothionein blocks arsenic toxicity. • Metallothionein reduces arsenic-induced DNA damage. • Metallothionein may bind arsenic or radicals produced by arsenic.

  18. Total inorganic arsenic detection in real water samples using anodic stripping voltammetry and a gold-coated diamond thin-film electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Yang; Swain, Greg M

    2007-06-12

    An accurate method for total inorganic arsenic determination in real water samples was developed using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and a Au-coated boron-doped diamond thin-film electrode. Keys to the method are the use of a conducting diamond platform and solid phase extraction for sample preparation. In the method, the As(III) present in the sample is first detected by DPASV. The As(V) present is then reduced to As(III) by reaction with Na2SO3 and this is followed by a second detection of As(III) by DPASV. Interfering metal ions (e.g., Cu(II)) that cause decreased electrode response sensitivity for arsenic in real samples are removed by solid phase extraction as part of the sample preparation. For example, Cu(II) caused a 30% decrease in the As stripping peak current at a solution concentration ratio of 3:1 (Cu(II)/As(III)). This loss was mitigated by passage of the solution through a Chelex 100 cation exchange resin. After passage, only a 5% As stripping current response loss was seen. The effect of organic matter on the Au-coated diamond electrode response for As(III) was also evaluated. Humic acid at a 5 ppm concentration caused only a 9% decrease in the As stripping peak charge for Au-coated diamond. By comparison, a 50% response decrease was observed for Au foil. Clearly, the chemical properties of the diamond surface in the vicinity of the metal deposits inhibit molecular adsorption on at least some of the Au surface. The method provided reproducible and accurate results for total inorganic arsenic in two contaminated water samples provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The total inorganic As concentration in the two samples, quantified by the standard addition method, was 23.2+/-2.9 ppb for UV plant influent water and 16.4+/-0.9 ppb for Well 119 water (n=4). These values differed from the specified concentrations by less than 4%.

  19. Total inorganic arsenic detection in real water samples using anodic stripping voltammetry and a gold-coated diamond thin-film electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Yang; Swain, Greg M.

    2007-01-01

    An accurate method for total inorganic arsenic determination in real water samples was developed using differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) and a Au-coated boron-doped diamond thin-film electrode. Keys to the method are the use of a conducting diamond platform and solid phase extraction for sample preparation. In the method, the As(III) present in the sample is first detected by DPASV. The As(V) present is then reduced to As(III) by reaction with Na 2 SO 3 and this is followed by a second detection of As(III) by DPASV. Interfering metal ions (e.g., Cu(II)) that cause decreased electrode response sensitivity for arsenic in real samples are removed by solid phase extraction as part of the sample preparation. For example, Cu(II) caused a 30% decrease in the As stripping peak current at a solution concentration ratio of 3:1 (Cu(II)/As(III)). This loss was mitigated by passage of the solution through a Chelex 100 cation exchange resin. After passage, only a 5% As stripping current response loss was seen. The effect of organic matter on the Au-coated diamond electrode response for As(III) was also evaluated. Humic acid at a 5 ppm concentration caused only a 9% decrease in the As stripping peak charge for Au-coated diamond. By comparison, a 50% response decrease was observed for Au foil. Clearly, the chemical properties of the diamond surface in the vicinity of the metal deposits inhibit molecular adsorption on at least some of the Au surface. The method provided reproducible and accurate results for total inorganic arsenic in two contaminated water samples provided by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The total inorganic As concentration in the two samples, quantified by the standard addition method, was 23.2 ± 2.9 ppb for UV plant influent water and 16.4 ± 0.9 ppb for Well 119 water (n = 4). These values differed from the specified concentrations by less than 4%

  20. INORGANIC ARSENIC SPECIATION IN THE ATMOSPHERE: STUDY IN ISFAHAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A KALANTARI

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Arsenic is one of the most hazardous elements that associate with airborne particulate matter in the atmosphere. Among the different species of arsenic, ASIII has the most toxic and carcinogenic property between any other kind of this element. Arsenic speciation is important in environmental studies. Methods. We collected 59 samples of airborne particulate matter from the atmosphere in Isfahan in a three months period by a high volume air sampler with a flow rate of 1 m3 min-1. Air particulates were collected on the paper filter (Whatman No.41. Four different digestive procedures were examined in order to find the best method. At last we chose digestion of filter with HCI (10-4N due to its feasibility, cost benefit and efficacy. Other methods that examined were digestion of filter with a mixture of HN03 and H2O2, with a mixture of HNO3 and H2O2 and with HCI (1 N. The determination of As3+ and As5+ concentrations were performed by hydrIde generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The effect of Ph on the absorption signal was also investigated in arsenic speciation. Results. Average of total saspended particles (TSP in July, August, and September 1998 were 223, 172, and 247 mg.m3 respectively. The recovery of arsenic from airborne particulate matter was almost the same for the different digestion methods. The concentration and volume of NaBH4 was optimized for determining of different species of arsenic. At pH=5, Asv didn't produce any absorption signal. So, the determination of ASm was carried out easilyat the above mentioned pH. The concentrations of total arsenic were determined in 47 samples. The mean concentrations of total arsenic in July, August and September were 3.31, 2.01 and 2.6, respectively. Discussion. More than 50 percent of total atmospheric arsenic exists as ASIII which is the most toxic and carcinogenic forms of this element. So, it is recommended to make a suitable policy for decreasing of this hazardous

  1. Mean total arsenic concentrations in chicken 1989-2000 and estimated exposures for consumers of chicken.

    OpenAIRE

    Lasky, Tamar; Sun, Wenyu; Kadry, Abdel; Hoffman, Michael K

    2004-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to estimate mean concentrations of total arsenic in chicken liver tissue and then estimate total and inorganic arsenic ingested by humans through chicken consumption. We used national monitoring data from the Food Safety and Inspection Service National Residue Program to estimate mean arsenic concentrations for 1994-2000. Incorporating assumptions about the concentrations of arsenic in liver and muscle tissues as well as the proportions of inorganic and organic a...

  2. Speciation of arsenic and mercury in feed: why and how?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    2011-01-01

    The understanding of the mechanisms of biological activities and biotransformation of trace elements such as arsenic and mercury has improved during recent years with the help of chemical speciation studies. However, the most important practical application of elemental speciation is in the area ...... in feed as well as initiatives for the establishment of standardized methods for determination of inorganic arsenic and methylmercury are presented.......The understanding of the mechanisms of biological activities and biotransformation of trace elements such as arsenic and mercury has improved during recent years with the help of chemical speciation studies. However, the most important practical application of elemental speciation is in the area...... of toxicology. Toxicological knowledge on the individual trace element species can lead to more specific legislation of hazardous substances found in feed. Examples here are arsenic, where the inorganic forms are the most toxic, and mercury, where the organic form methylmercury is more toxic than inorganic...

  3. Toxicological effects of arsenic exposure in a freshwater teleost fish ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    High concentration of arsenic in groundwater in the north-eastern states of India has become a major cause of concern. Inorganic arsenic of geological origin is found in groundwater used as drinking-water in several parts of the world. Arsenic is used in various industries and agriculture and excessive arsenic finds its way ...

  4. Survey of inorganic arsenic in marine animals and marine certified reference materials by anion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sloth, Jens Jørgen; Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt; Julshamn, Kåre

    2005-01-01

    , bivalves, and marine mammals as well as a range of marine certified reference materials, and the results were compared to values published in the literature. For fish and marine mammals, the results were in most cases below the limit of detection. For other sample types, inorganic arsenic concentrations up...

  5. Groundwater arsenic in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotter, Jason T; Lacey, Steven E; Lopez, Ramon; Socoy Set, Genaro; Khodadoust, Amid P; Erdal, Serap

    2014-09-01

    In the Municipality of Chimaltenango, Guatemala, we sampled groundwater for total inorganic arsenic. In total, 42 samples were collected from 27 (43.5%) of the 62 wells in the municipality, with sites chosen to achieve spatial representation throughout the municipality. Samples were collected from household faucets used for drinking water, and sent to the USA for analysis. The only site found to have a concentration above the 10 μg/L World Health Organization provisional guideline for arsenic in drinking water was Cerro Alto, where the average concentration was 47.5 μg/L. A health risk assessment based on the arsenic levels found in Cerro Alto showed an increase in noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks for residents as a result of consuming groundwater as their primary drinking water source. Using data from the US Geological Survey and our global positioning system data of the sample locations, we found Cerro Alto to be the only site sampled within the tertiary volcanic rock layer, a known source of naturally occurring arsenic. Recommendations were made to reduce the levels of arsenic found in the community's drinking water so that the health risks can be managed.

  6. Automated atomic absorption spectrometric determination of total arsenic in water and streambed materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fishman, M.

    1977-01-01

    An automated method to determine both inorganic and organic forms of arsenic In water, water-suspended mixtures, and streambed materials Is described. Organic arsenic-containing compounds are decomposed by either ultraviolet radiation or by suHurlc acid-potassium persulfate digestion. The arsenic liberated, with Inorganic arsenic originally present, is reduced to arsine with sodium borohydrlde. The arable Is stripped from the solution with the aid of nitrogen and Is then decomposed In a tube furnace heated to 800 ??C which Is placed in the optical path of an atomic absorption spectrometer. Thirty samples per hour can be analyzed to levels of 1 ??g arsenic per liter.

  7. Blood Pressure Associated with Arsenic Methylation and Arsenic Metabolism Caused by Chronic Exposure to Arsenic in Tube Well Water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Bing Gan; Ye, Bi Xiong; Yu, Jiang Ping; Yang, Lin Sheng; Li, Hai Rong; Xia, Ya Juan; Wu, Ke Gong

    2017-05-01

    The effects of arsenic exposure from drinking water, arsenic metabolism, and arsenic methylation on blood pressure (BP) were observed in this study. The BP and arsenic species of 560 participants were determined. Logistic regression analysis was applied to estimate the odds ratios of BP associated with arsenic metabolites and arsenic methylation capability. BP was positively associated with cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE). Subjects with abnormal diastolic blood pressure (DBP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and pulse pressure (PP) usually had higher urinary iAs (inorganic arsenic), MMA (monomethylated arsenic), DMA (dimethylated arsenic), and TAs (total arsenic) than subjects with normal DBP, SBP, and PP. The iAs%, MMA%, and DMA% differed slightly between subjects with abnormal BP and those with normal BP. The PMI and SMI were slightly higher in subjects with abnormal PP than in those with normal PP. Our findings suggest that higher CAE may elevate BP. Males may have a higher risk of abnormal DBP, whereas females have a higher risk of abnormal SBP and PP. Higher urinary iAs may increase the risk of abnormal BP. Lower PMI may elevate the BP. However, higher SMI may increase the DBP and SBP, and lower SMI may elevate the PP. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

  8. A cultural practice of drinking realgar wine leading to elevated urinary arsenic and its potential health risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ying-Nan; Sun, Guo-Xin; Huang, Qing; Williams, Paul N; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2011-07-01

    Toasting friends and family with realgar wines and painting children's foreheads and limbs with the leftover realgar/alcohol slurries is an important customary ritual during the Dragon Boat Festival (DBF); a Chinese national holiday and ancient feast day celebrated throughout Asia. Realgar is an arsenic sulfide mineral, and source of highly toxic inorganic arsenic. Despite the long history of realgar use during the DBF, associated risk to human health by arsenic ingestion or percutaneous adsorption is unknown. To address this urine samples were collected from a cohort of volunteers who were partaking in the DBF festivities. The total concentration of arsenic in the wine consumed was 70 mg L⁻¹ with all the arsenic found to be inorganic. Total arsenic concentrations in adult urine reached a maximum of ca. 550 μg L⁻¹ (mean 220.2 μg L⁻¹) after 16 h post-ingestion of realgar wine, while face painting caused arsenic levels in children's urine to soar to 100 μg L⁻¹ (mean 85.3 μg L⁻¹) 40 h after the initial paint application. The average concentration of inorganic arsenic in the urine of realgar wine drinkers on average doubled 16 h after drinking, although this was not permanent and levels subsided after 28 h. As would be expected in young children, the proportions of organic arsenic in the urine remained high throughout the 88-h monitoring period. However, even when arsenic concentrations in the urine peaked at 40 h after paint application, concentrations in the urine only declined slightly thereafter, suggesting pronounced longer term dermal accumulation and penetration of arsenic. Drinking wines blended with realgar or using realgar based paints on children does result in the significant absorption of arsenic and therefore presents a potentially serious and currently unquantified health risk. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Arsenic in freshwater fish in the Chihuahua County water reservoirs (Mexico).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevárez, Myrna; Moreno, Myriam Verónica; Sosa, Manuel; Bundschuh, Jochen

    2011-01-01

    Water reservoirs in Chihuahua County, Mexico, are affected by some punctual and non-punctual geogenic and anthropogenic pollution sources; fish are located at the top of the food chain and are good indicators for the ecosystems pollution. The study goal was to: (i) determine arsenic concentration in fish collected from the Chuviscar, Chihuahua, San Marcos and El Rejon water reservoirs; (ii) to assess if the fishes are suitable for human consumption and (iii) link the arsenic contents in fish with those in sediment and water reported in studies made the same year for these water reservoirs. Sampling was done in summer, fall and winter. The highest arsenic concentration in the species varied through the sampling periods: Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) with 0.22 ± 0.15 mg/kg dw in winter and Green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) with 2.00 ± 0.15 mg/kg dw in summer in El Rejon water reservoir. A positive correlation of arsenic contents was found through all sampling seasons in fish samples and the samples of sediment and water. The contribution of the weekly intake of inorganic arsenic, based on the consumption of 0.245 kg fish muscles/body weight/week was found lower than the acceptable weekly intake of 0.015 mg/kg/body weight for inorganic arsenic suggested by FAO/WHO.

  10. Contribution of arsenic species in unicellular algae to the cycling of arsenic in marine ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, Elliott G; Maher, William A; Foster, Simon D

    2015-01-06

    This review investigates the arsenic species produced by and found in marine unicellular algae to determine if unicellular algae contribute to the formation of arsenobetaine (AB) in higher marine organisms. A wide variety of arsenic species have been found in marine unicellular algae including inorganic species (mainly arsenate--As(V)), methylated species (mainly dimethylarsenate (DMA)), arsenoribosides (glycerol, phosphate, and sulfate) and metabolites (dimethylarsenoethanol (DMAE)). Subtle differences in arsenic species distributions exist between chlorophyte and heterokontophyte species with As(V) commonly found in water-soluble cell fractions of chlorophyte species, while DMA is more common in heterokontophyte species. Additionally, different arsenoriboside species are found in each phyla with glycerol and phosphate arsenoribosides produced by chlorophytes, whereas glycerol, phosphate, and sulfate arsenoribosides are produced by heterokontophytes, which is similar to existing data for marine macro-algae. Although arsenoribosides are the major arsenic species in many marine unicellular algal species, AB has not been detected in unicellular algae which supports the hypothesis that AB is formed in marine animals via the ingestion and further metabolism of arsenoribosides. The observation of significant DMAE concentrations in some unicellular algal cultures suggests that unicellular algae-based detritus contains arsenic species that can be further metabolized to form AB in higher marine organisms. Future research establishing how environmental variability influences the production of arsenic species by marine unicellular algae and what effect this has on arsenic cycling within marine food webs is essential to clarify the role of these organisms in marine arsenic cycling.

  11. Inorganic Arsenic and Basal Cell Carcinoma in Areas of Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia: A Case–Control Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leonardi, Giovanni; Vahter, Marie; Clemens, Felicity; Goessler, Walter; Gurzau, Eugen; Hemminki, Kari; Hough, Rupert; Koppova, Kvetoslava; Kumar, Rajiv; Rudnai, Peter; Surdu, Simona

    2012-01-01

    Background: Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a potent carcinogen, but there is a lack of information about cancer risk for concentrations iAs exposure iAs metabolism. Methods: The Arsenic Health Risk Assessment and Molecular Epidemiology (ASHRAM) study, a case–control study, was conducted in areas of Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia with reported presence of iAs in groundwater. Consecutively diagnosed cases of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin were histologically confirmed; controls were general surgery, orthopedic, and trauma patients who were frequency matched to cases by age, sex, and area of residence. Exposure indices were constructed based on information on iAs intake over the lifetime of participants. iAs metabolism status was classified based on urinary concentrations of methylarsonic acid (MA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Associations were estimated by multivariable logistic regression. Results: A total of 529 cases with BCC and 540 controls were recruited for the study. BCC was positively associated with three indices of iAs exposure: peak daily iAs dose rate, cumulative iAs dose, and lifetime average water iAs concentration. The adjusted odds ratio per 10-μg/L increase in average lifetime water iAs concentration was 1.18 (95% confidence interval: 1.08, 1.28). The estimated effect of iAs on cancer was stronger in participants with urinary markers indicating incomplete metabolism of iAs: higher percentage of MA in urine or a lower percentage of DMA. Conclusion: We found a positive association between BCC and exposure to iAs through drinking water with concentrations < 100 μg/L. PMID:22436128

  12. Biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility of arsenic-induced health hazards in Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.-J.; Hsu, L.-I; Wang, C.-H.

    2005-01-01

    Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic from drinking water has been documented to induce cancers and vascular diseases in a dose-response relationship. A series of molecular environmental epidemiological studies have been carried out to elucidate biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility for arsenic-related health hazards in Taiwan. Arsenic levels in urine, hair, and nail are biomarkers for short-term (<1 year) internal dose, skin hyperpigmentation and palmoplantar hyperkeratosis are for long-term (many years) internal dose, and percentage of monomethylarsonic acid in total metabolites of inorganic arsenic in urine may be considered as an exposure marker for biologically effective dose. The biomarkers of early biological effects of ingested inorganic arsenic included blood levels of reactive oxidants and anti-oxidant capacity, genetic expression of inflammatory molecules, as well as cytogenetic changes including sister chromatid exchange, micronuclei, and chromosome aberrations of peripheral lymphocytes. Both mutation type and hot spots of p53 gene were significantly different in arsenic-induced and non-arsenic-induced TCCs. The frequency of chromosomal imbalances analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization and the frequency of loss of heterozygosity were significantly higher in arsenic-induced TCC than non-arsenic-induced TCC at specific sites. Biomarkers of susceptibility to arsenic-induced health hazards included genetic polymorphisms of enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism, DNA repair, and oxidative stress, as well as serum level of carotenoids. Gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are involved in arsenic-induced health hazards through toxicological mechanisms including genomic instability and oxidative stress

  13. SELENIUM MODIFIES THE METABOLISM AND TOXICITY OF ARSENIC IN PRIMARY RAT HEPATOCYTES

    Science.gov (United States)

    ABSTRACTSelenium Modifies the Metabolism and Toxicity of Arsenic in Primary Rat Hepatocytes. Miroslav Styblo, David J. Thomas (2000) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. Arsenic and selenium are metalloids with similar chemical properties and metabolic fates. Inorganic arsenic (iAs...

  14. Arsenic speciation in arsenic-rich Brazilian soils from gold mining sites under anaerobic incubation

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Mello, J. W. V.; Talbott, J.L.; Scott, J.; Roy, W.R.; Stucki, J.W.

    2007-01-01

    Background. Arsenic speciation in environmental samples is essential for studying toxicity, mobility and bio-transformation of As in aquatic and terrestrial environments. Although the inorganic species As(III) and As(V) have been considered dominant in soils and sediments, organisms are able to metabolize inorganic forms of arsenic into organo-arsenic compounds. Arsenosugars and methylated As compounds can be found in terrestrial organisms, but they generally occur only as minor constituents. We investigated the dynamics of arsenic species under anaerobic conditions in soils surrounding gold mining areas from Minas Gerais State, Brazil to elucidate the arsenic biogeochemical cycle and water contamination mechanisms. Methods. Surface soil samples were collected at those sites, namely Paracatu Formation, Banded Iron Formation and Riacho dos Machados Sequence, and incubated in CaCl2 2.5 mmol L-1 suspensions under anaerobic conditions for 1, 28, 56 and 112 days. After that, suspensions were centrifuged and supernatants analyzed for soluble As species by IC-ICPMS and HPLC-ICPMS. Results. Easily exchangeable As was mainly arsenite, except when reducible manganese was present. Arsenate was mainly responsible for the increase in soluble arsenic due to the reductive dissolution of either iron or manganese in samples from the Paracatu Formation and Riacho dos Machados Sequence. On the other hand, organic species of As dominated in samples from the Banded Iron Formation during anaerobic incubation. Discussion. Results are contrary to the expectation that, in anaerobic environments, As release due to the reductive dissolution of Fe is followed by As(V) reduction to As(III). The occurrence of organo-arsenic species was also found to be significant to the dynamics of soluble arsenic, mainly in soils from the Banded Iron Formation (BIF), under our experimental conditions. Conclusions. In general, As(V) and organic As were the dominant species in solution, which is surprising

  15. COMPARATIVE TISSUE DISTRIBUTION AND URINARY EXCRETION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (IAS) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (ASV) AND ARSENITE (ASIII)

    Science.gov (United States)

    COMPARATIVE TISSUE DISTRIBUTION AND URINARY EXCRETION OF INORGANIC ARSENIC (iAs) AND ITS METHYLATED METABOLITES IN MICE FOLLOWING ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE (AsV) AND ARSENITE (AsIII). E M Kenyon, L M Del Razo and M F Hughes. U.S. EPA, ORD, NHEERL, ETD, PKB, RTP, NC, USA; ...

  16. Establishment of a method for determination of arsenic species in seafood by LC-ICP-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zmozinski, Ariane V; Llorente-Mirandes, Toni; López-Sánchez, José F; da Silva, Márcia M

    2015-04-15

    An analytical method for determination of arsenic species (inorganic arsenic (iAs), methylarsonic acid (MA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AB), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) and arsenocholine (AC)) in Brazilian and Spanish seafood samples is reported. This study was focused on extraction and quantification of inorganic arsenic (iAs), the most toxic form. Arsenic speciation was carried out via LC with both anionic and cationic exchange with ICP-MS detection (LC-ICP-MS). The detection limits (LODs), quantification limits (LOQs), precision and accuracy for arsenic species were established. The proposed method was evaluated using eight reference materials (RMs). Arsenobetaine was the main species found in all samples. The total and iAs concentration in 22 seafood samples and RMs ranged between 0.27-35.2 and 0.02-0.71 mg As kg(-1), respectively. Recoveries ranging from 100% to 106% for iAs, based on spikes, were achieved. The proposed method provides reliable iAs data for future risk assessment analysis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Arsenic and arsenic species in shellfish and finfish from the western Arabian Gulf and consumer health risk assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnakumar, Periyadan K.; Qurban, Mohammad A.; Stiboller, Michael; Nachman, Keeve E.; Joydas, Thadickal V.; Manikandan, Karuppasamy P.; Mushir, Shemsi Ahsan; Francesconi, Kevin A.

    2016-01-01

    This study reports the levels of total arsenic and arsenic species in marine biota such as clams (Meretrix meretrix; N = 21) and pearl oyster (Pinctada radiata; N = 5) collected from nine costal sites in Jan 2014, and cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis; N = 8), shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus; N = 1), and seven commercially important finfish species (N = 23) collected during Apr–May 2013 from seven offshore sites in the western Arabian Gulf. Total As and As species such as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AB), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), arsenocholine (AC), tetramethylarsonium ion (Tetra), arsenosugar-glycerol (As-Gly) and inorganic As (iAs) were determined by using ICPMS and HPLC/ICPMS. In bivalves, the total As concentrations ranged from 16 to 118 mg/kg dry mass; the toxic iAs fraction contributed on average less than 0.8% of the total As, while the nontoxic AB fraction formed around 58%. Total As concentrations for the remaining seafood (cuttlefish, shrimp and finfish) ranged from 11 to 134 mg/kg dry mass and the iAs and AB fractions contributed on average 0.03% and 81% respectively of the total As. There was no significant relationship between the tissue concentrations of total As and iAs in the samples. There was also no significant relationship between As levels in seafood and geographical location or salinity of the waters from which samples were collected. Based on our results, we recommend introducing a maximum permissible level of arsenic in seafood from the Gulf based on iAs content rather than based on total As. Our analyses of cancer risks and non-cancer hazards identified non-negligible risks and the potential for hazards; the greatest risks were identified for expatriate consumers of bivalves and high-end consumers of seafood. Despite this, many uncertainties remain that would be best addressed by further analyses. - Highlights: • Arabian Gulf seafood contains relatively high concentrations of total arsenic. • Non-toxic arsenobetaine forms

  18. Arsenic and arsenic species in shellfish and finfish from the western Arabian Gulf and consumer health risk assessment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krishnakumar, Periyadan K., E-mail: kkumarpk@kfupm.edu.sa [Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Qurban, Mohammad A. [Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Stiboller, Michael [Institute of Chemistry-Analytical Chemistry, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Nachman, Keeve E. [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Baltimore, MD (United States); Joydas, Thadickal V.; Manikandan, Karuppasamy P.; Mushir, Shemsi Ahsan [Center for Environment and Water, Research Institute, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261 (Saudi Arabia); Francesconi, Kevin A. [Institute of Chemistry-Analytical Chemistry, NAWI Graz, University of Graz, A-8010 Graz (Austria)

    2016-10-01

    This study reports the levels of total arsenic and arsenic species in marine biota such as clams (Meretrix meretrix; N = 21) and pearl oyster (Pinctada radiata; N = 5) collected from nine costal sites in Jan 2014, and cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis; N = 8), shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus; N = 1), and seven commercially important finfish species (N = 23) collected during Apr–May 2013 from seven offshore sites in the western Arabian Gulf. Total As and As species such as dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), arsenobetaine (AB), trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), arsenocholine (AC), tetramethylarsonium ion (Tetra), arsenosugar-glycerol (As-Gly) and inorganic As (iAs) were determined by using ICPMS and HPLC/ICPMS. In bivalves, the total As concentrations ranged from 16 to 118 mg/kg dry mass; the toxic iAs fraction contributed on average less than 0.8% of the total As, while the nontoxic AB fraction formed around 58%. Total As concentrations for the remaining seafood (cuttlefish, shrimp and finfish) ranged from 11 to 134 mg/kg dry mass and the iAs and AB fractions contributed on average 0.03% and 81% respectively of the total As. There was no significant relationship between the tissue concentrations of total As and iAs in the samples. There was also no significant relationship between As levels in seafood and geographical location or salinity of the waters from which samples were collected. Based on our results, we recommend introducing a maximum permissible level of arsenic in seafood from the Gulf based on iAs content rather than based on total As. Our analyses of cancer risks and non-cancer hazards identified non-negligible risks and the potential for hazards; the greatest risks were identified for expatriate consumers of bivalves and high-end consumers of seafood. Despite this, many uncertainties remain that would be best addressed by further analyses. - Highlights: • Arabian Gulf seafood contains relatively high concentrations of total arsenic. • Non-toxic arsenobetaine forms

  19. Arsenic speciation in total contents and bioaccessible fractions in atmospheric particles related to human intakes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Minjuan; Chen, Xunwen; Zhao, Yinge; Yu Chan, Chuen; Wang, Wei; Wang, Xuemei; Wong, Ming Hung

    2014-01-01

    Speciation of inorganic trivalent arsenicals (iAs III ), inorganic pentavalent arsenicals (iAs V ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in total arsenic (As) content and its bioaccessible fractions contained in road dust, household air-conditioning (AC) filter dust and PM 2.5 was investigated. Inorganic As, especially iAs V , was observed as the dominant species. Physiologically based extraction test (PBET), an in-vitro gastrointestinal method, was used to estimate the oral As bioaccessibility in coarse particles and the species present in the oral bioaccessible fraction. A composite lung simulating serum was used to mimic the pulmonary condition to extract the respiratory bioaccessible As and its species in PM 2.5 . Reduction of iAs V to iAs III occurred in both in-vitro gastrointestinal and lung simulating extraction models. The inorganic As species was the exclusive species for absorption through ingestion and inhalation of atmospheric particles, which was an important exposure route to inorganic As, in addition to drinking water and food consumption. - Highlights: • Inorganic As species was the predominant species in dust and airborne particles. • Existence of iAs III in dust and airborne particles increases human health risks. • Reduction from iAs V to iAs III occurred through in-vitro gastrointestinal model. • Reduction from iAs V to iAs III occurred in the simulating pulmonary region. • Atmospheric particles were important exposure sources of inorganic As. - Atmospheric particles are important exposure sources of inorganic As, of which the bioaccessibility is dependent on the extraction phases and models used

  20. Grain Unloading Of Arsenic Species In Rice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice (Oryza sativa) is the staple food for over half the world's population yet may represent a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic (As), a nonthreshold, class 1 human carcinogen. Rice grain As is dominated by the inorganic species, and the organic species dim...

  1. Arsenic in the human food chain, biotransformation and toxicology--Review focusing on seafood arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molin, Marianne; Ulven, Stine Marie; Meltzer, Helle Margrete; Alexander, Jan

    2015-01-01

    Fish and seafood are main contributors of arsenic (As) in the diet. The dominating arsenical is the organoarsenical arsenobetaine (AB), found particularly in finfish. Algae, blue mussels and other filter feeders contain less AB, but more arsenosugars and relatively more inorganic arsenic (iAs), whereas fatty fish contain more arsenolipids. Other compounds present in smaller amounts in seafood include trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), trimethylarsoniopropionate (TMAP), dimethylarsenate (DMA), methylarsenate (MA) and sulfur-containing arsenicals. The toxic and carcinogenic arsenical iAs is biotransformed in humans and excreted in urine as the carcinogens dimethylarsinate (DMA) and methylarsonate (MA), producing reactive intermediates in the process. Less is known about the biotransformation of organoarsenicals, but new insight indicates that bioconversion of arsenosugars and arsenolipids in seafood results in urinary excretion of DMA, possibly also producing reactive trivalent arsenic intermediates. Recent findings also indicate that the pre-systematic metabolism by colon microbiota play an important role for human metabolism of arsenicals. Processing of seafood may also result in transformation of arsenicals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  2. Inhibition of insulin-dependent glucose uptake by trivalent arsenicals: possible mechanism of arsenic-induced diabetes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walton, Felecia S.; Harmon, Anne W.; Paul, David S.; Drobna, Zuzana; Patel, Yashomati M.; Styblo, Miroslav

    2004-01-01

    Chronic exposures to inorganic arsenic (iAs) have been associated with increased incidence of noninsulin (type-2)-dependent diabetes mellitus. Although mechanisms by which iAs induces diabetes have not been identified, the clinical symptoms of the disease indicate that iAs or its metabolites interfere with insulin-stimulated signal transduction pathway or with critical steps in glucose metabolism. We have examined effects of iAs and methylated arsenicals that contain trivalent or pentavalent arsenic on glucose uptake by 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Treatment with inorganic and methylated pentavalent arsenicals (up to 1 mM) had little or no effect on either basal or insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. In contrast, trivalent arsenicals, arsenite (iAs III ), methylarsine oxide (MAs III O), and iododimethylarsine (DMAs III O) inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Subtoxic concentrations of iAs III (20 μM), MAs III O (1 μM), or DMAs III I (2 μM) decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by 35-45%. Basal glucose uptake was significantly inhibited only by cytotoxic concentrations of iAs III or MAs III O. Examination of the components of the insulin-stimulated signal transduction pathway showed that all trivalent arsenicals suppressed expression and possibly phosphorylation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). The concentration of an insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) was significantly lower in the membrane region of 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with trivalent arsenicals as compared with untreated cells. These results suggest that trivalent arsenicals inhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by interfering with the PKB/Akt-dependent mobilization of GLUT4 transporters in adipocytes. This mechanism may be, in part, responsible for the development of type-2 diabetes in individuals chronically exposed to iAs

  3. Expression of arsenic resistance genes in the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a gut microbiome bacterium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jiaojiao; Mandal, Goutam; Rosen, Barry P

    2016-06-01

    The response of the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a common human gut microbiota, to arsenic was determined. B. vulgatus ATCC 8482 is highly resistant to pentavalent As(V) and methylarsenate (MAs(V)). It is somewhat more sensitive to trivalent inorganic As(III) but 100-fold more sensitive to methylarsenite (MAs(III)) than to As(III). B. vulgatus ATCC 8482 has eight continuous genes in its genome that we demonstrate form an arsenical-inducible transcriptional unit. The first gene of this ars operon, arsR, encodes a putative ArsR As(III)-responsive transcriptional repressor. The next three genes encode proteins of unknown function. The remaining genes, arsDABC, have well-characterized roles in detoxification of inorganic arsenic, but there are no known genes for MAs(III) resistance. Expression of each gene after exposure to trivalent and pentavalent inorganic and methylarsenicals was analyzed. MAs(III) was the most effective inducer. The arsD gene was the most highly expressed of the ars operon genes. These results demonstrate that this anaerobic microbiome bacterium has arsenic-responsive genes that confer resistance to inorganic arsenic and may be responsible for the organism's ability to maintain its prevalence in the gut following dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Arsenic in water, plankton and sediments off Goa coast and adjacent regions

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Fondekar, S.P.; Shirodkar, P.V.; Joseph, T.

    as soluble inorganic arsenic and the rest as organic bound arsenic. Plankton and sediments also showed marked accumulation of this element, the average being 2.2 and 8.8 mu g/g respectively. Nearshore sediments showed higher values of arsenic indicating...

  5. Arsenic metabolism efficiency has a causal role in arsenic toxicity: Mendelian randomization and gene-environment interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pierce, Brandon L; Tong, Lin; Argos, Maria; Gao, Jianjun; Farzana, Jasmine; Roy, Shantanu; Paul-Brutus, Rachelle; Rahaman, Ronald; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Parvez, Faruque; Ahmed, Alauddin; Quasem, Iftekhar; Hore, Samar K; Alam, Shafiul; Islam, Tariqul; Harjes, Judith; Sarwar, Golam; Slavkovich, Vesna; Gamble, Mary V; Chen, Yu; Yunus, Mohammad; Rahman, Mahfuzar; Baron, John A; Graziano, Joseph H; Ahsan, Habibul

    2013-12-01

    Arsenic exposure through drinking water is a serious global health issue. Observational studies suggest that individuals who metabolize arsenic efficiently are at lower risk for toxicities such as arsenical skin lesions. Using two single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in the 10q24.32 region (near AS3MT) that show independent associations with metabolism efficiency, Mendelian randomization can be used to assess whether the association between metabolism efficiency and skin lesions is likely to be causal. Using data on 2060 arsenic-exposed Bangladeshi individuals, we estimated associations for two 10q24.32 SNPs with relative concentrations of three urinary arsenic species (representing metabolism efficiency): inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid(MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). SNP-based predictions of iAs%, MMA% and DMA% were tested for association with skin lesion status among 2483 cases and 2857 controls. Causal odds ratios for skin lesions were 0.90 (95% confidence interval[CI]: 0.87, 0.95), 1.19 (CI: 1.10, 1.28) and 1.23 (CI: 1.12, 1.36)for a one standard deviation increase in DMA%, MMA% and iAs%,respectively. We demonstrated genotype-arsenic interaction, with metabolism-related variants showing stronger associations with skin lesion risk among individuals with high arsenic exposure (synergy index: 1.37; CI: 1.11, 1.62). We provide strong evidence for a causal relationship between arsenic metabolism efficiency and skin lesion risk. Mendelian randomization can be used to assess the causal role of arsenic exposure and metabolism in a wide array of health conditions.exposure and metabolism in a wide array of health conditions.Developing interventions that increase arsenic metabolism efficiency are likely to reduce the impact of arsenic exposure on health.

  6. Speciation and monitoring test for inorganic arsenic in white rice flour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narukawa, Tomohiro; Hioki, Akiharu; Chiba, Koichi

    2012-02-01

    A monitoring test for arsenic species in white rice flour was developed and applied to flours made from 20 samples of polished rice collected from locations all over Japan. The arsenic species in white rice flour made from five samples each of four types of rice were analyzed by HPLC-ICP-MS after a heat-assisted aqueous extraction. The total arsenic and major and minor element concentrations in the white rice flours were measured by ICP-MS and ICP-OES after microwave-assisted digestion. 91 ± 1% of the arsenic in the flours was extractable. Concentrations of arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) were closely positively correlated with the total arsenic concentrations. The total arsenic concentration in flours made from rice collected around Japan was 0.15 ± 0.07 mg kg(-1) (highest, 0.32 mg kg(-1)), which is very low. It was thus confirmed that the white rice flour samples collected in this experiment were not suffered from noticeable As contamination.

  7. Cloud point extraction for trace inorganic arsenic speciation analysis in water samples by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Shan, E-mail: ls_tuzi@163.com; Wang, Mei, E-mail: wmei02@163.com; Zhong, Yizhou, E-mail: yizhz@21cn.com; Zhang, Zehua, E-mail: kazuki.0101@aliyun.com; Yang, Bingyi, E-mail: e_yby@163.com

    2015-09-01

    A new cloud point extraction technique was established and used for the determination of trace inorganic arsenic species in water samples combined with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HGAFS). As(III) and As(V) were complexed with ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate and molybdate, respectively. The complexes were quantitatively extracted with the non-ionic surfactant (Triton X-114) by centrifugation. After addition of antifoam, the surfactant-rich phase containing As(III) was diluted with 5% HCl for HGAFS determination. For As(V) determination, 50% HCl was added to the surfactant-rich phase, and the mixture was placed in an ultrasonic bath at 70 °C for 30 min. As(V) was reduced to As(III) with thiourea–ascorbic acid solution, followed by HGAFS. Under the optimum conditions, limits of detection of 0.009 and 0.012 μg/L were obtained for As(III) and As(V), respectively. Concentration factors of 9.3 and 7.9, respectively, were obtained for a 50 mL sample. The precisions were 2.1% for As(III) and 2.3% for As(V). The proposed method was successfully used for the determination of trace As(III) and As(V) in water samples, with satisfactory recoveries. - Highlights: • Cloud point extraction was firstly established to determine trace inorganic arsenic(As) species combining with HGAFS. • Separate As(III) and As(V) determinations improve the accuracy. • Ultrasonic release of complexed As(V) enables complete As(V) reduction to As(III). • Direct HGAFS analysis can be performed.

  8. Analysis of arsenical metabolites in biological samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Zavala, Araceli; Drobna, Zuzana; Styblo, Miroslav; Thomas, David J

    2009-11-01

    Quantitation of iAs and its methylated metabolites in biological samples provides dosimetric information needed to understand dose-response relations. Here, methods are described for separation of inorganic and mono-, di-, and trimethylated arsenicals by thin layer chromatography. This method has been extensively used to track the metabolism of the radionuclide [(73)As] in a variety of in vitro assay systems. In addition, a hydride generation-cryotrapping-gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometric method is described for the quantitation of arsenicals in biological samples. This method uses pH-selective hydride generation to differentiate among arsenicals containing trivalent or pentavalent arsenic.

  9. Arsenic mobilization and immobilization in paddy soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kappler, A.; Hohmann, C.; Zhu, Y. G.; Morin, G.

    2010-05-01

    Arsenic is oftentimes of geogenic origin and in many cases bound to iron(III) minerals. Iron(III)-reducing bacteria can harvest energy by coupling the oxidation of organic or inorganic electron donors to the reduction of Fe(III). This process leads either to dissolution of Fe(III)-containing minerals and thus to a release of the arsenic into the environment or to secondary Fe-mineral formation and immobilisation of arsenic. Additionally, aerobic and anaerobic iron(II)-oxidizing bacteria have the potential to co-precipitate or sorb arsenic during iron(II) oxidation at neutral pH that is usually followed by iron(III) mineral precipitation. We are currently investigating arsenic immobilization by Fe(III)-reducing bacteria and arsenic co-precipitation and immobilization by anaerobic iron(II)-oxidizing bacteria in batch, microcosm and rice pot experiments. Co-precipitation batch experiments with pure cultures of nitrate-dependent Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria are used to quantify the amount of arsenic that can be immobilized during microbial iron mineral precipitation, to identify the minerals formed and to analyze the arsenic binding environment in the precipitates. Microcosm and rice pot experiments are set-up with arsenic-contaminated rice paddy soil. The microorganisms (either the native microbial population or the soil amended with the nitrate-dependent iron(II)-oxidizing Acidovorax sp. strain BoFeN1) are stimulated either with iron(II), nitrate, or oxygen. Dissolved and solid-phase arsenic and iron are quantified. Iron and arsenic speciation and redox state in batch and microcosm experiments are determined by LC-ICP-MS and synchrotron-based methods (EXAFS, XANES).

  10. Impaired arsenic metabolism in children during weaning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faengstroem, Britta; Hamadani, Jena; Nermell, Barbro; Grander, Margaretha; Palm, Brita; Vahter, Marie

    2009-01-01

    Background: Methylation of inorganic arsenic (iAs) via one-carbon metabolism is a susceptibility factor for a range of arsenic-related health effects, but there is no data on the importance of arsenic metabolism for effects on child development. Aim: To elucidate the development of arsenic metabolism in early childhood. Methods: We measured iAs, methylarsonic acid (MA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), the metabolites of iAs, in spot urine samples of 2400 children at 18 months of age. The children were born to women participating in a population-based longitudinal study of arsenic effects on pregnancy outcomes and child development, carried out in Matlab, a rural area in Bangladesh with a wide range of arsenic concentrations in drinking water. Arsenic metabolism was evaluated in relation to age, sex, anthropometry, socio-economic status and arsenic exposure. Results: Arsenic concentrations in child urine (median 34 μg/L, range 2.4-940 μg/L), adjusted to average specific gravity of 1.009 g/mL, were considerably higher than that measured at 3 months of age, but lower than that in maternal urine. Child urine contained on average 12% iAs, 9.4% MA and 78% DMA, which implies a marked change in metabolite pattern since infancy. In particular, there was a marked increase in urinary %MA, which has been associated with increased risk of health effects. Conclusion: The arsenic metabolite pattern in urine of children at 18 months of age in rural Bangladesh indicates a marked decrease in arsenic methylation efficiency during weaning.

  11. The use of L-ascorbic acid in speciation of arsenic compounds in drinking water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjanović Nikola J.

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic speciation, besides total arsenic content determination, is very important in analysis of water, foodstuffs, and environmental samples, because of varying degrees of toxicity of different species. For such purpose hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry can be used based on the generation of certain types of hydride, depending on the pH value and pretreatment in different reaction media. In this study, we have investigated the effect of L-ascorbic acid as the reaction medium as well as the pre-reducing agent in speciation of arsenic by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry in order to determine monomethyl arsonic acid (MMA in the presence of inorganic forms of arsenic.

  12. Reduction in bioavailability of arsenic in contaminated irrigated soil using zinc and organic manure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batool, S.Q.

    2012-01-01

    The experiments were conducted to reduce the bioavailability of arsenic with application of organic and inorganic materials from contaminated soils irrigated with arsenic contaminated water. The results showed that the amount of extractable arsenic increased with submergence and decreased with application of organic material. However, amount of such decrease altered with inorganic material i.e. zinc and decrease was greater with As5Zn10 (0.17 to 0.0 mg/kg) where zinc was applied at the rate of 10 mg/kg. Among the different organic materials, arsenic content in soil remarkably decreased with application of farmyard manure. The decrease in arsenic content was less than upper toxic limit of arsenic in soil i.e.10mg/kg for paddy soils. Other manures also showed decrease in arsenic concentration but with desorption after half interval of treatment. Best remediating agents used for arsenic retention was zinc sulphate> organic compost >farmyard manure. (author)

  13. Contribution of inorganic arsenic sources to population exposure risk on a regional scale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Wei-Chun; Chen, Jein-Wen; Liao, Chung-Min

    2016-07-01

    Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) in the human population is associated with various internal cancers and other adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study was to estimate a population-scale exposure risk attributable to iAs consumptions by linking a stochastic physiological-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model and biomonitoring data of iAs in urine. The urinary As concentrations were obtained from a total of 1,043 subjects living in an industrial area of Taiwan. The results showed that the study subjects had an iAs exposure risk of 27 % (the daily iAs intake for 27 % study subjects exceeded the WHO-recommended value, 2.1 μg iAs day(-1) kg(-1) body weight). Moreover, drinking water and cooked rice contributed to the iAs exposure risk by 10 and 41 %, respectively. The predicted risks in the current study were 4.82, 27.21, 34.69, and 64.17 %, respectively, among the mid-range of Mexico, Taiwan (this study), Korea, and Bangladesh reported in the literature. In conclusion, we developed a population-scale-based risk model that covered the broad range of iAS exposure by integrating stochastic PBPK modeling and reverse dosimetry to generate probabilistic distribution of As intake corresponding to urinary As measured from the cohort study. The model can also be updated as new urinary As information becomes available.

  14. Arsenic speciation in hair and nails of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients undergoing arsenic trioxide treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Baowei; Cao, Fenglin; Lu, Xiufen; Shen, Shengwen; Zhou, Jin; Le, X Chris

    2018-07-01

    Arsenic in hair and nails has been used to assess chronic exposure of humans to environmental arsenic. However, it remains to be seen whether it is appropriate to evaluate acute exposure to sub-lethal doses of arsenic typically used in therapeutics. In this study, hair, fingernail and toenail samples were collected from nine acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients who were administered intravenously the daily dose of 10 mg arsenic trioxide (7.5 mg arsenic) for up to 54 days. These hair and nail samples were analyzed for arsenic species using high performance liquid chromatography separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection (HPLC-ICPMS). Inorganic arsenite was the predominant form among water-extractable arsenicals. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA V ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA V ), monomethylarsonous acid (MMA III ), monomethylmonothioarsonic acid (MMMTA V ), and dimethylmonothioarsinic acid (DMMTA V ) were also detected in both hair and nail samples. This is the first report of the detection of MMA III and MMMTA V as metabolites of arsenic in hair and nails of APL patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Association of oxidative stress with arsenic methylation in chronic arsenic-exposed children and adults

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Yuanyuan; Wang Yi; Zheng Quanmei; Li Xin; Li Bing; Jin Yaping; Sun Xiance; Sun Guifan

    2008-01-01

    Though oxidative stress is recognized as an important pathogenic mechanism of arsenic, and arsenic methylation capacity is suggested to be highly involved in arsenic-related diseases, the association of arsenic methylation capacity with arsenic-induced oxidative stress remains unclear. To explore oxidative stress and its association with arsenic methylation, cross-sectional studies were conducted among 208 high and 59 low arsenic-exposed subjects. Levels of urinary arsenic species [inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA) and dimethylated arsenic (DMA)] were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Proportions of urinary arsenic species, the first methylation ratio (FMR) and the secondary methylation ratio (SMR) were used as indicators for arsenic methylation capacity. Urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) concentrations were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in whole blood were determined to reflect anti-oxidative status. The high arsenic-exposed children and adults were significantly increased in urinary 8-OHdG concentrations but decreased in blood GSH levels compared with the low exposed children and adults. In multiple linear regression models, blood GSH levels and urinary 8-OHdG concentrations of arsenic-exposed children and adults showed strong associations with the levels of urinary arsenic species. Arsenic-exposed subjects in the lower and the upper quartiles of proportions of urinary arsenic species, FMR or SMR were significantly different in urinary 8-OHdG, blood GSH and SOD. The associations of arsenic methylation capacity with 8-OHdG, GSH and SOD were also observed in multivariate regression analyses. These results may provide linkage between arsenic methylation capacity and oxidative stress in humans and suggest that adverse health effects induced by arsenic are related to arsenic methylation through oxidative stress

  16. Urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and urothelial carcinoma risk in low arsenic exposure area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, C.-J.; Huang, C.-J.; Pu, Y.-S.; Su, C.-T.; Huang, Y.-K.; Chen, Y.-T.; Hsueh, Y.-M.

    2008-01-01

    Arsenic is a well-documented human carcinogen and is known to cause oxidative stress in cultured cells and animals. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relationship among the levels of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), the arsenic profile, and urothelial carcinoma (UC). Urinary 8-OHdG was measured by using high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The urinary species of inorganic arsenic and their metabolites were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). This study showed that the mean urinary concentration of total arsenics was significantly higher, at 37.67 ± 2.98 μg/g creatinine, for UC patients than for healthy controls of 21.10 ± 0.79 μg/g creatinine (p < 0.01). Urinary 8-OHdG levels correlated with urinary total arsenic concentrations (r = 0.19, p < 0.01). There were significantly higher 8-OHdG levels, of 7.48 ± 0.97 ng/mg creatinine in UC patients, compared to healthy controls of 5.95 ± 0.21 ng/mg creatinine. Furthermore, female UC patients had higher 8-OHdG levels of 9.22 ± 0.75 than those of males at 5.76 ± 0.25 ng/mg creatinine (p < 0.01). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that high urinary 8-OHdG levels were associated with increased total arsenic concentrations, inorganic arsenite, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsenate (DMA) as well as the primary methylation index (PMI) even after adjusting for age, gender, and UC status. The results suggest that oxidative DNA damage was associated with arsenic exposure, even at low urinary level of arsenic

  17. [Distributions and seasonal variations of total dissolved inorganic arsenic in the estuaries and coastal area of eastern Hainan].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Xiu-Hong; Ren, Jing-Ling; Zhang, Gui-Ling; Zhang, Jin-E; Du, Jin-Zhou; Zhu, De-Di

    2012-03-01

    The concentrations of total dissolved inorganic arsenic (TDIAs) were measured by Hydride Generation-Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (HG-AFS). Two cruises were carried out in the river, estuary, coastal area and groundwater of eastern Hainan in December 2006 and August 2007. The concentrations of TDIAs in the Wanquan and Wenchang/Wenjiao rivers and their estuaries, coastal area in December 2006 were 4.0-9.4, 1.3-13.3, 13.3-17.3 nmol x L(-1), respectively. The concentrations of TDIAs in the Wanquan and Wenchang/Wenjiao rivers and their estuaries, coastal area in August 2007 were 1.6-15.5, 2.4-15.9, 10.8-17.6 nmol x L(-1), respectively. There was no significantly seasonal variation of TDIAs in the rivers and estuaries during the dry and wet seasons. Compared with other areas in the world, the concentration of TDIAs in the Eastern Hainan remained at pristine levels. TDIAs showed conservatively mixing in the both estuaries. The concentration of TDIAs of groundwater was below detection limit (BDL)-41.7 nmol x L(-1). The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the coastal area was estimated in the drainage basin of Wenchang/Wenjiao river based on the average concentration of TDIAs in the groundwater and SGD water discharge, with the value of 1 153 mol x a(-1). Budget estimation indicated that the SGD discharge is one of the important sources of arsenic in the coastal area.

  18. Arsenic and Environmental Health: State of the Science and ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Background: Exposure to inorganic and organic arsenic compounds is a major public health problem that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Exposure to arsenic is associated with cancer and noncancer effects in nearly every organ in the body, and evidence is mounting for health effects at lower levels of arsenic exposure than previously thought. Building from a tremendous knowledge base with > 1,000 scientific papers published annually with “arsenic” in the title, the question becomes, what questions would best drive future research directions? Objectives: The objective is to discuss emerging issues in arsenic research and identify data gaps across disciplines. Methods: The National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Superfund Research Program convened a workshop to identify emerging issues and research needs to address the multi-faceted challenges related to arsenic and environmental health. This review summarizes information captured during the workshop. Discussion: More information about aggregate exposure to arsenic is needed, including the amount and forms of arsenic found in foods. New strategies for mitigating arsenic exposures and related health effects range from engineered filtering systems to phytogenetics and nutritional interventions. Furthermore, integration of omics data with mechanistic and epidemiological data is a key step toward the goal of linking biomarkers of exposure and suscepti

  19. The sorption of inorganic arsenic on modified sepiolite: Effect of hydrated iron(III-oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilić Nikola I.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The sorption of inorganic arsenic species, As(III and As(V, from water by sepiolite modified with hydrated iron(III oxide was investigated at 25 °C through batch studies. The influence of the initial pH value, the initial As concentrations, the contact time and types of water on the sorption capacity was investigated. Two types of water were used, deionized and groundwater. The maximal sorption capacity for As(III from deionized water was observed at initial and final pH value 7.0, while the bonding of As(V was observed to be almost pH independent for pH value in the range from 2.0 to 7.0, and the significant decrease in the sorption capacity was observed at pH values above 7.0. The sorption capacity at initial pH 7.0 was about 10 mg gˉ1 for As(III and 4.2 mg gˉ1 for As(V in deionized water. The capacity in groundwater was decreased by 40 % for As(III and by 20 % for As(V. The Langmuir model and pseudo-second order kinetic model revealed good agreement with the experimental results. The results show that Fe(III-modified sepiolite exhibits significant affinity for arsenic removal and it has a potential for the application in water purification processes. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 45019, III 43009 i TR 37010

  20. Test for arsenic speciation in waters based on a paper-based analytical device with scanometric detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pena-Pereira, Francisco; Villar-Blanco, Lorena; Lavilla, Isela; Bendicho, Carlos

    2018-06-29

    A rapid, simple and affordable method for arsenic speciation analysis is described in this work. The proposed methodology involves in situ arsine generation, transfer of the volatile to the headspace and its reaction with silver nitrate at the detection zone of a paper-based analytical device (PAD). Thus, silver nitrate acts as a recognition element for arsine in the paper-based sensor. The chemical reaction between the recognition element and the analyte derivative results in the formation of a colored product which can be detected by scanning the detection zone and data treatment with an image processing and analysis program. Detection and injection zones were defined in the paper substrate by formation of hydrophobic barriers, thus enabling the formation of the volatile derivative without affecting the chemical stability of the recognition element present in the PAD. Experimental parameters influencing the analytical performance of the methodology, namely color mode detection, composition of the paper-based sensor and hydride generation and mass transfer conditions, were evaluated. Under optimal conditions, the proposed method showed limits of detection and quantification of 1.1 and 3.6 ng mL -1 , respectively. Remarkably, the limit of detection of the method reported herein was much lower than the maximum contaminant levels set by both the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency for arsenic in drinking water, unlike several commercially available arsenic test kits. The repeatability, expressed as relative standard deviation, was found to be 7.1% (n = 8). The method was validated against the European Reference Material ERM ® -CA615 groundwater and successfully applied to the determination of As(III), As(V) and total inorganic As in different water samples. Furthermore, the method can be used for the screening analysis of total arsenic in waters when a cut-off level of 7 ng mL -1 is used. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B

  1. Association Between Variants in Arsenic (+3 Oxidation State) Methyltranserase (AS3MT) and Urinary Metabolites of Inorganic Arsenic: Role of Exposure Level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiaofan; Drobná, Zuzana; Voruganti, V. Saroja; Barron, Keri; González-Horta, Carmen; Sánchez-Ramírez, Blanca; Ballinas-Casarrubias, Lourdes; Cerón, Roberto Hernández; Morales, Damián Viniegra; Terrazas, Francisco A. Baeza; Ishida, María C.; Gutiérrez-Torres, Daniela S.; Saunders, R. Jesse; Crandell, Jamie; Fry, Rebecca C.; Loomis, Dana; García-Vargas, Gonzalo G.; Del Razo, Luz M.; Stýblo, Miroslav; Mendez, Michelle A.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Variants in AS3MT, the gene encoding arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltranserase, have been shown to influence patterns of inorganic arsenic (iAs) metabolism. Several studies have suggested that capacity to metabolize iAs may vary depending on levels of iAs exposure. However, it is not known whether the influence of variants in AS3MT on iAs metabolism also vary by level of exposure. We investigated, in a population of Mexican adults exposed to drinking water As, whether associations between 7 candidate variants in AS3MT and urinary iAs metabolites were consistent with prior studies, and whether these associations varied depending on the level of exposure. Overall, associations between urinary iAs metabolites and AS3MT variants were consistent with the literature. Referent genotypes, defined as the genotype previously associated with a higher percentage of urinary dimethylated As (DMAs%), were associated with significant increases in the DMAs% and ratio of DMAs to monomethylated As (MAs), and significant reductions in MAs% and iAs%. For 3 variants, associations between genotypes and iAs metabolism were significantly stronger among subjects exposed to water As >50 versus ≤50 ppb (water As X genotype interaction P iAs exposure may influence the extent to which several AS3MT variants affect iAs metabolism. The variants most strongly associated with iAs metabolism—and perhaps with susceptibility to iAs-associated disease—may vary in settings with exposure level. PMID:27370415

  2. Arsenic mobilization in sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bennett, W. W.; Teasdale, P. R.; Panther, J. G.

    2012-01-01

    We have recently developed Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT) and Diffusive Equilibrium in Thin films (DET) techniques that permit the measurement of high-resolution porewater distributions of As(III), total inorganic arsenic and Fe(II). These novel techniques were utilized to investigate th...

  3. Bioaccessibility and excretion of arsenic in Niu Huang Jie Du Pian pills

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koch, Iris; Sylvester, Steven; Lai, Vivian W.-M.; Owen, Andrew; Reimer, Kenneth J.; Cullen, William R.

    2007-01-01

    Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) often contain significant levels of potentially toxic elements, including arsenic. Niu Huang Jie Du Pian pills were analyzed to determine the concentration, bioaccessibility (arsenic fraction soluble in the human gastrointestinal system) and chemical form (speciation) of arsenic. Arsenic excretion in urine (including speciation) and facial hair were studied after a one-time ingestion. The pills contained arsenic in the form of realgar, and although the total arsenic that was present in a single pill was high (28 mg), the low bioaccessibility of this form of arsenic predicted that only 4% of it was available for absorption into the bloodstream (1 mg of arsenic per pill). The species of arsenic that were solubilized were inorganic arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)) but DMAA and MMAA were detected in urine. Two urinary arsenic excretion peaks were observed: an initial peak several (4-8) hours after ingestion corresponding to the excretion of predominantly As(III), and a larger peak at 14 h corresponding predominantly to DMAA and MMAA. No methylated As(III) species were observed. Facial hair analysis revealed that arsenic concentrations did not increase significantly as a result of the ingestion. Arsenic is incompletely soluble under human gastrointestinal conditions, and is metabolized from the inorganic to organic forms found in urine. Bioaccessible arsenic is comparable to the quantity excreted. Facial hair as a bio-indicator should be further tested

  4. Characterization and Neutralization of Arsenical-Based WWII Era Chemical Munition Fills

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-08-01

    of 4. Oxalic glycolic, and glyoxylic acids were the major products formed at pH values of 6 and 8. The final step is the oxidation of organic acids ...54 22. Summary of Analytical Results for the Nitric Acid Reagent ............................ 55 23. Summary of Properties of 20 wt... acid (DPAOA). Other arsenic-containing degradation products analyzed for by CE include the inorganic components, arsenate (AsO4) and m-arsenite (AsO2

  5. Quantification of inorganic arsenic exposure and cancer risk via consumption of vegetables in southern selected districts of Pakistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehman, Zahir Ur; Khan, Sardar; Qin, Kun; Brusseau, Mark L; Shah, Mohammad Tahir; Din, Islamud

    2016-01-01

    Human exposures to arsenic (As) through different pathways (dietary and non-dietary) are considered to be one of the primary worldwide environmental health risks to humans. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of As in soil and vegetable samples collected from agricultural lands located in selected southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, Pakistan. We examined the concentrations of total arsenic (TAs), organic species of As such as monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsonic acid (DMA), and inorganic species including arsenite (AsIII) and arsenate (AsV) in both soil and vegetable. The data were used to determine several parameters to evaluate human health risk, including bioconcentration factor (BCF) from soil to plant, average daily intake (ADI), health risk index (HRI), incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILTCR), and hazard quotient (HQ). The total As concentration in soil samples of the five districts ranged from 3.0-3.9 mg kg−1, exhibiting minimal variations from site to site. The mean As concentration in edible portions of vegetable samples ranged from 0.03-1.38 mg kg−1. It was observed that As concentrations in 75% of the vegetable samples exceeded the safe maximum allowable limit (0.1 mg kg−1) set by WHO/FAO. The highest value of ADI for As was measured for M. charantia, while the lowest was for A. chinense. The results of this study revealed minimal health risk (HI vegetables for the local inhabitants. The ILTCR values for inorganic As indicated a minimal potential cancer risk through ingestion of vegetables. In addition, the HQ values for total As were <1, indicating minimal non-cancer risk. PMID:26820935

  6. The Association of Arsenic Exposure and Arsenic Metabolism with the Metabolic Syndrome and its Individual Components: Prospective Evidence from the Strong Heart Family Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spratlen, Miranda J; Grau-Perez, Maria; Best, Lyle G; Yracheta, Joseph; Lazo, Mariana; Vaidya, Dhananjay; Balakrishnan, Poojitha; Gamble, Mary V; Francesconi, Kevin A; Goessler, Walter; Cole, Shelley A; Umans, Jason G; Howard, Barbara V; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2018-03-15

    Inorganic arsenic exposure is ubiquitous and both exposure and inter-individual differences in its metabolism have been associated with cardiometabolic risk. The association between arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with metabolic syndrome and its individual components, however, is relatively unknown. We used poisson regression with robust variance to evaluate the association between baseline arsenic exposure (urine arsenic levels) and metabolism (relative percentage of arsenic species over their sum) with incident metabolic syndrome and its individual components (elevated waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced HDL, hypertension, elevated fasting plasma glucose) in 1,047 participants from the Strong Heart Family Study, a prospective family-based cohort in American Indian communities (baseline visits in 1998-1999 and 2001-2003, follow-up visits in 2001-2003 and 2006-2009). 32% of participants developed metabolic syndrome over follow-up. An IQR increase in arsenic exposure was associated with 1.19 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.41) greater risk for elevated fasting plasma glucose but not with other individual components or overall metabolic syndrome. Arsenic metabolism, specifically lower MMA% and higher DMA% was associated with higher risk of overall metabolic syndrome and elevated waist circumference, but not with any other component. These findings support there is a contrasting and independent association between arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with metabolic outcomes which may contribute to overall diabetes risk.

  7. Dietary Arsenic Exposure in Bangladesh

    OpenAIRE

    Kile, Molly L.; Houseman, E. Andres; Breton, Carrie V.; Smith, Thomas; Quamruzzaman, Quazi; Rahman, Mahmuder; Mahiuddin, Golam; Christiani, David C.

    2007-01-01

    Background Millions of people in Bangladesh are at risk of chronic arsenic toxicity from drinking contaminated groundwater, but little is known about diet as an additional source of As exposure. Methods We employed a duplicate diet survey to quantify daily As intake in 47 women residing in Pabna, Bangladesh. All samples were analyzed for total As, and a subset of 35 samples were measured for inorganic arsenic (iAs) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry equipped with a dynamic rea...

  8. Arsenic transforming abilities of groundwater bacteria and the combined use of Aliihoeflea sp. strain 2WW and goethite in metalloid removal

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Corsini, A.; Zaccheo, P.; Muyzer, G.; Andreoni, V.; Cavalca, L.

    2014-01-01

    Several technologies have been developed for lowering arsenic in drinking waters below the World Health Organization limit of 10 μg/L. When in the presence of the reduced form of inorganic arsenic, i.e. arsenite, one options is pre-oxidation of arsenite to arsenate and adsorption on iron-based

  9. Arsenic transport by zebrafish aquaglyceroporins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Landfear Scott M

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Arsenic is one of the most ubiquitous toxins and endangers the health of tens of millions of humans worldwide. It is a mainly a water-borne contaminant. Inorganic trivalent arsenic (AsIII is one of the major species that exists environmentally. The transport of AsIII has been studied in microbes, plants and mammals. Members of the aquaglyceroporin family have been shown to actively conduct AsIII and its organic metabolite, monomethylarsenite (MAsIII. However, the transport of AsIII and MAsIII in in any fish species has not been characterized. Results In this study, five members of the aquaglyceroporin family from zebrafish (Danio rerio were cloned, and their ability to transport water, glycerol, and trivalent arsenicals (AsIII and MAsIII and antimonite (SbIII was investigated. Genes for at least seven aquaglyceroporins have been annotated in the zebrafish genome project. Here, five genes which are close homologues to human AQP3, AQP9 and AQP10 were cloned from a zebrafish cDNA preparation. These genes were named aqp3, aqp3l, aqp9a, aqp9b and aqp10 according to their similarities to the corresponding human AQPs. Expression of aqp9a, aqp9b, aqp3, aqp3l and aqp10 in multiple zebrafish organs were examined by RT-PCR. Our results demonstrated that these aquaglyceroporins exhibited different tissue expression. They are all detected in more than one tissue. The ability of these five aquaglyceroporins to transport water, glycerol and the metalloids arsenic and antimony was examined following expression in oocytes from Xenopus leavis. Each of these channels showed substantial glycerol transport at equivalent rates. These aquaglyceroporins also facilitate uptake of inorganic AsIII, MAsIII and SbIII. Arsenic accumulation in fish larvae and in different tissues from adult zebrafish was studied following short-term arsenic exposure. The results showed that liver is the major organ of arsenic accumulation; other tissues such as gill, eye

  10. Immunotoxicological effects of inorganic arsenic on gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guardiola, F.A.; Gónzalez-Párraga, M.P.; Cuesta, A. [Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Meseguer, J. [Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Chemistry, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Martínez, S.; Martínez-Sánchez, M.J.; Pérez-Sirvent, C. [Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Geology and Pedology, Faculty of Chemistry, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia (Spain); Esteban, M.A., E-mail: aesteban@um.es [Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, Campus Regional de Excelencia Internacional “Campus Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia (Spain)

    2013-06-15

    Highlights: •Short exposure to arsenic increases the hepato-somatic index and produces histopathological alterations in the liver. •Arsenic is bioaccumulated in the liver of gilthead seabream but no in the muscle. •Arsenic-exposure affects the innate immune system in the gilthead seabream. •Ten days of exposure to As enhances the immune parameters. -- Abstract: Arsenic (As) has been associated with multitude of animal and human health problems; however, its impact on host immune system has not been extensively investigated. In fish, there are very few works on the potential risks or problems associated to the presence of arsenic. In the present study we have evaluated the effects of exposure (30 days) to sub-lethal concentrations of arsenic (5 μM As{sub 2}O{sub 3}) in the teleost fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), with special emphasis in the innate immune response. The arsenic concentration was determined using atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) in liver and muscle of exposed fish showing As accumulation in the liver after 30 days of exposure. The hepatosomatic index was increased at significant extent after 10 days but returned to control values after 30 days of exposure. Histological alterations in the liver were observed including hypertrophy, vacuolization and cell-death processes. Focusing on the immunological response, the humoral immune parameters (seric IgM, complement and peroxidase activities) were no affected to a statistically significant extent. Regarding the cellular innate parameters, head-kidney leucocyte peroxidase, respiratory burst and phagocytic activities were significantly increased after 10 days of exposition compared to the control fish. Overall, As-exposure in the seabream affects the immune system. How this might interfere with fish biology, aquaculture management or human consumers warrants further investigations. This paper describes, for the first time, the immunotoxicological effects of arsenic exposure in the

  11. IDENTIFICATION OF INTERSPECIES CONCORDANCE OF MECHANISMS OF ARSENIC INDUCED BLADDER CANCER BY GENE EXPRESSION.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsenic is a human carcinogen that induces urinary bladder cancer. Several mechanisms have been proposed for arsenic-induced cancer. Although inorganic arsenic (iAs) does not induce tumors in adult rodents, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), a major metabolite of iAs, is a rat bladder c...

  12. Ecotoxicology of arsenic in the marine environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neff, J.M. [Battelle Ocean Sciences Lab., Duxbury, MA (United States)

    1997-05-01

    Arsenic has a complex marine biogeochemistry that has important implications for its toxicity to marine organisms and their consumers. The average concentration of total arsenic in the ocean is about 1.7 {micro}g/L, about two orders of magnitude higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency`s human health criterion value of 0.0175 {micro}g/L. The dominant form of arsenic in oxygenated marine and brackish waters in arsenate (As V). The more toxic and potentially carcinogenic arsenite (As III) rarely accounts for more than 20% of total arsenic in seawater. Uncontaminated marine sediments contain from 5 to about 40 {micro}g/g dry weight total arsenic. Arsenate dominates in oxidized sediments and is associated primarily with iron oxyhydroxides. In reducing marine sediments, arsenate is reduced to arsenite and is associated primarily with sulfide minerals. Marine algae accumulate arsenate from seawater, reduce it to arsenite, and then oxidize the arsenite to a large number of organoarsenic compounds. The algae release arsenite, methylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid to seawater. Dissolved arsenite and arsenate are more toxic to marine phytoplankton than to marine invertebrates and fish. This may be due to the fact that marine animals have a limited ability to bioconcentrate inorganic arsenic from seawater but can bioaccumulate organoarsenic compounds from their food. Tissues of marine invertebrates and fish contain high concentrations of arsenic, usually in the range of about 1 to 100 {micro}g/g dry weight, most of it in the form of organoarsenic compounds, particularly arsenobetaine. Organoarsenic compounds are bioaccumulated by human consumers of seafood products, but the arsenic is excreted rapidly, mostly as organoarsenic compounds. Arsenobetaine, the most abundant organoarsenic compound in seafoods, is not toxic or carcinogenic to mammals. Little of the organoarsenic accumulated by humans from seafood is converted to toxic inorganic arsenite.

  13. Purification of arsenic contaminated ground water using hydrated manganese dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raje, N.; Swain, K.K.

    2002-01-01

    An analytical methodology has been developed for the separation of arsenic from ground water using inorganic material in neutral medium. The separation procedure involves the quantitative retention of arsenic on hydrated manganese dioxide, in neutral medium. The validity of the separation procedure has been checked by a standard addition method and radiotracer studies. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), a powerful measurement technique, has been used for the quantitative determination of arsenic. (author)

  14. THE ROLE OF FLAVONOIDS IN MODULATION OF THE METABOLISM OF ARSENIC

    Science.gov (United States)

    The biotransformation of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in humans produces trivalent and pentavalent methylated species. The pattern and extent of iAs conversion is critical for the overall toxicity and adverse health effects associated with arsenic exposure. Our previous work showed a ...

  15. Species Specific Bio-accessibility Estimates of Arsenic in US Consumed Rice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been classified as a Class I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). For non-occupationally exposed individuals, the two predominant exposure routes for arsenic are drinking water and diet. Drinking water exposures conta...

  16. COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT ARSENICALS BY PH-SELECTIVE HYDRIDE GENERATION-ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY

    Science.gov (United States)

    A method based on pH-selective generation and separation of arsines is commonly used for analysis of inorganic, methylated, and dimethylated trivalent and pentavalent arsenicals by hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). We have optimized this method to pe...

  17. Health Effects of Chronic Arsenic Exposure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Young-Seoub Hong

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic is a unique element with distinct physical characteristics and toxicity whose importance in public health is well recognized. The toxicity of arsenic varies across its different forms. While the carcinogenicity of arsenic has been confirmed, the mechanisms behind the diseases occurring after acute or chronic exposure to arsenic are not well understood. Inorganic arsenic has been confirmed as a human carcinogen that can induce skin, lung, and bladder cancer. There are also reports of its significant association to liver, prostate, and bladder cancer. Recent studies have also suggested a relationship with diabetes, neurological effects, cardiac disorders, and reproductive organs, but further studies are required to confirm these associations. The majority of research to date has examined cancer incidence after a high exposure to high concentrations of arsenic. However, numerous studies have reported various health effects caused by chronic exposure to low concentrations of arsenic. An assessment of the health effects to arsenic exposure has never been performed in the South Korean population; thus, objective estimates of exposure levels are needed. Data should be collected on the biological exposure level for the total arsenic concentration, and individual arsenic concentration by species. In South Korea, we believe that biological exposure assessment should be the first step, followed by regular health effect assessments.

  18. The relationship between obesity, insulin and arsenic methylation capability in Taiwan adolescents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Su, Chien-Tien; Lin, Hsiu-Chen; Choy, Cheuk-Sing; Huang, Yung-Kai; Huang, Shiau-Rung; Hsueh, Yu-Mei

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study evaluated the arsenic methylation profile of adolescents and explored the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the arsenic methylation profile of adolescents in an area of Taiwan with no-obvious arsenic exposure. Methods: This study evaluated 202 normal weight students and 101 obese students from eight elementary schools, recruited from September 2009 to December 2009. Concentrations of urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA 5+ ) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA 5+ ) were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: Urinary total arsenic was significantly decreased with increasing BMI, indicating that obese children may retain higher levels of arsenic in the body, as compared to normal weight children. Participants with obesity accompanied by high insulin levels had higher inorganic arsenic, significantly higher MMA percentage and significantly lower DMA percentage than those with obesity and low insulin levels. It seems children with obesity and high insulin levels had lower arsenic methylation capacity than those with obesity and low insulin. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that total urinary arsenic is negatively associated with the BMI in adolescents in Taiwan, adjusted for age and sex. Obese adolescents with high insulin levels had significantly higher MMA% and significantly lower DMA% than obese adolescents with low insulin. - Highlights: ► This is the first to find that urinary total arsenic is related inversely to the BMI. ► Arsenic methylation capability may be associated with obesity and insulin. ► Obese adolescents with high insulin had low arsenic methylation capacity.

  19. Blood pressure, left ventricular geometry, and systolic function in children exposed to inorganic arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osorio-Yáñez, Citlalli; Ayllon-Vergara, Julio C; Arreola-Mendoza, Laura; Aguilar-Madrid, Guadalupe; Hernández-Castellanos, Erika; Sánchez-Peña, Luz C; Del Razo, Luz M

    2015-06-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a ubiquitous element present in the groundwater worldwide. Cardiovascular effects related to iAs exposure have been studied extensively in adult populations. Few epidemiological studies have been focused on iAs exposure-related cardiovascular disease in children. In this study we investigated the association between iAs exposure, blood pressure (BP), and functional and anatomical echocardiographic parameters in children. A cross-sectional study of 161 children between 3 and 8 years was conducted in Central Mexico. The total concentration of arsenic (As) species in urine (U-tAs) was determined by hydride generation-cryotrapping-atomic absorption spectrometry and lifetime iAs exposure was estimated by multiplying As concentrations measured in drinking water by the duration of water consumption in years (LAsE). BP was measured by standard protocols, and M-mode echocardiographic parameters were determined by ultrasonography. U-tAs concentration and LAsE were significantly associated with diastolic (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in multivariable linear regression models: DBP and SBP were 0.013 (95% CI: 0.002, 0.024) and 0.021 (95% CI: 0.004, 0.037) mmHg higher in association with each 1-ng/mL increase in U-tAs (p 620 compared with 41% (95% CI: -6.44, -0.37) lower, respectively, in children with U-tAs > 70 ng/mL compared with iAs was significantly associated with higher BP and LVM and with lower EF in our study population of Mexican children.

  20. Arsenic biotransformation by a cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Xi-Mei; Yan, Yu; Xiong, Chan; Raber, Georg; Francesconi, Kevin; Pan, Ting; Ye, Jun; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2017-09-01

    Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 (Nostoc), a typical filamentous cyanobacterium ubiquitous in aquatic system, is recognized as a model organism to study prokaryotic cell differentiation and nitrogen fixation. In this study, Nostoc cells incubated with arsenite (As(III)) for two weeks were extracted with dichloromethane/methanol (DCM/MeOH) and the extract was partitioned between water and DCM. Arsenic species in aqueous and DCM layers were determined using high performance liquid chromatography - inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS/ESIMSMS). In addition to inorganic arsenic (iAs), the aqueous layer also contained monomethylarsonate (MAs(V)), dimethylarsinate (DMAs(V)), and the two arsenosugars, namely a glycerol arsenosugar (Oxo-Gly) and a phosphate arsenosugar (Oxo-PO4). Two major arsenosugar phospholipids (AsSugPL982 and AsSugPL984) were detected in DCM fraction. Arsenic in the growth medium was also investigated by HPLC/ICPMS and shown to be present mainly as the inorganic forms As(III) and As(V) accounting for 29%-38% and 29%-57% of the total arsenic respectively. The total arsenic of methylated arsenic, arsenosugars, and arsenosugar phospholipids in Nostoc cells with increasing As(III) exposure were not markedly different, indicating that the transformation to organoarsenic in Nostoc was not dependent on As(III) concentration in the medium. Our results provide new insights into the role of cyanobacteria in the biogeochemical cycling of arsenic. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Development of a simple, sensitive and inexpensive ion-pairing cloud point extraction approach for the determination of trace inorganic arsenic species in spring water, beverage and rice samples by UV-Vis spectrophotometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gürkan, Ramazan; Kır, Ufuk; Altunay, Nail

    2015-08-01

    The determination of inorganic arsenic species in water, beverages and foods become crucial in recent years, because arsenic species are considered carcinogenic and found at high concentrations in the samples. This communication describes a new cloud-point extraction (CPE) method for the determination of low quantity of arsenic species in the samples, purchased from the local market by UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (UV-Vis). The method is based on selective ternary complex of As(V) with acridine orange (AOH(+)) being a versatile fluorescence cationic dye in presence of tartaric acid and polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether (Triton X-114) at pH 5.0. Under the optimized conditions, a preconcentration factor of 65 and detection limit (3S blank/m) of 1.14 μg L(-1) was obtained from the calibration curve constructed in the range of 4-450 μg L(-1) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9932 for As(V). The method is validated by the analysis of certified reference materials (CRMs). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Both Phosphorus Fertilizers and Indigenous Bacteria Enhance Arsenic Release into Groundwater in Arsenic-Contaminated Aquifers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Tzu-Yu; Wei, Chia-Cheng; Huang, Chi-Wei; Chang, Chun-Han; Hsu, Fu-Lan; Liao, Vivian Hsiu-Chuan

    2016-03-23

    Arsenic (As) is a human carcinogen, and arsenic contamination in groundwater is a worldwide public health concern. Arsenic-affected areas are found in many places but are reported mostly in agricultural farmlands, yet the interaction of fertilizers, microorganisms, and arsenic mobilization in arsenic-contaminated aquifers remains uncharacterized. This study investigates the effects of fertilizers and bacteria on the mobilization of arsenic in two arsenic-contaminated aquifers. We performed microcosm experiments using arsenic-contaminated sediments and amended with inorganic nitrogenous or phosphorus fertilizers for 1 and 4 months under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The results show that microcosms amended with 100 mg/L phosphorus fertilizers (dipotassium phosphate), but not nitrogenous fertilizers (ammonium sulfate), significantly increase aqueous As(III) release in arsenic-contaminated sediments under anaerobic condition. We also show that concentrations of iron, manganese, potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium are increased in the aqueous phase and that the addition of dipotassium phosphate causes a further increase in aqueous iron, potassium, and sodium, suggesting that multiple metal elements may take part in the arsenic release process. Furthermore, microbial analysis indicates that the dominant microbial phylum is shifted from α-proteobacteria to β- and γ-proteobacteria when the As(III) is increased and phosphate is added in the aquifer. Our results provide evidence that both phosphorus fertilizers and microorganisms can mediate the release of arsenic to groundwater in arsenic-contaminated sediments under anaerobic condition. Our study suggests that agricultural activity such as the use of fertilizers and monitoring phosphate concentration in groundwater should be taken into consideration for the management of arsenic in groundwater.

  3. Arsenic in Groundwater: A Review of Current Knowledge and Relation to the CALFED Solution Area with Recommendations for Needed Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alan H. Welch

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available Ground water with arsenic concentrations greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standard exists throughout much of the CALFED solution area. These high concentrations are of con-cern from the standpoint of both existing water supply and development of conjunctive use projects. Much is known about arsenic mobility in ground water subject to different hydrologic and geochemical conditions. However, some important knowledge gaps exist that limit the ability to design water supply projects that could prevent arsenic mobilization or promote arsenic removal from ground water. A few well studied sys-tems could provide a much better understanding of methods for preventing or eliminating high arsenic problems. Within the context of the examination of a few detailed field studies, some important research needs include: 1. Determining the significance of metal-bridging aqueous complexes involving inorgan-ic arsenic and natural organic matter, 2. In the con-text of in situ remediation, determining whether of metal oxides. Little is known about the quantitative significance competition of inorganic arsenic with other inorganic aqueous species in natu-ral systems. Experiments should be conducted with actual aquifer materials, as the effects of aging on arsenic desorption in laboratory studies are quite sig-nificant. 3. Devise methods to detect and quantify rates of oxidation/reduction reactions of arsenic that are carried out by microorganisms at ambient concen-trations of arsenic and under in situ conditions. The findings from detailed field studies have the potential for greatly reducing the cost of meeting the new drinking-water standard for arsenic. The research would benefit a broad constituency.

  4. Inorganic arsenic causes fatty liver and interacts with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease in zebrafish

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathryn Bambino

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The rapid increase in fatty liver disease (FLD incidence is attributed largely to genetic and lifestyle factors; however, environmental toxicants are a frequently overlooked factor that can modify the effects of more common causes of FLD. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs is associated with liver disease in humans and animal models, but neither the mechanism of action nor the combinatorial interaction with other disease-causing factors has been fully investigated. Here, we examined the contribution of iAs to FLD using zebrafish and tested the interaction with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD. We report that zebrafish exposed to iAs throughout development developed specific phenotypes beginning at 4 days post-fertilization (dpf, including the development of FLD in over 50% of larvae by 5 dpf. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of livers from larvae exposed to either iAs or ethanol revealed the oxidative stress response and the unfolded protein response (UPR caused by endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress as common pathways in both these models of FLD, suggesting that they target similar cellular processes. This was confirmed by our finding that arsenic is synthetically lethal with both ethanol and a well-characterized ER-stress-inducing agent (tunicamycin, suggesting that these exposures work together through UPR activation to cause iAs toxicity. Most significantly, combined exposure to sub-toxic concentrations of iAs and ethanol potentiated the expression of UPR-associated genes, cooperated to induce FLD, reduced the expression of as3mt, which encodes an arsenic-metabolizing enzyme, and significantly increased the concentration of iAs in the liver. This demonstrates that iAs exposure is sufficient to cause FLD and that low doses of iAs can potentiate the effects of ethanol to cause liver disease. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

  5. Inorganic arsenic causes fatty liver and interacts with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease in zebrafish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chi; Austin, Christine; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; Arora, Manish

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT The rapid increase in fatty liver disease (FLD) incidence is attributed largely to genetic and lifestyle factors; however, environmental toxicants are a frequently overlooked factor that can modify the effects of more common causes of FLD. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with liver disease in humans and animal models, but neither the mechanism of action nor the combinatorial interaction with other disease-causing factors has been fully investigated. Here, we examined the contribution of iAs to FLD using zebrafish and tested the interaction with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We report that zebrafish exposed to iAs throughout development developed specific phenotypes beginning at 4 days post-fertilization (dpf), including the development of FLD in over 50% of larvae by 5 dpf. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of livers from larvae exposed to either iAs or ethanol revealed the oxidative stress response and the unfolded protein response (UPR) caused by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress as common pathways in both these models of FLD, suggesting that they target similar cellular processes. This was confirmed by our finding that arsenic is synthetically lethal with both ethanol and a well-characterized ER-stress-inducing agent (tunicamycin), suggesting that these exposures work together through UPR activation to cause iAs toxicity. Most significantly, combined exposure to sub-toxic concentrations of iAs and ethanol potentiated the expression of UPR-associated genes, cooperated to induce FLD, reduced the expression of as3mt, which encodes an arsenic-metabolizing enzyme, and significantly increased the concentration of iAs in the liver. This demonstrates that iAs exposure is sufficient to cause FLD and that low doses of iAs can potentiate the effects of ethanol to cause liver disease. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. PMID:29361514

  6. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance inorganic arsenic bioavailability and methylation in two freshwater algae species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Zhuanxi; Wang, Zhenhong; Yan, Yameng; Li, Jinli; Yan, Changzhou; Xing, Baoshan

    2018-07-01

    The effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO 2 ) on the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of arsenic (As) remains largely unknown. In this study, we exposed two freshwater algae (Microcystis aeruginosa and Scenedesmus obliquus) to inorganic As (arsenite and arsenate) with the aim of increasing our understanding on As bioaccumulation and methylation in the presence of nano-TiO 2 . Direct evidence from transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show that nano-TiO 2 (anatase) entered exposed algae. Thus, nano-TiO 2 as carriers boosted As accumulation and methylation in these two algae species, which varied between inorganic As speciation and algae species. Specifically, nano-TiO 2 could markedly enhance arsenate (As(V)) accumulation in M. aeruginosa and arsenite (As(III)) accumulation in S. obliquus. Similarly, we found evidence of higher As methylation activity in the M. aeruginosa of As(III) 2 mg L -1 nano-TiO 2 treatment. Although this was also true for the S. obliquus (As(V)) treatment, this species exhibited higher As methylation compared to M. aeruginosa, being more sensitive to As associated with nano-TiO 2 compared to M. aeruginosa. Due to changes in pH levels inside these exposed algae, As dissociation from nano-TiO 2 inside algal cells enhanced As methylation. Accordingly, the potential influence of nanoparticles on the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of their co-contaminants deserves more attention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Total Mercury, Methylmercury, Inorganic Arsenic and Other Elements in Meat from Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) from the North East Atlantic Ocean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maage, Amund; Nilsen, Bente M; Julshamn, Kaare; Frøyland, Livar; Valdersnes, Stig

    2017-08-01

    Meat samples of 84 minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) mainly from the Barents Sea, collected between 1 May and 16 August 2011, were analyzed for total mercury, methylmercury, cadmium, lead, total arsenic, inorganic arsenic and selenium. The average total mercury concentration found was 0.15 ± 0.09 mg/kg, with a range from 0.05 to 0.49 mg/kg. The molar ratio of selenium to mercury varied between 1.0 and 10.3. Cadmium content ranged from 0.002 to 0.036 mg/kg, while the content of lead in whale meat ranged from whale samples exceeded established EU maximum levels for metals in fish muscle, but 4.8% and 6.8% of the samples exceeded Japanese maximum levels for total mercury and methylmercury, respectively, in whale meat. There was only minor variations in element concentrations between whales from different geographical areas, and cadmium was the only element were the concentration increased with increasing length.

  8. Determination of inorganic arsenic species in natural waters--benefits of separation and preconcentration on ion exchange and hybrid resins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Issa, Nureddin; Rajaković-Ognjanović, Vladana N; Jovanović, Branislava M; Rajaković, Ljubinka V

    2010-07-19

    A simple method for the separation and determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) species in natural and drinking water was developed. Procedures for sample preparation, separation of As(III) and As(V) species and preconcentration of the total iAs on fixed bed columns were defined. Two resins, a strong base anion exchange (SBAE) resin and a hybrid (HY) resin were utilized. The inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry method was applied as the analytical method for the determination of the arsenic concentration in water. The governing factors for the ion exchange/sorption of arsenic on resins in a batch and a fixed bed flow system were analyzed and compared. Acidity of the water, which plays an important role in the control of the ionic or molecular forms of arsenic species, was beneficial for the separation; by adjusting the pH values to less than 8.00, the SBAE resin separated As(V) from As(III) in water by retaining As(V) and allowing As(III) to pass through. The sorption activity of the hydrated iron oxide particles integrated into the HY resin was beneficial for bonding of all iAs species over a wide range of pH values from 5.00 to 11.00. The resin capacities were calculated according to the breakthrough points in a fixed bed flow system. At pH 7.50, the SBAE resin bound more than 370 microg g(-1) of As(V) while the HY resin bound more than 4150 microg g(-1) of As(III) and more than 3500 microg g(-1) of As(V). The high capacities and selectivity of the resins were considered as advantageous for the development and application of two procedures, one for the separation and determination of As(III) (with SBAE) and the other for the preconcentration and determination of the total arsenic (with HY resin). Methods were established through basic analytical procedures (with external standards, certified reference materials and the standard addition method) and by the parallel analysis of some samples using the atomic absorption spectrometry-hydride generation

  9. Human Arsenic Poisoning Issues in Central-East Indian Locations: Biomarkers and Biochemical Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madhurima Pandey

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The study reports the use of three biomarkers i.e. total arsenic in hair and nails, total arsenic in blood, and total arsenic in urine to identify or quantify arsenic exposure and concomitant health effects. The main source of arsenic was inorganic exposure through drinking water. The arsenic levels and the health effects were analyzed closely in a family having maximum symptoms of arsenic. Based on the result of this study it is reported that there exist a correlation between the clinically observable symptoms, the blood and urine arsenic level, and the arsenic intake through drinking water. An intensive study on the urinary arsenic levels was carried out in which the urine levels of arsenic and the urine sufficiency tests were performed. A composite picture of body burden of arsenic has been obtained by carrying out a complete biochemical analysis of a maximum affected family. This confirms pronounced chronic exposure of the arsenic to these people. A combined correlation study on the arsenic levels measured in whole blood, urine, hair, nails and age present a remarkable outcome. Accordingly, the arsenic levels in blood are negatively correlated with the urine arsenic levels, which indicate either the inadequacy of the renal system in cleaning the blood arsenic or a continuous recirculation of the accumulated arsenic. This is an important conclusion about arsenical metabolism in humans. The study also raises the issues of the prospects of complete elimination of the accumulated arsenic and the reversibility of the health effects. Based on the work in Kourikasa village we report that there are very remote chances of complete purging of arsenic and thus reversibility of the health effects owing to various factors. The paper also discusses the various issues concerning the chronic arsenic poisoning management in the affected locations.

  10. Arsenic accumulation and phosphorus status in two rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars surveyed from fields in South China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Ying; Dong, Fei; Deacon, Claire; Chen Huojun; Raab, Andrea; Meharg, Andrew A.

    2010-01-01

    The consumption of paddy rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major inorganic arsenic exposure pathway in S.E. Asia. A multi-location survey was undertaken in Guangdong Province, South China to assess arsenic accumulation and speciation in 2 rice cultivars, one an Indica and the other a hybrid Indica. The results showed that arsenic concentrations in rice tissue increased in the order grain < husk < straw < root. Rice grain arsenic content of 2 rice cultivars was significant different and correlated with phosphorus concentration and molar ratio of P/As in shoot, being higher for the Indica cultivar than for the hybrid Indica, which suggests altering shoot phosphorus status as a promising route for breeding rice cultivars with reduced grain arsenic. Speciation of grain arsenic, performed using HPLC-ICP-MS, identified inorganic arsenic as the dominant arsenic species present in the rice grain. - Altering rice shoot phosphorus status is a promising route for breeding rice cultivars with reduced grain arsenic.

  11. Report of the key comparison CCQM-K108 determination of arsenic species, total arsenic and cadmium in brown rice flour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hioki, Akiharu; Narukawa, Tomohiro; Inagaki, Kazumi; Miyashita, Shinichi; Kotzeva, Boriana; Kakoulides, Elias; Sxoina, Vasiliki; Fung, W. H.; Choi, Y. Y.; Yau, H. P.; Tsoi, Y. T.; Lee, C. L.; Kong, M. F.; Shin, Richard; Juan, Wang; Sin Yee, Ng; Uribe, Christian; Marques Rodrigues, Janaína; Caciano de Sena, Rodrigo; Silva Dutra, Emily; Bergamaschi, Luigi; Giordani, Laura; D'Agostino, Giancarlo; Valiente, Liliana; Horvat, Milena; Jacimovic, Radojko; Oduor Okumu, Tom; Kang'Iri, Jacqueline; Owiti Orwa, Tabitha; Chao, Wei; Jingbo, Chao; Taebunpakul, Sutthinun; Yafa, Charun; Kaewkhomdee, Nattikarn; Chailap, Benjamat; Pharat, Yanee; Phukphattanachai, Pranee; Turk, Gregory C.; Long, Stephen; Murphy, K. E.; Davis, Clay; Ellisor, Michael; Merrick, Jeffrey; White, Ian; Saxby, David; Linsky, S. M.; Barzev, A.; Botha, A.

    2015-01-01

    The CCQM-K108 key comparison was organised by the Inorganic Analysis Working Group (IAWG) of CCQM to test the abilities of national metrology institutes (NMIs) or designated institutes (DIs) to measure the mass fractions of arsenic species, total arsenic and cadmium in brown rice flour. The National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) acted as the coordinating laboratory. The participants used different measurement methods, though most of them used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or isotope-dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) for Cd and ICP-MS for total arsenic. Regarding arsenic speciation, all participants used ICP-MS coupled with liquid chromatography (LC). Accounting for relative expanded uncertainty, comparability of measurement results for each of total arsenic and cadmium was successfully demonstrated by the participating NMIs or DIs for the measurement of the measurand at the level of less than 0.5 mg/kg. Regarding arsenic species (inorganic arsenic and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA)), there was, however, a measurement problem still to be solved and that part of CCQM-K108 will be repeated. It is expected that arsenic, cadmium and other metals at mass fractions greater than approximately 0.1 mg/kg in rice flour can be determined by each participant using the same technique(s) employed for this key comparison to achieve similar uncertainties mentioned in the present report. Furthermore, the results of this key comparison can be utilised along with the IAWG core capability approach. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by CCQM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

  12. The impact of a rice based diet on urinary arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cascio, Claudia; Raab, Andrea; Jenkins, Richard O; Feldmann, Joerg; Meharg, Andrew A; Haris, Parvez I

    2011-02-01

    Rice is elevated in arsenic (As) compared to other staple grains. The Bangladeshi community living in the United Kingdom (UK) has a ca. 30-fold higher consumption of rice than white Caucasians. In order to assess the impact of this difference in rice consumption, urinary arsenicals of 49 volunteers in the UK (Bangladeshi n = 37; white Caucasians n = 12) were monitored along with dietary habits. Total urinary arsenic (As(t)) and speciation analysis for dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MA) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) was conducted. Although no significant difference was found for As(t) (median: Bangladeshis 28.4 µg L(-1)) and white Caucasians (20.6 µg L(-1)), the sum of medians of DMA, MA and iAs for the Bangladeshi group was found to be over 3-fold higher (17.9 µg L(-1)) than for the Caucasians (3.50 µg L(-1)). Urinary DMA was significantly higher (p iAs (p iAs L(-1) for Bangladeshi and 0.250 µg iAs L(-1) for Caucasians. Cationic compounds were significantly lower in the Bangladeshis (2.93 µg L(-1)) than in Caucasians (14.9 µg L(-1)). The higher DMA and iAs levels in the Bangladeshis are mainly the result of higher rice consumption: arsenic is speciated in rice as both iAs and DMA, and iAs can be metabolized, through MA, to DMA by humans. This study shows that a higher dietary intake of DMA alters the DMA/MA ratio in urine. Consequently, DMA/MA ratio as an indication of methylation capacity in populations consuming large quantities of rice should be applied with caution since variation in the quantity and type of rice eaten may alter this ratio.

  13. The relationship between obesity, insulin and arsenic methylation capability in Taiwan adolescents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Chien-Tien [Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lin, Hsiu-Chen [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Laboratory Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Choy, Cheuk-Sing [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Emergency Department, Taipei Hospital, Department of Health, Taiwan (China); Huang, Yung-Kai [School of Oral Hygiene, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Huang, Shiau-Rung [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study evaluated the arsenic methylation profile of adolescents and explored the influence of body mass index (BMI) on the arsenic methylation profile of adolescents in an area of Taiwan with no-obvious arsenic exposure. Methods: This study evaluated 202 normal weight students and 101 obese students from eight elementary schools, recruited from September 2009 to December 2009. Concentrations of urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA{sup 5+}) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA{sup 5+}) were determined by a high-performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: Urinary total arsenic was significantly decreased with increasing BMI, indicating that obese children may retain higher levels of arsenic in the body, as compared to normal weight children. Participants with obesity accompanied by high insulin levels had higher inorganic arsenic, significantly higher MMA percentage and significantly lower DMA percentage than those with obesity and low insulin levels. It seems children with obesity and high insulin levels had lower arsenic methylation capacity than those with obesity and low insulin. Conclusions: This is the first study to demonstrate that total urinary arsenic is negatively associated with the BMI in adolescents in Taiwan, adjusted for age and sex. Obese adolescents with high insulin levels had significantly higher MMA% and significantly lower DMA% than obese adolescents with low insulin. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This is the first to find that urinary total arsenic is related inversely to the BMI. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Arsenic methylation capability may be associated with obesity and insulin. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Obese adolescents with high insulin had low arsenic methylation capacity.

  14. Relationship of urinary arsenic metabolites to intake estimates in residents of the Red River Delta, Vietnam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agusa, Tetsuro [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan); Department of Legal Medicine, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Enya 89-1, Izumo 693-8501 (Japan); Kunito, Takashi [Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto 390-8621 (Japan); Minh, Tu Binh [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan); Department of Biology and Chemistry (BCH), City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong (China); Pham Thi Kim Trang [Center for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), Hanoi National University, 334 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Iwata, Hisato [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan); Pham Hung Viet [Center for Environmental Technology and Sustainable Development (CETASD), Hanoi National University, 334 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Tanabe, Shinsuke [Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES), Ehime University, Bunkyo-cho 2-5, Matsuyama 790-8577 (Japan)], E-mail: shinsuke@agr.ehime-u.ac.jp

    2009-02-15

    This study investigated the status of arsenic (As) exposure from groundwater and rice, and its methylation capacity in residents from the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Arsenic levels in groundwater ranged from <1.8 to 486 {mu}g/L. Remarkably, 86% of groundwater samples exceeded WHO drinking water guideline of 10 {mu}g/L. Also, estimated inorganic As intake from groundwater and rice were over Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (15 {mu}g/week/kg body wt.) by FAO/WHO for 92% of the residents examined. Inorganic As and its metabolite (monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid) concentrations in human urine were positively correlated with estimated inorganic As intake. These results suggest that residents in these areas are exposed to As through consumption of groundwater and rice, and potential health risk of As is of great concern for these people. Urinary concentration ratios of dimethylarsinic acid to monomethylarsonic acid in children were higher than those in adults, especially among men, indicating greater As methylation capacity in children. - Positive correlations between estimated arsenic intake and urinary inorganic arsenic and its metabolites were observed in human from the Red River Delta, Vietnam.

  15. Relationship of urinary arsenic metabolites to intake estimates in residents of the Red River Delta, Vietnam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agusa, Tetsuro; Kunito, Takashi; Minh, Tu Binh; Pham Thi Kim Trang; Iwata, Hisato; Pham Hung Viet; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated the status of arsenic (As) exposure from groundwater and rice, and its methylation capacity in residents from the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Arsenic levels in groundwater ranged from <1.8 to 486 μg/L. Remarkably, 86% of groundwater samples exceeded WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L. Also, estimated inorganic As intake from groundwater and rice were over Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (15 μg/week/kg body wt.) by FAO/WHO for 92% of the residents examined. Inorganic As and its metabolite (monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid) concentrations in human urine were positively correlated with estimated inorganic As intake. These results suggest that residents in these areas are exposed to As through consumption of groundwater and rice, and potential health risk of As is of great concern for these people. Urinary concentration ratios of dimethylarsinic acid to monomethylarsonic acid in children were higher than those in adults, especially among men, indicating greater As methylation capacity in children. - Positive correlations between estimated arsenic intake and urinary inorganic arsenic and its metabolites were observed in human from the Red River Delta, Vietnam

  16. Arsenic removal using natural biomaterial-based sorbents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ansone, Linda; Klavins, Maris; Viksna, Arturs

    2013-10-01

    Arsenic contamination of water is a major problem worldwide. A possible solution can be approached through developing new sorbents based on cost-effective and environmentally friendly natural biomaterials. We have developed new sorbents based on biomaterial impregnation with iron oxyhydroxide. In this study, raw peat material, iron-modified peat, iron-modified biomass (shingles, straw, sands, cane and moss) as well as iron humate were used for the removal of arsenate from contaminated water. The highest sorption capacity was observed in iron-modified peat, and kinetic studies indicated that the amount of arsenic sorbed on this material exceeds 90 % in 5 h. Arsenate sorption on iron-modified peat is characterised by the pseudo-second-order mechanism. The results of arsenic sorption in the presence of competing substances indicated that sulphate, nitrate, chloride and tartrate anions have practically no influence on As(V) sorption onto Fe-modified peat, whereas the presence of phosphate ions and humic acid significantly lowers the arsenic removal efficiency.

  17. ACCUMULATION AND METABOLISM OF ARSENIC IN MICE AFTER REPEATED ADMINISTRATION OF ARSENATE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Accumulation and metabolism of arsenic in mice after repeated oral administration of arsenate, Hughes, M. F., Kenyon, E. M., Edwards, B. C., Mitchell, C. T., Del Razo, L. M., and Thomas, D. J. The human carcinogen inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a pervasive environmental ...

  18. Voltammetric Study of Arsenic (III and Arsenic (V in Ground Water of Hajigonj and Kalkini in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Arifur Rahman

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available The speciation of arsenic in groundwater samples using Square Wave Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (SWASV, Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (DPASV and Normal Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (NPASV are described. Good resolution of the species, arsenic (III and arsenic (V is achieved using SWASV. The reliability of the methods was checked by analyzing the total arsenic content of the samples by Hydride Generation Atomic Absorptioion Spectrophotometer and by analyzing prepared controlled laboratory standard solution. Since this technique is comparatively cheaper than other available techniques it could be a better analytical technique for arsenic speciation from water. In this study, the assessment of inorganic arsenic species in ground water of Kalkini (Madaripur and Hajigonj (Chandpur is reported. It shows that arsenic content in water in different locations is irregular. Most of the locations contain higher level of As(III than As(V. The highest concentration of arsenic is found in Anayetnagor (554.46 ± 0.07 mg/L of Kalkini and Raichar (562 ± 0.50 mg/L of Hajigonj. However, the level of total arsenic and As(III of most of the villages of the study areas are more than the WHO guideline value (50mg/L. Therefore a proper monitoring process should be evolved along with the development of methods to keep the water free from arsenic.

  19. Arsenic in your food: potential health hazards from arsenic found in rice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Munera-Picazo S

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Sandra Munera-Picazo,1 Marina Cano-Lamadrid,1 María Concepción Castaño-Iglesias,2 Francisco Burló,1 Ángel A Carbonell-Barrachina11Food Quality and Safety Group, Department of Agro-Food Technology, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Orihuela, 2Servicio de Pediatría, Hospital Universitario San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, SpainAbstract: Rice is a staple food for over half of the world population, but there is some concern about the occurrence of arsenic (As in this cereal and the possible overexposure to this metalloid. Recently, the Codex Alimentarius Commission established a maximum limit of 200 µg kg–1 for inorganic arsenic (iAs in rice. Because the maximum content of As in water has been reduced to 10 µg L–1, intoxication through rice and rice-based products can be considered an important source of As poisoning. The chronic effects of this iAs exposure can be lung and bladder cancer, skin lesions, or other noncarcinogenic diseases. There is clear evidence of high levels of iAs in rice and rice-based products. Different solutions for the reduction of As intake are proposed at different levels: 1 during the plant-growing process through agronomic practices, 2 pretreatment of rice before its use in the food industry, 3 optimization of the conditions of unit operations during processing, and 4 by cooking.Keywords: arsenic speciation, food safety, dietary exposure, Oryza sativa

  20. Field and laboratory arsenic speciation methods and their application to natural-water analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bednar, A.J.; Garbarino, J.R.; Burkhardt, M.R.; Ranville, J.F.; Wildeman, T.R.

    2004-01-01

    The toxic and carcinogenic properties of inorganic and organic arsenic species make their determination in natural water vitally important. Determination of individual inorganic and organic arsenic species is critical because the toxicology, mobility, and adsorptivity vary substantially. Several methods for the speciation of arsenic in groundwater, surface-water, and acid mine drainage sample matrices using field and laboratory techniques are presented. The methods provide quantitative determination of arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonate (MMA), dimethylarsinate (DMA), and roxarsone in 2-8min at detection limits of less than 1??g arsenic per liter (??g AsL-1). All the methods use anion exchange chromatography to separate the arsenic species and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry as an arsenic-specific detector. Different methods were needed because some sample matrices did not have all arsenic species present or were incompatible with particular high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) mobile phases. The bias and variability of the methods were evaluated using total arsenic, As(III), As(V), DMA, and MMA results from more than 100 surface-water, groundwater, and acid mine drainage samples, and reference materials. Concentrations in test samples were as much as 13,000??g AsL-1 for As(III) and 3700??g AsL-1 for As(V). Methylated arsenic species were less than 100??g AsL-1 and were found only in certain surface-water samples, and roxarsone was not detected in any of the water samples tested. The distribution of inorganic arsenic species in the test samples ranged from 0% to 90% As(III). Laboratory-speciation method variability for As(III), As(V), MMA, and DMA in reagent water at 0.5??g AsL-1 was 8-13% (n=7). Field-speciation method variability for As(III) and As(V) at 1??g AsL-1 in reagent water was 3-4% (n=3). ?? 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Application of ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS for diagnosis and therapy of a severe intoxication with hexavalent chromium and inorganic arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heitland, Peter; Blohm, Martin; Breuer, Christian; Brinkert, Florian; Achilles, Eike Gert; Pukite, Ieva; Köster, Helmut Dietrich

    2017-05-01

    ICP-MS and HPLC-ICP-MS were applied for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring in a severe intoxication with a liquid containing hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and inorganic arsenic (iAs). In this rare case a liver transplantation of was considered as the only chance of survival. We developed and applied methods for the determination of Cr(VI) in erythrocytes and total chromium (Cr) and arsenic (As) in blood, plasma, urine and liver tissue by ICP-MS. Exposure to iAs was diagnosed by determination of iAs species and their metabolites in urine by anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS. Three days after ingestion of the liquid the total Cr concentrations were 2180 and 1070μg/L in whole blood and plasma, respectively, and 4540μg/L Cr(VI) in erythrocytes. The arsenic concentration in blood was 206μg/L. The urinary As species concentrations were <0.5, 109, 115, 154 and 126μg/L for arsenobetaine, As(III), As(V), methylarsonate (V) and dimethylarsinate (V), respectively. Total Cr and As concentrations in the explanted liver were 11.7 and 0.9mg/kg, respectively. Further analytical results of this case study are tabulated and provide valuable data for physicians and toxicologists. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

  2. Biosorptive removal of inorganic arsenic species and fluoride from aqueous medium by the stem of Tecomella undulate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brahman, Kapil Dev; Kazi, Tasneem Gul; Baig, Jameel Ahmed; Afridi, Hassan Imran; Arain, Sadaf Sadia; Saraj, Saima; Arain, Muhammad B; Arain, Salma Aslam

    2016-05-01

    Simultaneous removal of fluoride (F(-)), inorganic arsenic species, As(III) and As(V), from aqueous samples has been performed using an economic indigenous biosorbent (Stem of Tecomella undulata). The inorganic As species in water samples before and after biosorption were determined by cloud point and solid phase extraction methods, while F(-) was determined by ion chromatography. Batch experiments were carried out to evaluate the equilibrium adsorption isotherm studies for As(III), As(V) and F(-) in aqueous solutions. Several parameters of biosorption were optimized such as pH, biomass dosage, analytes concentration, time and temperature. The surface of biosorbent was characterized by SEM and FTIR. The FTIR study indicated the presence of carbonyl and amine functional groups which may have important role in the sorption/removal of these ions. Thermodynamic and kinetic study indicated that the biosorption of As(III), As(V) and F(-) were spontaneous, exothermic and followed by pseudo-second-order. Meanwhile, the interference study revealed that there was no significant effect of co-existing ions for the removal of inorganic As species and F(-) from aqueous samples (p > 0.05). It was observed that the indigenous biosorbent material simultaneously adsorbed As(III) (108 μg g(-1)), As(V) (159 μg g(-1)) and F(-) (6.16 mg g(-1)) from water at optimized conditions. The proposed biosorbent was effectively regenerated and efficiently used for several experiments, to remove the As(III), As(V) and F(-) from real water sample collected from endemic area of Pakistan. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Total and inorganic arsenic in foods of the first Hong Kong total diet study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Stephen Wai-cheung; Lam, Chi-ho; Chan, Benny Tsz-pun

    2014-04-01

    Arsenic (As) is a metalloid that occurs in different inorganic and organic forms, which are found in the environment from both natural occurrence and anthropogenic activity. The inorganic forms of As (iAs) are more toxic as compared with the organic As, but so far most of the occurrence data in food collected in the framework of official food control are still reported as total As without differentiating the various As species. In this paper, total As and iAs contents of 600 total diet study (TDS) samples, subdivided into 15 different food groups, were quantified by high-resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP/MS) and hydride generation (HG) ICP/MS respectively. The method detection limits for both total As and iAs were 3 μg As kg(-1). As the samples were prepared for TDS, food items were purchased directly from the market or prepared as for normal consumption, i.e. table ready, in the manner most representative of and consistent with cultural habits in Hong Kong as far as practicable. The highest total As and iAs content were found in 'fish, seafood and their products' and 'vegetables and their products' respectively. Besides, this paper also presents the ratios of iAs and total As content in different ready-to-eat food items. The highest ratio of iAs to total As was found in 'vegetables and their products'. It is likely that iAs in vegetables maintained its status even after cooking.

  4. Urinary total arsenic and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine are associated with renal cell carcinoma in an area without obvious arsenic exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Chao-Yuan [Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Su, Chien-Tien [Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chung, Chi-Jung [Department of Health Risk Management, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Pu, Yeong-Shiau [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chu, Jan-Show [Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Yang, Hsiu-Yuan [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chia-Chang [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Urology, Taipei Medical Universtiy-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2012-08-01

    8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is one of the most reliable and abundant markers of DNA damage. The study was designed to explore the relationship between urinary 8-OHdG and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to investigate whether individuals with a high level of 8-OHdG would have a modified odds ratio (OR) of arsenic-related RCC. This case–control study was conducted with 132 RCC patients and 245 age- and sex-matched controls from a hospital-based pool between November 2006 and May 2009. Pathological verification of RCC was completed by image-guided biopsy or surgical resection of renal tumors. Urinary 8-OHdG levels were determined using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Concentrations of urinary arsenic species, including inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), were determined by a high performance liquid chromatography-linked hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. Level of urinary 8-OHdG was significantly associated with the OR of RCC in a dose–response relationship after multivariate adjustment. Urinary 8-OHdG was significantly related to urinary total arsenic. The greatest OR (3.50) was seen in the individuals with high urinary 8-OHdG and high urinary total arsenic. A trend test indicated that the OR of RCC was increased with one of these factors and was further increased with both (p = 0.002). In conclusion, higher urinary 8-OHdG was a strong predictor of the RCC. High levels of 8-OHdG combined with urinary total arsenic might be indicative of arsenic-induced RCC. -- Highlights: ► Urinary 8-OHdG was significantly related to urinary total arsenic. ► Higher urinary 8-OHdG was a strong predictor of RCC risk. ► Urinary 8-OHdG may modify arsenic related RCC risk.

  5. High-Purity Glasses Based on Arsenic Chalcogenides

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-06-01

    Chemical interaction of chalcogenides and some impurities (CS 2, TeO2 ) with the quartz glass at high temperature leads to the thin layers formation...UNCLASSIFIED Defense Technical Information Center Compilation Part Notice ADPO1 1523 TITLE: High-Purity Glasses Based on Arsenic Chalcogenides...Materials Vol. 3, No. 2, June 2001, p. 341 - 349 HIGH-PURITY GLASSES BASED ON ARSENIC CHALCOGENIDES M. F. Churbanov, I. V. Scripachev, G. E. Snopatin, V. S

  6. Urinary inorganic arsenic concentrations and semen quality of male partners of subfertile couples in Tokyo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oguri, Tomoko; Yoshinaga, Jun; Toshima, Hiroki; Mizumoto, Yoshifumi; Hatakeyama, Shota; Tokuoka, Susumu

    2016-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) has been known as a testicular toxicant in experimental rodents. Possible association between iAs exposure and semen quality (semen volume, sperm concentration, and sperm motility) was explored in male partners of couples (n = 42) who visited a gynecology clinic in Tokyo for infertility consultation. Semen parameters were measured according to WHO guideline at the clinic, and urinary iAs and methylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid concentrations were determined by liquid chromatography-hydride generation-ICP mass spectrometry. Biological attributes, dietary habits, and exposure levels to other chemicals with known effects on semen parameters were taken into consideration as covariates. Multiple regression analyses and logistic regression analyses did not find iAs exposure as significant contributor to semen parameters. Lower exposure level of subjects (estimated to be 0.5 μg kg(-1) day(-1)) was considered a reason of the absence of adverse effects on semen parameters, which were seen in rodents dosed with 4-7.5 mg kg(-1).

  7. THE ROLE OF VALENCE AND METHYLATION STATE ON THE ACTIVITY OF ARSENIC DURING MITOSIS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivalent methylated arsenicals are much more potent DNA damaging agents, clastogens, and large deletion mutagens than are their inorganic and pentavalent counterparts. Previously we had noticed that many of the arsenicals induced "c-type" anaphases characteristic of spindle pois...

  8. Arsenic speciation analysis of urine samples from individuals living in an arsenic-contaminated area in Bangladesh.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hata, Akihisa; Yamanaka, Kenzo; Habib, Mohamed Ahsan; Endo, Yoko; Fujitani, Noboru; Endo, Ginji

    2012-05-01

    Chronic inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure currently affects tens of millions of people worldwide. To accurately determine the proportion of urinary arsenic metabolites in residents continuously exposed to iAs, we performed arsenic speciation analysis of the urine of these individuals and determined whether a correlation exists between the concentration of iAs in drinking water and the urinary arsenic species content. The subjects were 165 married couples who had lived in the Pabna District in Bangladesh for more than 5 years. Arsenic species were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The median iAs concentration in drinking water was 55 μgAs/L (range 47.9-153.4 μgAs/L), respectively. No arsenobetaine or arsenocholine was detected. The concentrations of the 4 urinary arsenic species were significantly and linearly related to each other. The urinary concentrations of total arsenic and each species were significantly correlated with the iAs concentration of drinking water. All urinary arsenic species are well correlated with each other and with iAs in drinking water. The most significant linear relationship existed between the iAs concentration in drinking water and urinary iAs + MMA concentration. From these results, combined with the effects of seafood ingestion, the best biomarker of iAs exposure is urinary iAs + MMA concentration.

  9. Variability in human metabolism of arsenic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loffredo, C.A.; Aposhian, H.V.; Cebrian, M.E.; Yamauchi, Hiroshi; Silbergeld, E.K.

    2003-01-01

    Estimating the nature and extent of human cancer risks due to arsenic (As) in drinking water is currently of great concern, since millions of persons worldwide are exposed to arsenic, primarily through natural enrichment of drinking water drawn from deep wells. Humans metabolize and eliminate As through oxidative methylation and subsequent urinary excretion. While there is debate as to the role of methylation in activation/detoxification, variations in arsenic metabolism may affect individual risks of toxicity and carcinogenesis. Using data from three populations, from Mexico, China, and Chile, we have analyzed the distribution in urine of total arsenic and arsenic species (inorganic arsenic (InAs), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA). Data were analyzed in terms of the concentration of each species and by evaluating MMA:DMA and (MMA+DMA):InAs ratios. In all persons most urinary As was present as DMA. Male:female differences were discernible in both high- and low-exposure groups from all three populations, but the gender differences varied by populations. The data also indicated bimodal distributions in the ratios of DMA to InAs and to MMA. While the gene or genes responsible for arsenic methylation are still unknown, the results of our studies among the ethnic groups in this study are consistent with the presence of functional genetic polymorphisms in arsenic methylation leading to measurable differences in toxicity. This analysis highlights the need for continuing research on the health effects of As in humans using molecular epidemiologic methods

  10. Quantitative Determination of Arsenic in Bottled Drinking Water Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Guţu Claudia

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Many studies have been performed in the past few years, to determine arsenic speciation in drinking water, food chain and environment, arsenic being a well-recognized carcinogenic and toxic agent mainly in its inorganic species. The instrumental techniques used for arsenic determination, such as hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS, graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, can provide a great sensitivity only on the total amount. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a simple and rapid method and to analyze the concentration of total inorganic arsenic in bottled drinking water. Methods: Total arsenic was determined in samples from six different types of commercially available bottled drinking water using atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal or hydride generation vaporisation. All drinking water samples were acidified with 0.1M nitric acid to match the acidity of the standards. Results: The method was linear within the studied range (1-5 μg/L, R = 0.9943. The quantification limits for arsenic determination were 0.48 μg/L (HGAAS and 0.03 μg/L (GFAAS. The evaluated arsenic content in drinking water was within the accepted limits provided by law. Conclusions: A simple and sensitive method for the quantification of arsenic in drinking water using atomic absorbtion spectroscopy was described, which can be further used in toxicological studies. As an additional advantage, the system is very fast, efficient and environmental friendly

  11. Development of bacteria-based bioassays for arsenic detection in natural waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diesel, Elizabeth; Schreiber, Madeline; van der Meer, Jan Roelof

    2009-06-01

    Arsenic contamination of natural waters is a worldwide concern, as the drinking water supplies for large populations can have high concentrations of arsenic. Traditional techniques to detect arsenic in natural water samples can be costly and time-consuming; therefore, robust and inexpensive methods to detect arsenic in water are highly desirable. Additionally, methods for detecting arsenic in the field have been greatly sought after. This article focuses on the use of bacteria-based assays as an emerging method that is both robust and inexpensive for the detection of arsenic in groundwater both in the field and in the laboratory. The arsenic detection elements in bacteria-based bioassays are biosensor-reporter strains; genetically modified strains of, e.g., Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Rhodopseudomonas palustris. In response to the presence of arsenic, such bacteria produce a reporter protein, the amount or activity of which is measured in the bioassay. Some of these bacterial biosensor-reporters have been successfully utilized for comparative in-field analyses through the use of simple solution-based assays, but future methods may concentrate on miniaturization using fiberoptics or microfluidics platforms. Additionally, there are other potential emerging bioassays for the detection of arsenic in natural waters including nematodes and clams.

  12. Development of bacteria-based bioassays for arsenic detection in natural waters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Diesel, Elizabeth; Schreiber, Madeline [Virginia Tech, Department of Geosciences, Blacksburg, VA (United States); Meer, Jan Roelof van der [University of Lausanne, Department of Fundamental Microbiology, Lausanne (Switzerland)

    2009-06-15

    Arsenic contamination of natural waters is a worldwide concern, as the drinking water supplies for large populations can have high concentrations of arsenic. Traditional techniques to detect arsenic in natural water samples can be costly and time-consuming; therefore, robust and inexpensive methods to detect arsenic in water are highly desirable. Additionally, methods for detecting arsenic in the field have been greatly sought after. This article focuses on the use of bacteria-based assays as an emerging method that is both robust and inexpensive for the detection of arsenic in groundwater both in the field and in the laboratory. The arsenic detection elements in bacteria-based bioassays are biosensor-reporter strains; genetically modified strains of, e.g., Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Rhodopseudomonas palustris. In response to the presence of arsenic, such bacteria produce a reporter protein, the amount or activity of which is measured in the bioassay. Some of these bacterial biosensor-reporters have been successfully utilized for comparative in-field analyses through the use of simple solution-based assays, but future methods may concentrate on miniaturization using fiberoptics or microfluidics platforms. Additionally, there are other potential emerging bioassays for the detection of arsenic in natural waters including nematodes and clams. (orig.)

  13. The new concept of hyphenated analytical system: Simultaneous determination of inorganic arsenic(III), arsenic(V), selenium(IV) and selenium(VI) by high performance liquid chromatography-hydride generation-(fast sequential) atomic absorption spectrometry during single analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niedzielski, P.

    2005-01-01

    The paper presents a new conception of determination of inorganic speciation forms of arsenic: As(III) and As(V) as well selenium Se(IV) and Se(VI) by means of the high performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with a detection by the atomic absorption spectrometry with hydride generation (HPLC-HG-AAS). The application of optimization procedure conditions of chromatographic separation of arsenic and selenium speciation forms (using anion-exchange Supelco LC-SAX1 column and phosphate buffer at pH 5.40 as a mobile phase) as well as the use of the atomic absorption spectrometry as a detector, which enables work in fast sequential mode, allowed to develop original detection methodology of simultaneous determination of arsenic As(III), As(V) and selenium Se(IV) and Se(VI) speciation forms within a 220 s single analysis. The obtained detection limits were 7.8 ng mL -1 for As(III); 12.0 ng mL -1 for As(V); 2.4 ng mL -1 for Se(IV) and 18.6 ng mL -1 for Se(VI) and precision 10.5%, 12.1%, 14.2% and 17.3%, respectively, for 100 ng mL -1 . The described method was used for ground water analysis

  14. Gene polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase omega 1 and 2, urinary arsenic methylation profile and urothelial carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Chi-Jung [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Pu, Yeong-Shiau [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Su, Chien-Tien [Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Huang, Chao-Yuan [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2011-01-01

    Genetic polymorphisms in arsenic-metabolizing enzymes may be involved in the biotransformation of inorganic arsenic and may increase the risk of developing urothelial carcinoma (UC). The present study evaluated the roles of glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) and GSTO2 polymorphisms in UC carcinogenesis. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted. Questionnaire information and biological specimens were collected from 149 UC cases and 251 healthy controls in a non-obvious inorganic arsenic exposure area in Taipei, Taiwan. The urinary arsenic profile was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography and hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Genotyping for GSTO1 Ala140Asp and GSTO2 Asn142Asp was conducted using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymerase. GSTO1 Glu208Lys genotyping was performed using high-throughput matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A significant positive association was found between total arsenic, inorganic arsenic percentage and monomethylarsonic acid percentage and UC, while dimethylarsinic acid percentage was significantly inversely associated with UC. The minor allele frequency of GSTO1 Ala140Asp, GSTO1 Glu208Lys and GSTO2 Asn142Asp was 18%, 1% and 26%, respectively. A significantly higher MMA% was found in people who carried the wild type of GSTO1 140 Ala/Ala compared to those who carried the GSTO1 140 Ala/Asp and Asp/Asp genotype (p = 0.02). The homogenous variant genotype of GSTO2 142 Asp/Asp was inversely associated with UC risk (OR = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.03 - 0.88; p = 0.03). Large-scale studies will be required to verify the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms of arsenic-metabolism-related enzymes and UC risk. - Research Highlights: {yields} The homogenous variant genotype of GSTO2 was inversely associated with UC risk. {yields} A higher urinary MMA% was found in people carrying the wild type of GSTO1 Ala140Asp. {yields

  15. Arsenic species and leachability in the fronds of the hyperaccumulator Chinese brake (Pteris vittata L.)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tu Cong; Ma, Lena Q.; Zhang Weihua; Cai Yong; Harris, Willie G

    2003-07-01

    Arsenic was predominantly present as inorganic arsenite in the fronds of the hyperaccumulator Chinese brake. - Arsenic speciation is important not only for understanding the mechanisms of arsenic accumulation and detoxification by hyperaccumulators, but also for designing disposal options of arsenic-rich biomass. The primary objective of this research was to understand the speciation and leachability of arsenic in the fronds of Chinese brake (Pteris vittata L.), an arsenic hyperaccumulator, with an emphasis on the implications for arsenic-rich biomass disposal. Chinese brake was grown for 18 weeks in a soil spiked with 50 mg As kg{sup -1} as arsenate (AsO{sub 4}{sup 3-}), arsenite (AsO{sub 3}{sup 3-}), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), or methylarsonic acid (MMA). Plant samples were extracted with methanol/water (1:1) and arsenic speciation was performed using high performance liquid chromatography coupled with atomic fluorescence spectrometry. The impacts of air-drying on arsenic species and leachability in the fronds were examined in the laboratory. After 18 weeks, water-soluble arsenic in soil was mainly present as arsenate with little detectable organic species or arsenite regardless of arsenic species added to the soil. However, arsenic in the fronds was primarily present as inorganic arsenite with an average of 94%. Arsenite re-oxidation occurred in the old fronds and the excised dried tissues. Arsenic species in the fronds were slightly influenced by arsenic forms added to the soil. Air-drying of the fronds resulted in leaching of substantial amounts of arsenic. These findings can be of significance when looking at disposal options of arsenic-rich biomass from the point of view of secondary contamination.

  16. Inorganic arsenic causes fatty liver and interacts with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease in zebrafish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bambino, Kathryn; Zhang, Chi; Austin, Christine; Amarasiriwardena, Chitra; Arora, Manish; Chu, Jaime; Sadler, Kirsten C

    2018-02-26

    The rapid increase in fatty liver disease (FLD) incidence is attributed largely to genetic and lifestyle factors; however, environmental toxicants are a frequently overlooked factor that can modify the effects of more common causes of FLD. Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with liver disease in humans and animal models, but neither the mechanism of action nor the combinatorial interaction with other disease-causing factors has been fully investigated. Here, we examined the contribution of iAs to FLD using zebrafish and tested the interaction with ethanol to cause alcoholic liver disease (ALD). We report that zebrafish exposed to iAs throughout development developed specific phenotypes beginning at 4 days post-fertilization (dpf), including the development of FLD in over 50% of larvae by 5 dpf. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of livers from larvae exposed to either iAs or ethanol revealed the oxidative stress response and the unfolded protein response (UPR) caused by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress as common pathways in both these models of FLD, suggesting that they target similar cellular processes. This was confirmed by our finding that arsenic is synthetically lethal with both ethanol and a well-characterized ER-stress-inducing agent (tunicamycin), suggesting that these exposures work together through UPR activation to cause iAs toxicity. Most significantly, combined exposure to sub-toxic concentrations of iAs and ethanol potentiated the expression of UPR-associated genes, cooperated to induce FLD, reduced the expression of as3mt , which encodes an arsenic-metabolizing enzyme, and significantly increased the concentration of iAs in the liver. This demonstrates that iAs exposure is sufficient to cause FLD and that low doses of iAs can potentiate the effects of ethanol to cause liver disease.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  17. Inhibition by methylated organo-arsenicals of the respiratory 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenases

    OpenAIRE

    Bergquist, Erik R.; Fischer, Robert J.; Sugden, Kent D.; Martin, Brooke D

    2009-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic that is ingested through drinking water or inhalation is metabolized by biological methylation pathways into organoarsenical metabolites. It is now becoming understood that this metabolism that was formerly considered to be detoxification may contribute as much or more to increasing the toxicity of arsenic. One proposed mode of the toxic action of arsenic and its organoarsenic metabolites is through its binding to proteins and inactivating their enzymatic activity. The class...

  18. Hijacking membrane transporters for arsenic phytoextraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    LeBlanc, Melissa S.; McKinney, Elizabeth C.; Meagher, Richard B.; Smith, Aaron P.

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic is a toxic metalloid and recognized carcinogen. Arsenate and arsenite are the most common arsenic species available for uptake by plants. As an inorganic phosphate (Pi) analog, arsenate is acquired by plant roots through endogenous Pi transport systems. Inside the cell, arsenate is reduced to the thiol-reactive form arsenite. Glutathione (GSH)-conjugates of arsenite may be extruded from the cell or sequestered in vacuoles by members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of transporters. In the present study we sought to enhance both plant arsenic uptake through Pi transporter overexpression, and plant arsenic tolerance through ABC transporter overexpression. We demonstrate that Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing the high-affinity Pi transporter family members, AtPht1;1 or AtPht1;7, are hypersensitive to arsenate due to increased arsenate uptake. These plants do not exhibit increased sensitivity to arsenite. Co-overexpression of the yeast ABC transporter YCF1 in combination with AtPht1;1 or AtPht1;7 suppresses the arsenate-sensitive phenotype while further enhancing arsenic uptake. Taken together, our results support an arsenic transport mechanism in which arsenate uptake is increased through Pi transporter overexpression, and arsenic tolerance is enhanced through YCF1-mediated vacuolar sequestration. This work substantiates the viability of coupling enhanced uptake and vacuolar sequestration as a means for developing a prototypical engineered arsenic hyperaccumulator. PMID:23108027

  19. Microbial arsenic metabolism: New twists on an old poison

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stolz, J.F.; Basu, P.; Oremland, R.S.

    2010-01-01

    Phylogenetically diverse microorganisms metabolize arsenic despite its toxicity and are part of its robust iogeochemical cycle. Respiratory arsenate reductase is a reversible enzyme, functioning in some microbes as an arsenate reductase but in others as an arsenite oxidase. As(III) can serve as an electron donor for anoxygenic photolithoautotrophy and chemolithoautotrophy. Organoarsenicals, such as the feed additive roxarsone, can be used as a source of energy, releasing inorganic arsenic.

  20. Arsenic speciation in water, suspended particles, and coastal organisms from the Taehwa River Estuary of South Korea

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong, Seongjin; Kwon, Hye-Ok; Choi, Sung-Deuk; Lee, Jung-Suk; Khim, Jong Seong

    2016-01-01

    Water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and biota samples were collected from the Taehwa River Estuary to determine the distributions, partitioning, and bioaccumulation of arsenicals. Six forms of As were quantitated by the use of HPLC-ICP/MS. As was found mainly near urban and industrial areas, and inorganic As V was the predominant As form in both water and SPM. Particulate arsenicals were found at the greatest concentrations in coarse particles (> 180 μm), followed by medium (30–180 μm) and fine (0.45–30 μm) particles, in freshwater. Arsenical concentrations were similar across the three particle fractions in saltwater. Field-based distribution coefficient (K d ) values for As depended strongly on SPM, with a less robust dependence on salinity. Concentrations of As were greater in macroalgae than in marine animals, such as fishes, bivalves, crabs, shrimps, and gastropods. Overall, the results of the present study provide useful information on the behaviors and fate of arsenicals in an estuarine environment. - Highlights: •Concentrations of As were greater in industrial and urban areas than in suburban area. •The predominant form of As in water and suspended particles was inorganic As V . •Particle-size distributions of arsenicals differed between freshwater and saltwater. •The K d values for As depended strongly on the presence of SPMs along the estuary. •Greater concentrations of arsenicals were found in macroalgae than in marine animals.

  1. Speciation of Six-Arsenic Species of Rice in Korea by HPLC/ICPMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim J.Y.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Determination of arsenic (As speciation in rice is necessary because inorganic As species are more toxic than organic As. Arsenic levels of rice in Korea were determined by microwave extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. The extraction method showed a high recovery and low Limit of Detection (LOD and Limit of Quantitation (LOQ. Most of the As species in rice were noticed to be inorganic [Arsenite (AsIII, Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA]. The percentage of inorganic As/total As is 69.01 % (36.40-87.86 %. Arsenite and DMA were the major compounds in rice in Korea when compare to U.S. rice. The order and percentage of As species showed were AsIII (56-70 %>DMA (23-38 %>AsV (5 %>MMA(1 %.

  2. Polineuropatia periférica arsenical: tratamento com penicilamina. Dosagem de arsênico inorgânico em nervo periférico, sangue e urina Arsenical peripheral polyneuropathy: treatment with penicillamine and determination of the concentrations of inorganic arsenic in peripheral nerve, blood, and urine. A case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abrão Anghinah

    1974-09-01

    Full Text Available Os autores registram caso de paciente na qual, após intoxicação aguda por arsênico inorgânico, instalou-se quadro de polineuropatia periférica. Foram verificadas altas concentrações de arsênico no nervo periférico estudado (1,48 mg/100 g peso seco, e 0,49 mg/100 g peso fresco e na urina. Antes do tratamento com penicilamina a quantidade de arsênico excretada na urina era de 80,0 micro/100 ml; após 7 dias de tratamento a excreção passou a ser de 150,2 micrograma/100 ml. Estes resultados bioquímicos foram acompanhados de progressiva melhora clínica.Report of a case of acute intoxication by inorganic arsenic with a picture of peripheral polyneuropathy. High concentrations of arsenic were found in the peripheral nerve studied (1.48 mg/100 g fresh tissue; 0,40 mg/100 g dry tissue blood and urine. Before the treatment with penicillamine the urinary concentration of arsenic was 80,0 micrograms/100 ml; 7 days after the onset of treatment the excretion increased to 150.2 micrograms/100 ml. Improvement of the clinical conditions was parallel to these biochemical results.

  3. Arsenic Exposure, Arsenic Metabolism, and Incident Diabetes in the Strong Heart Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Barbara V.; Umans, Jason G.; Gribble, Matthew O.; Best, Lyle G.; Francesconi, Kevin A.; Goessler, Walter; Lee, Elisa; Guallar, Eliseo; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Little is known about arsenic metabolism in diabetes development. We investigated the prospective associations of low-moderate arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with diabetes incidence in the Strong Heart Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,694 diabetes-free participants aged 45–75 years were recruited in 1989–1991 and followed through 1998–1999. We used the proportions of urine inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) over their sum (expressed as iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%) as the biomarkers of arsenic metabolism. Diabetes was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, 2-h glucose ≥200 mg/dL, self-reported diabetes history, or self-reported use of antidiabetic medications. RESULTS Over 11,263.2 person-years of follow-up, 396 participants developed diabetes. Using the leave-one-out approach to model the dynamics of arsenic metabolism, we found that lower MMA% was associated with higher diabetes incidence. The hazard ratios (95% CI) of diabetes incidence for a 5% increase in MMA% were 0.77 (0.63–0.93) and 0.82 (0.73–0.92) when iAs% and DMA%, respectively, were left out of the model. DMA% was associated with higher diabetes incidence only when MMA% decreased (left out of the model) but not when iAs% decreased. iAs% was also associated with higher diabetes incidence when MMA% decreased. The association between MMA% and diabetes incidence was similar by age, sex, study site, obesity, and urine iAs concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Arsenic metabolism, particularly lower MMA%, was prospectively associated with increased incidence of diabetes. Research is needed to evaluate whether arsenic metabolism is related to diabetes incidence per se or through its close connections with one-carbon metabolism. PMID:25583752

  4. A Preliminary Investigation into the Stability of Inorganic Arsenic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NICOLAAS

    tetraacetate (EDTA) and temperature was used to preserve speciation. Solutions were analyzed ... metal speciation, particularly with arsenic, prior to analysis is important to ..... plants: comparison of LC–ICP–MS and LC–ES–MS/ICP–MS with.

  5. Speciation of arsenic by IC-ICP-MS: future standard method and its application on baby food samples

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kollander, Barbro; Sloth, Jens Jørgen

    of the intended murder. For example the organic compound arsenobetaine, the main arsenic species in marine organisms, is regarded as basically harmless to humans while the inorganic forms of arsenic, arsenite and arsenate found in rice, are toxic. To enable the evaluation of the true toxicity from arsenic in food...

  6. Molecular Docking Assessment of Efficacy of Different Clinically Used Arsenic Chelator Drugs

    OpenAIRE

    Durjoy Majumder; Sayan Mukherjee

    2013-01-01

    Arsenic contamination of ground water has become a global problem affecting specially, south-east Asian countries like Bangladesh and eastern parts of India. It also affects South America and some parts of the US. Different organs of the physiological system are affected due to contamination of inorganic arsenic in water. Animal studies with different chelators are not very conclusive as far as the multi/differential organ effect(s) of arsenic is concerned. Our docking study establishes the m...

  7. [Studies on markers of exposure and early effect in areas with arsenic pollution: methods and results of the project SEpiAs. Epidemiological studies on population exposed to low-to-moderate arsenic concentration in drinking water].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustaffa, Elisa; Bianchi, Fabrizio

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic and its inorganic compounds are classified as human carcinogens. Several epidemiological studies conducted in areas of the world characterized by high arsenic concentration in drinking water, even up to 3,000 μg/l, report associations between arsenic exposure and skin, bladder, lung, liver and kidney cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and reproductive and developmental effects. Since general population is not exposed to these high arsenic concentrations in the last years attention focused on adverse health effects that low-to-moderate arsenic concentrations (0-150 μg/l) in drinking water could induce. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum limit of 10 μg/l for arsenic in drinking water. Almost all epidemiological studies conducted on populations exposed to low-to-moderate arsenic concentrations in drinking water are limited due to problems arising from both individual exposure assessment and low subjects number. The aim of the present review is to collect literature-based evidences regarding adverse health effects associated with exposure to low-to-moderate arsenic concentrations in drinking water (10-150 μg/l) in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the health outcomes that such exposure can have on general population.

  8. Low selenium status affects arsenic metabolites in an arsenic exposed population with skin lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Zhi; Pei, Qiuling; Sun, Guifan; Zhang, Sichum; Liang, Jiang; Gao, Yi; Zhang, Xinrong

    2008-01-01

    The antagonistic effects between selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) suggest that low selenium status plays important roles in arsenism development. However, no study has been reported for humans suffering from chronic arsenic exposure with low selenium status. Sixty-three subjects were divided into 2 experimental groups by skin lesions (including hyperkeratosis, depigmentation, and hyperpigmentation). Total urine and serum concentrations of arsenic and selenium were determined by ICP-MS with collision/reaction cell. Arsenic species were analysed by ICP-MS coupled with HPLC. The mean concentration of As in the drinking waters was 41.5 microg/l. The selenium dietary intake for the studied population was 31.7 microg Se/d, and which for the cases and controls were 25.9 and 36.3 microg Se/d, respectively. Compared with the controls, the skin lesions cases had lower selenium concentrations in serum and urine (41.4 vs 49.6 microg/l and 71.0 vs 78.8 microg/l, respectively), higher inorganic arsenic (iAs) in serum (5.2 vs 3.4 microg/l, PiAs in serum and urine (20.2) vs 16.9% and 18.3 vs 14.5%, respectively, PiAs and its inhibition to be biotransformed to DMA occurred in human due to chronic exposure of low selenium status.

  9. [Study of relationship between arsenic methylation and skin lesion in a population with long-term high arsenic exposure].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Liqin; Cheng, Yibin; Lin, Shaobin; Wu, Chuanye

    2007-05-01

    To investigate the difference of arsenic metabolism in populations with long-term high arsenic exposure and explore the relationship between arsenic metabolism diversity and skin lesion. 327 residents in an arsenic polluted village were voluntarily enrolled in this study. Questionnaire survey and medical examination were carried out to learn basic information and detect skin lesions. Urinary inorganic and methylated arsenic were speciated by high performance liquid chromatography combined with hydride-generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Total arsenic concentration in hair was determined with DDC-Ag method. Hair arsenic content of studied polutions was generally high, but no significant difference were found among the studied four groups. MMA and DMA concentration in urine increased with studied polution age, and were positively related with skin lesion grade. The relative proportion of MMA in serious skin lesion group was significantly higher than in other 3 groups, while DMA/MMA ratio was significantly lower than control and mild group. The relative proportion of MMA was positively related with skin lesion grade, DMA/ MMA ratio was negatively related with skin lesion grade. Males could have higher arsenic cumulation and lower methylation capacity than those of females. The population of above 40 years old may have higher methylation capacity than those of adults below 40yeas old. Smokers and drinkers seemed lower methylation capacity than those of non-smokers and non-drinkers respectively. The methylation of arsenic could affect by several factors, including age gender, smoking and drinking. Arsenic methylation copacity mey be associated with skin lesion induced by arsenic exposure.

  10. Glutathione-S-transferase-omega [MMA(V) reductase] knockout mice: Enzyme and arsenic species concentrations in tissues after arsenate administration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chowdhury, Uttam K.; Zakharyan, Robert A.; Hernandez, Alba; Avram, Mihaela D.; Kopplin, Michael J.; Aposhian, H. Vasken

    2006-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic is a human carcinogen to which millions of people are exposed via their naturally contaminated drinking water. Its molecular mechanisms of carcinogenicity have remained an enigma, perhaps because arsenate is biochemically transformed to at least five other arsenic-containing metabolites. In the biotransformation of inorganic arsenic, GSTO1 catalyzes the reduction of arsenate, MMA(V), and DMA(V) to the more toxic + 3 arsenic species. MMA(V) reductase and human (hGSTO1-1) are identical proteins. The hypothesis that GST-Omega knockout mice biotransformed inorganic arsenic differently than wild-type mice has been tested. The livers of male knockout (KO) mice, in which 222 bp of Exon 3 of the GSTO1 gene were eliminated, were analyzed by PCR for mRNA. The level of transcripts of the GSTO1 gene in KO mice was 3.3-fold less than in DBA/1lacJ wild-type (WT) mice. The GSTO2 transcripts were about two-fold less in the KO mouse. When KO and WT mice were injected intramuscularly with Na arsenate (4.16 mg As/kg body weight); tissues removed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 h after arsenate injection; and the arsenic species measured by HPLC-ICP-MS, the results indicated that the highest concentration of the recently discovered and very toxic MMA(III), a key biotransformant, was in the kidneys of both KO and WT mice. The highest concentration of DMA(III) was in the urinary bladder tissue for both the KO and WT mice. The MMA(V) reducing activity of the liver cytosol of KO mice was only 20% of that found in wild-type mice. There appears to be another enzyme(s) other than GST-O able to reduce arsenic(V) species but to a lesser extent. This and other studies suggest that each step of the biotransformation of inorganic arsenic has an alternative enzyme to biotransform the arsenic substrate

  11. Environmental arsenic exposure, selenium and sputum alpha-1 antitrypsin

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Burgess, Jefferey L; Kurzius-Spencer, Margaret; Poplin, Gerald S

    2014-01-01

    Exposure to arsenic in drinking water is associated with increased respiratory disease. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) protects the lung against tissue destruction. The objective of this study was to determine whether arsenic exposure is associated with changes in airway AAT concentration and whether...... this relationship is modified by selenium. A total of 55 subjects were evaluated in Ajo and Tucson, Arizona. Tap water and first morning void urine were analyzed for arsenic species, induced sputum for AAT and toenails for selenium and arsenic. Household tap-water arsenic, toenail arsenic and urinary inorganic...... arsenic and metabolites were significantly higher in Ajo (20.6±3.5 μg/l, 0.54±0.77 μg/g and 27.7±21.2 μg/l, respectively) than in Tucson (3.9±2.5 μg/l, 0.16±0.20 μg/g and 13.0±13.8 μg/l, respectively). In multivariable models, urinary monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) was negatively, and toenail selenium...

  12. Magentite nanoparticle for arsenic remotion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viltres, H; Reguera, E; Odio, O F; Borja, R; Aguilera, Y

    2017-01-01

    Inorganic As (V) and As (III) species are commonly found in groundwater in many countries around the world. It is known that arsenic is highly toxic and carcinogenic, at present exist reports of diverse countries with arsenic concentrations in drinking water higher than those proposed by the World Health Organization (10 μg/L). It has been reported that adsorption strategies using magnetic nanoparticles as magnetite (<20 nm) proved to be very efficient for the removal of arsenic in drinking water. Magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite) were prepared using a co-precipitation method with FeCl 3 and FeCl 2 as metal source and NaOH aqueous solution as precipitating agent. Magnetite nanoparticles synthesized were put in contact with As 2 O 3 and As 2 O 5 solutions at room temperature to pH 4 and 7. The nanoparticles were characterized by FT-IR, DRX, UV-vis, and XRF. The results showed that synthesized magnetite had an average diameter of 11 nm and a narrow size distribution. The presence of arsenic on magnetite nanoparticles surface was confirmed, which is more remarkable when As (V) is employed. Besides, it is possible to observe that no significant changes in the band gap values after adsorption of arsenic in the nanoparticles. (paper)

  13. Annual reports in inorganic and general syntheses 1974

    CERN Document Server

    Niedenzu, Kurt

    1975-01-01

    Annual Reports in Inorganic and General Syntheses-1974 presents an organized annual summary of synthetic developments in inorganic chemistry and its related areas. The book discusses the chemistry of simple and complex metal hydrides of main groups I, II, and III, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, thallium, silicon, germanium, tin, lead, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, chalcogens, halogens, and pseudohalogens. The text also describes the chemistry of scandium, yttrium, lanthanides, actinides, titanium, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, ma

  14. Major and minor arsenic compounds accounting for the total urinary excretion of arsenic following intake of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis): A controlled human study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Molin, M.; Ydersbond, T.A.; Ulven, S.M.

    2012-01-01

    Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) accumulate and biotransform arsenic (As) to a larger variety of arsenicals than most seafood. Eight volunteers ingested a test meal consisting of 150g blue mussel (680μg As), followed by 72h with an identical, low As controlled diet and full urine sampling. We provide...... a complete speciation, with individual patterns, of urinary As excretion. Total As (tAs) urinary excretion was 328±47μg, whereof arsenobetaine (AB) and dimethylarsinate (DMA) accounted for 66% and 21%, respectively. Fifteen minor urinary arsenicals were quantified with inductively coupled plasma mass...... spectrometry (ICPMS) coupled to reverse-phase, anion and cation-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thio-arsenicals and non-thio minor arsenicals (including inorganic As (iAs) and methylarsonate (MA)) contributed 10% and 7% of the total sum of species excretion, respectively, but there were...

  15. Effect of eutrophication on the distribution of arsenic species in eutrophic and mesotrophic lakes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hasegawa, H. [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920-1192 (Japan)], E-mail: hhiroshi@t.kanazawa-u.ac.jp; Rahman, M. Azizur; Matsuda, T.; Kitahara, T.; Maki, T.; Ueda, K. [Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Kakuma, Kanazawa 920-1192 (Japan)

    2009-02-01

    Effects of eutrophication on arsenic speciation were studied in eutrophic Lake Kiba and mesotrophic Lake Biwa, Japan. By combining hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry with ultraviolet irradiation, inorganic, methyl and ultraviolet-labile fractions of arsenic were determined. In both Lakes, inorganic species (As(V + III)) dominated over other forms of arsenic all the year round. Most of methylarsenic fraction was dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA), and the concentration of monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA) was below the detection limit. Measurements of size-fractioned arsenic concentrations in water column indicate that most of the DMAA was distributed in truly dissolved fraction (< 10 kDa), while ultraviolet-labile fractions were distributed in particulate (> 0.45 {mu}m) and colloidal (10 kDa-0.45 {mu}m) fractions. Arsenic speciation in eutrophic Lake Kiba fluctuated greatly with season. The ultraviolet-labile fractions were observed with the increase of DMAA from May to October, and they disappeared with the decrease of DMAA in January. In mesotrophic Lake Biwa, the ultraviolet-labile fractions of arsenic were not influenced as much as those in eutrophic Lake Kiba. On the other hand DMAA concentration was higher in Lake Biwa compared to that in Lake Kiba. The results suggest that the biosynthesis of complex organoarsenicals was enhanced by eutrophication, and the arsenic speciation would be influenced by the balance of biological processes in natural waters.

  16. Cancer excess after arsenic exposure from contaminated milk powder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yorifuji, Takashi; Tsuda, Toshihide; Doi, Hiroyuki

    2011-01-01

    Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic is related to increased risk of cancer in the lung, skin, bladder, and, possibly, other sites. However, little is known about the consequences of developmental exposures in regard to cancer risk. During early summer in 1955, mass arsenic poisoning of infant...... occurred in the western part of Japan because of contaminated milk powder. Okayama Prefecture was most severely affected. We examined whether the affected birth cohorts in this prefecture experienced increased cancer mortality....

  17. Characterization of arsenic resistant bacteria from arsenic rich groundwater of West Bengal, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarkar, Angana; Kazy, Sufia K; Sar, Pinaki

    2013-03-01

    Sixty-four arsenic (As) resistant bacteria isolated from an arsenic rich groundwater sample of West Bengal were characterized to investigate their potential role in subsurface arsenic mobilization. Among the isolated strains predominance of genera Agrobacterium/Rhizobium, Ochrobactrum and Achromobacter which could grow chemolitrophically and utilize arsenic as electron donor were detected. Higher tolerance to As(3+) [maximum tolerable concentration (MTC): ≥10 mM], As(5+) (MTC: ≥100 mM) and other heavy metals like Cu(2+), Cr(2+), Ni(2+) etc. (MTC: ≥10 mM), presence of arsenate reductase and siderophore was frequently observed among the isolates. Ability to produce arsenite oxidase and phosphatase enzyme was detected in 50 and 34 % of the isolates, respectively. Although no direct correlation among taxonomic identity of bacterial strains and their metabolic abilities as mentioned above was apparent, several isolates affiliated to genera Ochrobactrum, Achromobacter and unclassified Rhizobiaceae members were found to be highly resistant to As(3+) and As(5+) and positive for all the test properties. Arsenate reductase activity was found to be conferred by arsC gene, which in many strains was coupled with arsenite efflux gene arsB as well. Phylogenetic incongruence between the 16S rRNA and ars genes lineages indicated possible incidence of horizontal gene transfer for ars genes. Based on the results we propose that under the prevailing low nutrient condition inhabitant bacteria capable of using inorganic electron donors play a synergistic role wherein siderophores and phosphatase activities facilitate the release of sediment bound As(5+), which is subsequently reduced by arsenate reductase resulting into the mobilization of As(3+) in groundwater.

  18. Microbial-driven arsenic cycling in rice paddies amended with monosodium methanearsonate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maguffin, S. C.; McClung, A.; Rohila, J. S.; Derry, L. A.; Huang, R.; Reid, M. C.

    2017-12-01

    Rice consumption is the second largest contributor to human arsenic exposure worldwide and is linked to many serious diseases. Because rice is uniquely adapted for agricultural production under flooded soils, arsenic species solubilized in such environments can be effectively transported into plant tissue via root transporters. Through this process, both inorganic and organic (methylated) arsenic species can accumulate to problematic concentrations and may affect grain yield as well as crop value. The distribution of these species in plant tissue is determined by arsenic sources, as well as enzymatic redox and methylation-demethylation reactions in soils and pore water. Historic use of organoarsenic-based pesticides in US agriculture may provide an enduring source of arsenic in rice paddies. However, it is unclear how persistent these organic species are in the adsorbed phase or how available they remain to rice cultivars throughout the growing season. We conducted a field experiment in a 2x2 factorial design examining the effects of irrigation methods (continuous flooding and alternate wetting and drying) and monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA) application on the abundance and speciation of arsenic in pore water, soil, and rice plant tissues. We monitored arsenic speciation and partitioning between these reservoirs at semi-weekly to semi-monthly frequencies. Pore water arsenic speciation was determined using LC-ICP-MS, and X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) analysis was employed to speciate the arsenic within solid-phase soil and plant tissue throughout the growing season. These data help clarify the role of two irrigation methods and MSMA amendments for arsenic bioavailability and speciation in rice. Furthermore, the study illuminates the significance of microbial metabolism in the reapportionment of arsenic within the soil-plant-water system and its impact on arsenic levels in rice grains.

  19. Arsenic geochemistry of groundwater in Southeast Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyoung-Woong; Chanpiwat, Penradee; Hanh, Hoang Thi; Phan, Kongkea; Sthiannopkao, Suthipong

    2011-12-01

    The occurrence of high concentrations of arsenic in the groundwater of the Southeast Asia region has received much attention in the past decade. This study presents an overview of the arsenic contamination problems in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand. Most groundwater used as a source of drinking water in rural areas has been found to be contaminated with arsenic exceeding the WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg·L(-1). With the exception of Thailand, groundwater was found to be contaminated with naturally occurring arsenic in the region. Interestingly, high arsenic concentrations (> 10 μg·L(-1)) were generally found in the floodplain areas located along the Mekong River. The source of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater is thought to be the release of arsenic from river sediments under highly reducing conditions. In Thailand, arsenic has never been found naturally in groundwater, but originates from tin mining activities. More than 10 million residents in Southeast Asia are estimated to be at risk from consuming arsenic-contaminated groundwater. In Southeast Asia, groundwater has been found to be a significant source of daily inorganic arsenic intake in humans. A positive correlation between groundwater arsenic concentration and arsenic concentration in human hair has been observed in Cambodia and Vietnam. A substantial knowledge gap exists between the epidemiology of arsenicosis and its impact on human health. More collaborative studies particularly on the scope of public health and its epidemiology are needed to conduct to fulfill the knowledge gaps of As as well as to enhance the operational responses to As issue in Southeast Asian countries.

  20. Separation and determination of arsenic species in water by selective exchange and hybrid resins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Issa, Nureddin Ben [Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade (Serbia); Rajakovic-Ognjanovic, Vladana N. [Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 73, Belgrade (Serbia); Marinkovic, Aleksandar D. [Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade (Serbia); Rajakovic, Ljubinka V., E-mail: ljubinka@tmf.bg.ac.rs [Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Karnegijeva 4, Belgrade (Serbia)

    2011-11-07

    Highlights: {yields} A simple and efficient method for separation and determination of arsenic species. {yields} A new hybrid resin HY-AgCl is effective for iAs and oAs analytical separation. {yields} SBAE resin was convenient for the separation of As(III) from As(V) and oAs species. {yields} HY-Fe resin was convenient for the separation of DMAs(V). - Abstract: A simple and efficient method for separation and determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and organic arsenic (oAs) in drinking, natural and wastewater was developed. If arsenic is present in water prevailing forms are inorganic acids of As(III) and As(V). oAs can be found in traces as monomethylarsenic acid, MMA(V), and dimethylarsenic acid, DMAs(V). Three types of resins: a strong base anion exchange (SBAE) and two hybrid (HY) resins: HY-Fe and HY-AgCl, based on the activity of hydrated iron oxides and a silver chloride were investigated. It was found that the sorption processes (ion exchange, adsorption and chemisorptions) of arsenic species on SBAE (ion exchange) and HY resins depend on pH values of water. The quantitative separation of molecular and ionic forms of iAs and oAs was achieved by SBAE and pH adjustment, the molecular form of As(III) that exists in the water at pH <8.0 was not bonded with SBAE, which was convenient for direct determination of As(III) concentration in the effluent. HY-Fe resin retained all arsenic species except DMAs(V), which makes possible direct measurements of this specie in the effluent. HY-AgCl resin retained all iAs which was convenient for direct determination of oAs species concentration in the effluent. The selective bonding of arsenic species on three types of resins makes possible the development of the procedure for measuring and calculation of all arsenic species in water. In order to determine capacity of resins the preliminary investigations were performed in batch system and fixed bed flow system. Resin capacities were calculated according to breakthrough

  1. Sample preparation and storage can change arsenic speciation in human urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldmann, J; Lai, V W; Cullen, W R; Ma, M; Lu, X; Le, X C

    1999-11-01

    Stability of chemical speciation during sample handling and storage is a prerequisite to obtaining reliable results of trace element speciation analysis. There is no comprehensive information on the stability of common arsenic species, such as inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, and arsenobetaine, in human urine. We compared the effects of the following storage conditions on the stability of these arsenic species: temperature (25, 4, and -20 degrees C), storage time (1, 2, 4, and 8 months), and the use of additives (HCl, sodium azide, benzoic acid, benzyltrimethylammonium chloride, and cetylpyridinium chloride). HPLC with both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and hydride generation atomic fluorescence detection techniques were used for the speciation of arsenic. We found that all five of the arsenic species were stable for up to 2 months when urine samples were stored at 4 and -20 degrees C without any additives. For longer period of storage (4 and 8 months), the stability of arsenic species was dependent on urine matrices. Whereas the arsenic speciation in some urine samples was stable for the entire 8 months at both 4 and -20 degrees C, other urine samples stored under identical conditions showed substantial changes in the concentration of As(III), As(V), monomethylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid. The use of additives did not improve the stability of arsenic speciation in urine. The addition of 0.1 mol/L HCl (final concentration) to urine samples produced relative changes in inorganic As(III) and As(V) concentrations. Low temperature (4 and -20 degrees C) conditions are suitable for the storage of urine samples for up to 2 months. Untreated samples maintain their concentration of arsenic species, and additives have no particular benefit. Strong acidification is not appropriate for speciation analysis.

  2. Urinary arsenic methylation capability and carotid atherosclerosis risk in subjects living in arsenicosis-hyperendemic areas in southwestern Taiwan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Y.-L. [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Y.-M. [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw; Huang, Y.-K. [Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Yip, P.-K. [Department of Neurology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan (China); Yang, M.-H. [Department of Nuclear Science, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chen, C.-J. [Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2009-04-01

    Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic from artesian drinking well water is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the Blackfoot Disease (BFD)-hyperendemic area in Taiwan. The current study examined the arsenic methylation capacity and its risk on carotid atherosclerosis. A total of 304 adults (158 men and 146 women) residing in the BFD-hyperendemic area were included. The extent of carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by duplex ultrasonography. Chronic arsenic exposure was estimated by an index of cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) and the duration of artesian well water consumption. Urinary levels of inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)] were determined by high performance liquid chromatography linked on-line to a hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AAS). The percentage of arsenic species, primary methylation index [PMI = MMA(V) / (As(III) + As(V)] and secondary methylation index [SMI = DMA(V) / MMA(V)] were calculated and employed as indicators of arsenic methylation capacity. Results showed that women and younger subjects had a more efficient arsenic methylation capacity than did men and the elderly. Carotid atherosclerosis cases had a significantly greater percentage of MMA(V) [%MMA(V)] and a lower percentage of DMA [%DMA (V)] compared to controls. Subjects in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a median of CAE > 0 mg/L-year had an odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of carotid atherosclerosis of 2.61 and 0.98-6.90 compared to those in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a CAE = 0 mg/L-year. We conclude that individuals with greater exposure to arsenic and lower capacity to methylate inorganic arsenic may be at a higher risk to carotid atherosclerosis.

  3. Urinary arsenic methylation capability and carotid atherosclerosis risk in subjects living in arsenicosis-hyperendemic areas in southwestern Taiwan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Y.-L.; Hsueh, Y.-M.; Huang, Y.-K.; Yip, P.-K.; Yang, M.-H.; Chen, C.-J.

    2009-01-01

    Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic from artesian drinking well water is associated with carotid atherosclerosis in the Blackfoot Disease (BFD)-hyperendemic area in Taiwan. The current study examined the arsenic methylation capacity and its risk on carotid atherosclerosis. A total of 304 adults (158 men and 146 women) residing in the BFD-hyperendemic area were included. The extent of carotid atherosclerosis was assessed by duplex ultrasonography. Chronic arsenic exposure was estimated by an index of cumulative arsenic exposure (CAE) and the duration of artesian well water consumption. Urinary levels of inorganic arsenite [As(III)], arsenate [As(V)], monomethylarsonic acid [MMA(V)] and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)] were determined by high performance liquid chromatography linked on-line to a hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AAS). The percentage of arsenic species, primary methylation index [PMI = MMA(V) / (As(III) + As(V)] and secondary methylation index [SMI = DMA(V) / MMA(V)] were calculated and employed as indicators of arsenic methylation capacity. Results showed that women and younger subjects had a more efficient arsenic methylation capacity than did men and the elderly. Carotid atherosclerosis cases had a significantly greater percentage of MMA(V) [%MMA(V)] and a lower percentage of DMA [%DMA (V)] compared to controls. Subjects in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a median of CAE > 0 mg/L-year had an odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of carotid atherosclerosis of 2.61 and 0.98-6.90 compared to those in the highest two tertiles of PMI with a CAE = 0 mg/L-year. We conclude that individuals with greater exposure to arsenic and lower capacity to methylate inorganic arsenic may be at a higher risk to carotid atherosclerosis

  4. A comparison of the determination and speciation of inorganic arsenic using general HPLC methodology with UV, MS and MS/MS detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gilmartin, Gregory; Gingrich, Diane

    2018-04-15

    The determination and speciation of arsenic in natural resources such as drinking water and agricultural soils has been a growing concern in recent years due to its many toxicological effects [1-3]. To speciate and quantitate concentrations of arsenic, typically an ion chromatograph (IC) interfaced to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) is employed [4-9]. This methodology may be very robust and sensitive, but it is expensive and not as ubiquitous as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet (UV) absorbance detection or electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Anion exchange chromatography is a well-documented means of speciating arsenite (As(III), As 2 O 3 ) and arsenate (As(V), AsO 4 ) using UV [10], conductivity [11], or ESI-MS detection [12,13]. This paper demonstrates the utilization of common liquid chromatographic instrumentation to speciate and determines inorganic Arsenic compounds using UV or MS via selected ion recording (SIR) or multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) detection. This paper describes the analysis of arsenite and arsenate samples prepared using both deionized and ground water. The limit of quantitation for the techniques described in this paper for samples spiked in ground water were 454 ppb (As(III)) and 562 ppb (As(V)) for UV detection, 45.4 ppb (As(III)) and 56.2 ppb (As(V)) for SIR detection, and 4.54 ppb (As(III)) and 5.62 ppb (As(V)) for MRM detection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. A new metabolic pathway of arsenite: arsenic-glutathione complexes are substrates for human arsenic methyltransferase Cyt19

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hayakawa, Toru [National Institute for Environmental Studies, Environmental Health Sciences Division, Ibaraki (Japan); Chiba University, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba (Japan); Kobayashi, Yayoi; Cui, Xing; Hirano, Seishiro [National Institute for Environmental Studies, Environmental Health Sciences Division, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2005-04-01

    The metabolism of arsenic is generally accepted to proceed by repetitive reduction and oxidative methylation; the latter is mediated by arsenic methyltransferase (Cyt19). In human urine, the major metabolites of inorganic arsenicals such as arsenite (iAs{sup III}) and arsenate (iAs{sup V}) are monomethylarsonic acid (MMA{sup V}) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA{sup V}). On the other hand, in rat bile, the major metabolites of iAs{sup III} have been reported to be arsenic-glutathione (As-GSH) complexes. In the present study we investigate whether these As-GSH complexes are substrates for arsenic methyltransferase by using human recombinant Cyt19. Analyses by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry suggested that arsenic triglutathione (ATG) was generated nonenzymatically from iAs{sup III} when GSH was present at concentrations 2 mM or higher. Human recombinant Cyt19 catalyzed transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosyl-l-methionine to arsenic and produced monomethyl and dimethyl arsenicals. The methylation of arsenic was catalyzed by Cyt19 only when ATG was present in the reaction mixture. Moreover, monomethylarsonic diglutathione (MADG) was a substrate of Cyt19 for further methylation to dimethylarsinic glutathione (DMAG). On the other hand, monomethylarsonous acid (MMA{sup III}), a hydrolysis product of MADG, was not methylated to dimethyl arsenical by Cyt19. These results suggest that As-GSH complexes such as ATG and MADG were converted by Cyt19 to MADG and DMAG, respectively. Both MADG and DMAG were unstable in solution when the GSH concentration was lower than 1 mM, and were hydrolyzed and oxidized to MMA{sup V} and DMA{sup V}, respectively. Metabolism of iAs{sup III} to methylated arsenicals by Cyt19 was via ATG and MADG rather than by oxidative methylation of iAs{sup III} and MMA{sup III}. (orig.)

  6. T05 DETERMINATION OF REDUCED ARSENIC-THIO SPECIES IN WATERS BY ION CHROMATOGRAPHY-INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SSPECTROMETRY (IC-ICP-MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elevated arsenic concentrations in ground water are a significant concern for human health, because they may lead to increased arsenic exposure via drinking water. As the inorganic arsenic species arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) are known carcinogens, it is desirable to r...

  7. Arsenic Metabolites, Including N-Acetyl-4-hydroxy-m-arsanilic Acid, in Chicken Litter from a Roxarsone-Feeding Study Involving 1600 Chickens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zonglin; Peng, Hanyong; Lu, Xiufen; Liu, Qingqing; Huang, Rongfu; Hu, Bin; Kachanoski, Gary; Zuidhof, Martin J; Le, X Chris

    2016-07-05

    The poultry industry has used organoarsenicals, such as 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (Roxarsone, ROX), to prevent disease and to promote growth. Although previous studies have analyzed arsenic species in chicken litter after composting or after application to agricultural lands, it is not clear what arsenic species were excreted by chickens before biotransformation of arsenic species during composting. We describe here the identification and quantitation of arsenic species in chicken litter repeatedly collected on days 14, 24, 28, 30, and 35 of a Roxarsone-feeding study involving 1600 chickens of two strains. High performance liquid chromatography separation with simultaneous detection by both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry provided complementary information necessary for the identification and quantitation of arsenic species. A new metabolite, N-acetyl-4-hydroxy-m-arsanilic acid (N-AHAA), was identified, and it accounted for 3-12% of total arsenic. Speciation analyses of litter samples collected from ROX-fed chickens on days 14, 24, 28, 30, and 35 showed the presence of N-AHAA, 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (3-AHPAA), inorganic arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA(V)), and ROX. 3-AHPAA accounted for 3-19% of the total arsenic. Inorganic arsenicals (the sum of As(III) and As(V)) comprised 2-6% (mean 3.5%) of total arsenic. Our results on the detection of inorganic arsenicals, methylarsenicals, 3-AHPAA, and N-AHAA in the chicken litter support recent findings that ROX is actually metabolized by the chicken or its gut microbiome. The presence of the toxic metabolites in chicken litter is environmentally relevant as chicken litter is commonly used as fertilizer.

  8. Annual reports in inorganic and general syntheses 1973

    CERN Document Server

    Niedenzu, Kurt

    1974-01-01

    Annual Reports in Inorganic and General Syntheses-1973 presents an organized annual summary of synthetic developments in inorganic chemistry and its related areas. The book covers the synthetic aspects and structural or mechanistic features of elements, including the main group hydrides, alkali and alkaline earth elements, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium, thallium, silicon, germanium, tin, and lead, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, chalcogens, halogens and pseudohalogens, and noble gases. The text also discusses the synthetic aspects and structural or mechanistic features of

  9. Inorganic arsenic speciation at river basin scales: The Tinto and Odiel Rivers in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sarmiento, A.M. [Department of Geology, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain)], E-mail: aguasanta.miguel@dgeo.uhu.es; Nieto, J.M. [Department of Geology, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, 21071 Huelva (Spain); Casiot, C.; Elbaz-Poulichet, F.; Egal, M. [Laboratoire Hydrosciences, UMR 5569, Universite Montpellier 2, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 05 (France)

    2009-04-15

    The Tinto and Odiel rivers are heavily affected by acid mine drainage from mining areas in the Iberian Pyrite Belt. In this work we have conducted a study along these rivers where surface water samples have been collected. Field measurements, total dissolved metals and Fe and inorganic As speciation analysis were performed. The average total concentration of As in the Tinto river (1975 {mu}g L{sup -1}) is larger than in the Odiel river (441 {mu}g L{sup -1}); however, the mean concentration of As(III) is almost four times higher in the Odiel. In wet seasons the mean pH levels of both rivers (2.4 and 3.2 for the Tinto and Odiel, respectively) increase slightly and the amount of dissolved total arsenic tend to decrease, while the As(III)/(V) ratio strongly increase. Besides, the concentration of the reduced As species increase along the water course. As a result, As(III)/(V) ratio can be up to 100 times higher in the lower part of the basins. An estimation of the As(III) load transported by both rivers into the Atlantic Ocean has been performed, resulting in about 60 kg yr{sup -1} and 2.7 t yr{sup -1} by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, respectively. - Total arsenic concentration decreases along the water basins, however the As(III)/(V) ratio increases.

  10. Assessment of human dietary exposure to arsenic through rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Matthew A; Signes-Pastor, Antonio J; Argos, Maria; Slaughter, Francis; Pendergrast, Claire; Punshon, Tracy; Gossai, Anala; Ahsan, Habibul; Karagas, Margaret R

    2017-05-15

    Rice accumulates 10-fold higher inorganic arsenic (i-As), an established human carcinogen, than other grains. This review summarizes epidemiologic studies that examined the association between rice consumption and biomarkers of arsenic exposure. After reviewing the literature we identified 20 studies, among them included 18 observational and 2 human experimental studies that reported on associations between rice consumption and an arsenic biomarker. Among individuals not exposed to contaminated water, rice is a source of i-As exposure - rice consumption has been consistently related to arsenic biomarkers, and the relationship has been clearly demonstrated in experimental studies. Early-life i-As exposure is of particular concern due to its association with lifelong adverse health outcomes. Maternal rice consumption during pregnancy also has been associated with infant toenail total arsenic concentrations indicating that dietary exposure during pregnancy results in fetal exposure. Thus, the collective evidence indicates that rice is an independent source of arsenic exposure in populations around the world and highlights the importance of investigating its affect on health. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Evaluation of the fate of arsenic-contaminated groundwater at different aquifers of Thar coalfield Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Jamshed; Kazi, Tasneem G; Baig, Jameel A; Afridi, Hassan I; Arain, Mariam S; Ullah, Naeem; Brahman, Kapil D; Arain, Sadaf S; Panhwar, Abdul H

    2015-12-01

    In present study, the ground water at different aquifers was evaluated for physicochemical parameters, iron, total arsenic, total inorganic arsenic and arsenic species (arsenite and arsenate). The samples of groundwater were collected at different depths, first aquifer (AQ1) 50-60 m, second aquifer (AQ2) 100-120 m, and third aquifer (AQ3) 200-250 m of Thar coalfield, Pakistan. Total inorganic arsenic was determined by solid phase extraction using titanium dioxide as an adsorbent. The arsenite was determined by cloud point extraction using ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate as a chelating reagent, and resulted complex was extracted by Triton X-114. The resulted data of groundwater were reported in terms of basic statistical parameters, principal component, and cluster analysis. The resulted data indicated that physicochemical parameters of groundwater of different aquifers were exceeded the World Health Organization provisional guideline for drinking water except pH and SO4(2-). The positive correlation was observed between arsenic species and physicochemical parameters of groundwater except F(-) and K(+), which might be caused by geochemical minerals. Results of cluster analysis indicated that groundwater samples of AQ1 was highly contaminated with arsenic species as compared to AQ2 and AQ3 (p > 0.05).

  12. Removal of Arsenic with Oyster Shell: Experimental Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Atiqur Rahman, , and

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Oyster shell has tremendous potential as a remediation material for the removal of arsenic from groundwater. A single arsenic removal system was developed with oyster shell for tube well water containing arsenic. The system removes arsenic from water by adsorption through fine oyster shell. Various conditions that affect the adsorption/desorption of arsenic were investigated. Adsorption column methods showed the removal of As(III under the following conditions: initial As concentration, 100 µg /L; oyster shell amount, 6 g; particle size, <355µm ; treatment flow rate, 1.7 mL/min; and pH 6.5. Arsenic concentration of the treated water were below the Bangladesh drinking water standard of 50 µg/L for As. The desorption efficiencies with 2M of KOH after the treatment of groundwater were in the range of 80-83%. A combination of techniques was used to measure the pH, conductivity, cations and anions. The average concentrations of other inorganic constituents of health concern (Na, K, Ca, Mg and Fe in treated water were below their respective WHO guideline for drinking. The present study might provide new avenues to achieve the arsenic concentrations required for drinking water recommended by Bangladesh and the World Health Organization (WHO.

  13. Biological and environmental hazards associated with exposure to chemical warfare agents: arsenicals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Changzhao; Srivastava, Ritesh K.; Athar, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Arsenicals are highly reactive inorganic and organic derivatives of arsenic. These chemicals are very toxic and produce both acute and chronic tissue damage. Based on these observations, and considering the low cost and simple methods of their bulk syntheses, these agents were thought to be appropriate for chemical warfare. Among these, the most known agent synthesized and weaponized during World War I (WWI) is Lewisite. Exposure to Lewisite causes painful inflammatory and blistering responses in the skin, lung, and eye. These chemicals also manifest systemic tissue injury following their cutaneous exposure. Although largely discontinued after WWI, their stockpiles are still known to exist in the former Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Asia. Thus, their access by terrorists or accidental exposure could be highly dangerous for humans and the environment. This review summarizes studies which describe the biological, pathophysiological, toxicological, and environmental effects of exposure to arsenicals, with a major focus on cutaneous injury. Studies related to the development of novel molecular pathobiology–based antidotes against these agents are also described. PMID:27636894

  14. Separation of organic and inorganic arsenic species by HPLC-ICP-MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Londesborough, S. [University of Helsinki, Department of Chemistry (Finland); Mattusch, J.; Wennrich, R. [UFZ-Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Leipzig (Germany)

    1999-03-01

    The HPLC separation of eight anionic, cationic or neutral arsenic species (arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide and tetramethylarsonium ion) on a high-capacity, anion-exchange column (Ion Pac AS 7, Dionex) was studied. The separation was performed during one run with a nitric acid gradient ranging from pH 4-1.3. The influence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) and 1,2-benzenedisulfonic acid (BDSA) as ion pairing eluent modifiers was investigated. In addition the effect of elevated temperatures (30 to 40 C) was studied. The best results were obtained at room temperature of 20 C with 0.05 mM benzenedisulfonic acid as the eluent modifier. The chromatograph was connected to an ICP-MS via a cross-flow nebulizer. Detection limits obtained with the optimized chromatographic separation were 0.16-0.60 {mu}g As L{sup -1} for different species. The proposed speciation method was applied to the determination of arsenic species in the DORM-2 reference material (Dogfish Muscle) and in aqueous extracts of mushrooms collected on arsenic contaminated ground. (orig.) With 7 figs., 4 tabs., 17 refs.

  15. Arsenic metabolites in humans after ingestion of wakame seaweed

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hata A.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Seaweed contains large amounts of various arsenic compounds such as arsenosugars (AsSugs, but their relative toxicities have not yet been fully evaluated. A risk evaluation of dietary arsenic would be necessary. After developing an arsenic speciation analysis of wakame seaweed (Undaria pinnatifida, we conducted a wakame ingestion experiment using volunteers. Five volunteers ingested 300 g of commercial wakame after refraining from seafood for 5 days. Arsenic metabolites in the urine were monitored over a 5-day period after ingestion. Total arsenic concentration of the wakame seaweed was 34.3 ± 2.1 mg arsenic/kg (dry weight, n = 3. Two AsSugs, 3-[5′-deoxy-5′-(dimethyl-arsinoyl-β-ribofuranosyloxy]-propylene glycol (AsSug328 and 3-[5′-deoxy-5′-(dimethyl-arsinoyl-β- ribofuranosyl-oxy]-2-hydroxypropyl-2,3-dihydroxy-propyl phosphate (AsSug482 were detected, but arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA, monomethylarsonic acid, and inorganic arsenics (iAs were not detected. The major peak was AsSug328, which comprised 89% of the total arsenic. Approximately 30% of the total arsenic ingested was excreted in the urine during the 5-day observation. Five arsenic compounds were detected in the urine after ingestion, the major one being DMA, which comprised 58.1 ± 5.0% of the total urinary arsenic excreted over the 5 days. DMA was believed to be metabolized not from iAs but from AsSugs, and its biological half-time was approximately 13 h.

  16. Reverse Osmosis Filter Use and High Arsenic Levels in Private Well Water

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, Christine M.; Smith, Allan H.; Kalman, David A.; Steinmaus, Craig M.

    2013-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic causes cancer, and millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic-contaminated water. Regulatory standards for arsenic levels in drinking water generally do not apply to private domestic wells. Reverse osmosis (RO) units commonly are used by well owners to reduce arsenic concentrations, but may not always be effective. In a survey of 102 homes in Nevada, 19 used RO devices. Pre- and post-RO filtration arsenic concentrations averaged 443 μg/l and 87 μg/l, respectively. The average absolute and percent reductions in arsenic concentrations after filtration were 356 μg/l and 79%, respectively. Postfiltration concentrations were higher than 10 μg/l in 10 homes and higher than 100 μg/l in 4 homes. These findings provide evidence that RO filters do not guarantee safe drinking water and, despite regulatory standards, some people continue to be exposed to very high arsenic concentrations. PMID:17867571

  17. An insight of environmental contamination of arsenic on animal health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paramita Mandal

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The main threats to human health from heavy metals are associated with exposure to lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. Exposure to arsenic is mainly via intake of food and drinking water, food being the most important source in most populations. Although adverse health effects of heavy metals have been known for a long time, exposure to heavy metals continues and is even increasing in some areas. Long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking-water is mainly related to increased risks of skin cancer, but also some other cancers, as well as other skin lesions such as hyperkeratosis and pigmentation changes. Therefore, measures should be taken to reduce arsenic exposure in the general population in order to minimize the risk of adverse health effects. Animal are being exposed to arsenic through contaminated drinking water, feedstuff, grasses, vegetables and different leaves. Arsenic has been the most common causes of inorganic chemical poisoning in farm animals. Although, sub-chronic and chronic exposure of arsenic do not generally reveal external signs or symptoms in farm animals but arsenic (or metabolites concentrations in blood, hair, hoofs and urine are remained high in animals of arsenic contaminated zones. So it is assumed that concentration of arsenic in blood, urine, hair or milk have been used as biomarkers of arsenic exposure in field animals.

  18. Estimating Water Supply Arsenic Levels in the New England Bladder Cancer Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeman, Laura E. Beane; Lubin, Jay H.; Airola, Matthew S.; Baris, Dalsu; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Taylor, Anne; Paulu, Chris; Karagas, Margaret R.; Colt, Joanne; Ward, Mary H.; Huang, An-Tsun; Bress, William; Cherala, Sai; Silverman, Debra T.; Cantor, Kenneth P.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Ingestion of inorganic arsenic in drinking water is recognized as a cause of bladder cancer when levels are relatively high (≥ 150 µg/L). The epidemiologic evidence is less clear at the low-to-moderate concentrations typically observed in the United States. Accurate retrospective exposure assessment over a long time period is a major challenge in conducting epidemiologic studies of environmental factors and diseases with long latency, such as cancer. Objective: We estimated arsenic concentrations in the water supplies of 2,611 participants in a population-based case–control study in northern New England. Methods: Estimates covered the lifetimes of most study participants and were based on a combination of arsenic measurements at the homes of the participants and statistical modeling of arsenic concentrations in the water supply of both past and current homes. We assigned a residential water supply arsenic concentration for 165,138 (95%) of the total 173,361 lifetime exposure years (EYs) and a workplace water supply arsenic level for 85,195 EYs (86% of reported occupational years). Results: Three methods accounted for 93% of the residential estimates of arsenic concentration: direct measurement of water samples (27%; median, 0.3 µg/L; range, 0.1–11.5), statistical models of water utility measurement data (49%; median, 0.4 µg/L; range, 0.3–3.3), and statistical models of arsenic concentrations in wells using aquifers in New England (17%; median, 1.6 µg/L; range, 0.6–22.4). Conclusions: We used a different validation procedure for each of the three methods, and found our estimated levels to be comparable with available measured concentrations. This methodology allowed us to calculate potential drinking water exposure over long periods. PMID:21421449

  19. Arsenic Demethylation by a C·As Lyase in Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Yu; Ye, Jun; Xue, Xi-Mei; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2015-12-15

    Arsenic, a ubiquitous toxic substance, exists mainly as inorganic forms in the environment. It is perceived that organoarsenicals can be demethylated and degraded into inorganic arsenic by microorganisms. Few studies have focused on the mechanism of arsenic demethylation in bacteria. Here, we investigated arsenic demethylation in a typical freshwater cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120. This bacterium was able to demethylate monomethylarsenite [MAs(III)] rapidly to arsenite [As(III)] and also had the ability to demethylate monomethylarsenate [MAs(V)] to As(III). The NsarsI encoding a C·As lyase responsible for MAs(III) demethylation was cloned from Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 and heterologously expressed in an As-hypersensitive strain Escherichia coli AW3110 (ΔarsRBC). Expression of NsarsI was shown to confer MAs(III) resistance through arsenic demethylation. The purified NsArsI was further identified and functionally characterized in vitro. NsArsI existed mainly as the trimeric state, and the kinetic data were well-fit to the Hill equation with K0.5 = 7.55 ± 0.33 μM for MAs(III), Vmax = 0.79 ± 0.02 μM min(-1), and h = 2.7. Both of the NsArsI truncated derivatives lacking the C-terminal 10 residues (ArsI10) or 23 residues (ArsI23) had a reduced ability of MAs(III) demethylation. These results provide new insights for understanding the important role of cyanobacteria in arsenic biogeochemical cycling in the environment.

  20. Effect of dissolved organic matter derived from waste amendments on the mobility of inorganic arsenic (III) in the Egyptian alluvial soil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rashad, Mohamed [Land and Water Technologies Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab, 21934 Alexandria (Egypt); Assaad, Faiz F. [Soils and Water Use Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo (Egypt); Shalaby, Elsayed A. [Environmental Studies Department, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria University (Egypt)

    2013-07-01

    Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the decisive factors affecting pollutants mobility in soils receiving waste amendments. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DOM1 derived from agricultural solid waste (ASW) and DOM2 derived from municipal solid waste (MSW) on the mobility of inorganic arsenic (As) in two alluvial soils from the Nile River Delta. In column experiments, addition of DOM solutions significantly increased As concentration in the effluents. There was no significant difference between the two soils, the obtained results from soil2 columns revealed that DOM2 has stronger capability than DOM1 to facilitate As mobility. The pH of the studied soils is alkaline (8.1) which promoted the dissociation as well as deprotonation of DOM and as a consequence, humic substances in DOM become negatively charged organic anions, leading to their substantial competition with As for the adsorption sites on both soil surfaces. The results emphasized that in alkaline soils there is a risk of groundwater pollution in the long run by arsenic either naturally found in soil or originated at high soil pH when dissolved organic carbon (DOC) released from various organic amendments ASW and/or MSW and leached through soil profile.

  1. Cooking rice in excess water reduces both arsenic and enriched vitamins in the cooked grain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Patrick J; Conklin, Sean D; Todorov, Todor I; Kasko, Sasha M

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the effects of rinsing rice and cooking it in variable amounts of water on total arsenic, inorganic arsenic, iron, cadmium, manganese, folate, thiamin and niacin in the cooked grain. We prepared multiple rice varietals both rinsed and unrinsed and with varying amounts of cooking water. Rinsing rice before cooking has a minimal effect on the arsenic (As) content of the cooked grain, but washes enriched iron, folate, thiamin and niacin from polished and parboiled rice. Cooking rice in excess water efficiently reduces the amount of As in the cooked grain. Excess water cooking reduces average inorganic As by 40% from long grain polished, 60% from parboiled and 50% from brown rice. Iron, folate, niacin and thiamin are reduced by 50-70% for enriched polished and parboiled rice, but significantly less so for brown rice, which is not enriched.

  2. Interactions between arsenic species and marine algae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanders, J.G.

    1978-01-01

    The arsenic concentration and speciation of marine algae varies widely, from 0.4 to 23 ng.mg/sup -1/, with significant differences in both total arsenic content and arsenic speciation occurring between algal classes. The Phaeophyceae contain more arsenic than other algal classes, and a greater proportion of the arsenic is organic. The concentration of inorganic arsenic is fairly constant in macro-algae, and may indicate a maximum level, with the excess being reduced and methylated. Phytoplankton take up As(V) readily, and incorporate a small percentage of it into the cell. The majority of the As(V) is reduced, methylated, and released to the surrounding media. The arsenic speciation in phytoplankton and Valonia also changes when As(V) is added to cultures. Arsenate and phosphate compete for uptake by algal cells. Arsenate inhibits primary production at concentrations as low as 5 ..mu..g.1/sup -1/ when the phosphate concentration is low. The inhibition is competitive. A phosphate enrichment of > 0.3 ..mu..M alleviates this inhibition; however, the As(V) stress causes an increase in the cell's phosphorus requirement. Arsenite is also toxic to phytoplankton at similar concentrations. Methylated arsenic species did not affect cell productivity, even at concentrations of 25 ..mu..g.1/sup -1/. Thus, the methylation of As(V) by the cell produces a stable, non-reactive compound which is nontoxic. The uptake and subsequent reduction and methylation of As(V) is a significant factor in determining the arsenic biogeochemistry of productive systems, and also the effect that the arsenic may have on algal productivity. Therefore, the role of marine algae in determining the arsenic speciation of marine systems cannot be ignored. (ERB)

  3. Spectroscopic Analysis of Arsenic Uptake in Pteris Ferns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Terrence Slonecker

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Two arsenic-accumulating Pteris ferns (Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida, along with a non-accumulating control fern (Nephrolepis exaltata were grown in greenhouse conditions in clean sand spiked with 0, 20, 50, 100 and 200 ppm sodium arsenate. Spectral data were collected for each of five replicates prior to harvest at 4-week intervals. Fern samples were analyzed for total metals content and Partial Least Squares and Stepwise Linear Regression techniques were used to develop models from the spectral data. Results showed that Pteris cretica mayii and Pteris multifida are confirmed hyperaccumulators of inorganic arsenic and that reasonably accurate predictive models of arsenic concentration can be developed from the first derivative of spectral reflectance of the hyperaccumulating Pteris ferns. Both the arsenic uptake and spectral results indicate that there is some species-specific variability but the results compare favorably with previously published data and additional research is recommended.

  4. Investigation of arsenic removal in batch wise water treatments by means of sequential hydride generation flow injection analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toda, Kei; Takaki, Mari; Hashem, Md Abul

    2008-08-01

    Arsenic water pollution is a big issue worldwide. Determination of inorganic arsenic in each oxidation state is important because As(III) is much more toxic than As(V). An automated arsenic measurement system was developed based on complete vaporization of As by a sequential procedure and collection/preconcentration of the vaporized AsH(3), which was subsequently measured by a flow analysis. The automated sensitive method was applied to monitoring As(III) and As(V) concentrations in contaminated water standing overnight. Behaviors of arsenics were investigated in different conditions, and unique time dependence profiles were obtained. For example, in the standing of anaerobic water samples, the As(III) concentration immediately began decreasing whereas dead time was observed in the removal of As(V). In normal groundwater conditions, most arsenic was removed from the water simply by standing overnight. To obtain more effective removal, the addition of oxidants and use of steel wools were investigated. Simple batch wise treatments of arsenic contaminated water were demonstrated, and detail of the transitional changes in As(III) and As(V) were investigated.

  5. Transplacental arsenic carcinogenesis in mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waalkes, Michael P.; Liu, Jie; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.

    2007-01-01

    Our work has focused on the carcinogenic effects of in utero arsenic exposure in mice. Our data show that a short period of maternal exposure to inorganic arsenic in the drinking water is an effective, multi-tissue carcinogen in the adult offspring. These studies have been reproduced in three temporally separate studies using two different mouse strains. In these studies pregnant mice were treated with drinking water containing sodium arsenite at up to 85 ppm arsenic from days 8 to 18 of gestation, and the offspring were observed for up to 2 years. The doses used in all these studies were well tolerated by both the dam and offspring. In C3H mice, two separate studies show male offspring exposed to arsenic in utero developed liver carcinoma and adrenal cortical adenoma in a dose-related fashion during adulthood. Prenatally exposed female C3H offspring show dose-related increases in ovarian tumors and lung carcinoma and in proliferative lesions (tumors plus preneoplastic hyperplasia) of the uterus and oviduct. In addition, prenatal arsenic plus postnatal exposure to the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) in C3H mice produces excess lung tumors in both sexes and liver tumors in females. Male CD1 mice treated with arsenic in utero develop tumors of the liver and adrenal and renal hyperplasia while females develop tumors of urogenital system, ovary, uterus and adrenal and hyperplasia of the oviduct. Additional postnatal treatment with diethylstilbestrol or tamoxifen after prenatal arsenic in CD1 mice induces urinary bladder transitional cell proliferative lesions, including carcinoma and papilloma, and enhances the carcinogenic response in the liver of both sexes. Overall this model has provided convincing evidence that arsenic is a transplacental carcinogen in mice with the ability to target tissues of potential human relevance, such as the urinary bladder, lung and liver. Transplacental carcinogenesis clearly occurs with other agents in humans

  6. EFFECTS OF ARSENIC EXPOSURE IN HUMAN HEALTH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Sueli de Lima Rodrigues

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, ingestion of inorganic arsenic from drinking water has emerged as an important public health concern. It enters drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices, mainly the mining. The health consequences of chronic arsenic exposure include increased risk for various forms of cancer and numerous pathologic effects, such as cutaneous effects (hyperpigmentation and hyperkeratoses, gastrointestinal effects, vascular effects, diabetes mellitus, and peripheral neuropathy. This way, this study presents through a critical revision of the literature, the more relevant current aspects on the immunological consequences, carcinogenic and resulting genetics of the human intoxication for arsenic. They were identified and analyzed 50 works published on the subject among the years of 1979 and 2008, being used as main sources LILACS-BIREME MEDLINE/Index Medicus, SciELO and PubMed. The specific Arsênio e saúde humana effects of the intoxication for arsenic about the human health are not still completely elucidated. Thus, is possible that this element affects functions still unknown, becoming important the scientificexploration on the subject.

  7. Effects of Nrf2 deficiency on arsenic metabolism in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huihui; Zhu, Jiayu; Li, Lu; Li, Yongfang; Lv, Hang; Xu, Yuanyuan; Sun, Guifan; Pi, Jingbo

    2017-12-15

    Inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a known toxicant and carcinogen. Worldwide arsenic exposure has become a threat to human health. The severity of arsenic toxicity is strongly correlated with the speed of arsenic metabolism (methylation) and clearance. Furthermore, oxidative stress is recognized as a major mechanism for arsenic-induced toxicity. Nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a key regulator in cellular adaptive antioxidant response, is clearly involved in alleviation of arsenic-induced oxidative damage. Multiple studies demonstrate that Nrf2 deficiency mice are more vulnerable to arsenic-induced intoxication. However, what effect Nrf2 deficiency might have on arsenic metabolism in mice is still unknown. In the present study, we measured the key enzymes involved in arsenic metabolism in Nrf2-WT and Nrf2-KO mice. Our results showed that basal transcript levels of glutathione S-transferase omega 2 (Gsto2) were significantly higher and GST mu 1 (Gstm1) lower in Nrf2-KO mice compared to Nrf2-WT control. Arsenic speciation and methylation rate in liver and urine was then studied in mice treated with 5mg/kg sodium arsenite for 12h. Although there were some alterations in arsenic metabolism enzymes between Nrf2-WT and Nrf2-KO mice, the Nrf2 deficiency had no significant effect on arsenic methylation. These results suggest that the Nrf2-KO mice are more sensitive to arsenic than Nrf2-WT mainly because of differences in adaptive antioxidant detoxification capacity rather than arsenic methylation capacity. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Inter-laboratory validation of an inexpensive streamlined method to measure inorganic arsenic in rice grain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaney, Rufus L; Green, Carrie E; Lehotay, Steven J

    2018-05-04

    With the establishment by CODEX of a 200 ng/g limit of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in polished rice grain, more analyses of iAs will be necessary to ensure compliance in regulatory and trade applications, to assess quality control in commercial rice production, and to conduct research involving iAs in rice crops. Although analytical methods using high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) have been demonstrated for full speciation of As, this expensive and time-consuming approach is excessive when regulations are based only on iAs. We report a streamlined sample preparation and analysis of iAs in powdered rice based on heated extraction with 0.28 M HNO 3 followed by hydride generation (HG) under control of acidity and other simple conditions. Analysis of iAs is then conducted using flow-injection HG and inexpensive ICP-atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) or other detection means. A key innovation compared with previous methods was to increase the acidity of the reagent solution with 4 M HCl (prior to reduction of As 5+ to As 3+ ), which minimized interferences from dimethylarsinic acid. An inter-laboratory method validation was conducted among 12 laboratories worldwide in the analysis of six shared blind duplicates and a NIST Standard Reference Material involving different types of rice and iAs levels. Also, four laboratories used the standard HPLC-ICP-MS method to analyze the samples. The results between the methods were not significantly different, and the Horwitz ratio averaged 0.52 for the new method, which meets official method validation criteria. Thus, the simpler, more versatile, and less expensive method may be used by laboratories for several purposes to accurately determine iAs in rice grain. Graphical abstract Comparison of iAs results from new and FDA methods.

  9. Oxidation state specific generation of arsines from methylated arsenicals based on L-cysteine treatment in buffered media for speciation analysis by hydride generation-automated cryotrapping-gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometry with the multiatomizer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matousek, Tomas [Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the ASCR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague (Czech Republic)], E-mail: matousek@biomed.cas.cz; Hernandez-Zavala, Araceli [Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7310 (United States); Svoboda, Milan; Langrova, Lenka [Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the ASCR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague (Czech Republic); Charles University, Faculty of Science, Albertov 8, 12840 Prague 2 (Czech Republic); Adair, Blakely M. [Pharmacokinetics Branch, Experimental Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Drobna, Zuzana [Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461 (United States); Thomas, David J. [Pharmacokinetics Branch, Experimental Toxicology Division, National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Styblo, Miroslav [Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7310 (United States); Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461 (United States); Dedina, Jiri [Institute of Analytical Chemistry of the ASCR, v.v.i., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague (Czech Republic)

    2008-03-15

    An automated system for hydride generation-cryotrapping-gas chromatography-atomic absorption spectrometry with the multiatomizer is described. Arsines are preconcentrated and separated in a Chromosorb filled U-tube. An automated cryotrapping unit, employing nitrogen gas formed upon heating in the detection phase for the displacement of the cooling liquid nitrogen, has been developed. The conditions for separation of arsines in a Chromosorb filled U-tube have been optimized. A complete separation of signals from arsine, methylarsine, dimethylarsine, and trimethylarsine has been achieved within a 60 s reading window. The limits of detection for methylated arsenicals tested were 4 ng l{sup -1}. Selective hydride generation is applied for the oxidation state specific speciation analysis of inorganic and methylated arsenicals. The arsines are generated either exclusively from trivalent or from both tri- and pentavalent inorganic and methylated arsenicals depending on the presence of L-cysteine as a prereductant and/or reaction modifier. A TRIS buffer reaction medium is proposed to overcome narrow optimum concentration range observed for the L-cysteine modified reaction in HCl medium. The system provides uniform peak area sensitivity for all As species. Consequently, the calibration with a single form of As is possible. This method permits a high-throughput speciation analysis of metabolites of inorganic arsenic in relatively complex biological matrices such as cell culture systems without sample pretreatment, thus preserving the distribution of tri- and pentavalent species.

  10. Extant contents of chromium, copper and arsenic in waste CCA-treated timber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiba, Keiko; Uchida, Shinpei; Honma, Yoshinori; Sera, Koichiro; Saitoh, Katsumi

    2009-01-01

    The segregation and disposal of chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood waste when recycling building waste materials is a serious issue. We examined the contents of CCA preserved cedar timber by PIXE analysis. CCA preserved timber contained large amounts of these metals both on the surface and core of the wood. The ratio of chromium, copper and arsenic contained on the surface was 1:2:1, and in contrast, the ratio in the core was 1:1:2. In other words, the arsenic content was highest in the core. Moreover, the chemical form of arsenic in both parts of the wood was only inorganic arsenic; the same form of arsenic in preservative components known as carcinogenic substances. These findings mean that the complete separation of waste CCA preserved timber from construction and demolition wood is needed. (author)

  11. Maternal Arsenic Exposure, Arsenic Methylation Efficiency, and Birth Outcomes in the Biomarkers of Exposure to ARsenic (BEAR) Pregnancy Cohort in Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laine, Jessica E.; Bailey, Kathryn A.; Rubio-Andrade, Marisela; Olshan, Andrew F.; Smeester, Lisa; Drobná, Zuzana; Herring, Amy H.; Stýblo, Miroslav; García-Vargas, Gonzalo G.

    2014-01-01

    Background: Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) from drinking water is a global public health problem, yet much remains unknown about the extent of exposure in susceptible populations. Objectives: We aimed to establish the Biomarkers of Exposure to ARsenic (BEAR) prospective pregnancy cohort in Gómez Palacio, Mexico, to better understand the effects of iAs exposure on pregnant women and their children. Methods: Two hundred pregnant women were recruited for this study. Concentrations of iAs in drinking water (DW-iAs) and maternal urinary concentrations of iAs and its monomethylated and dimethylated metabolites (MMAs and DMAs, respectively) were determined. Birth outcomes were analyzed for their relationship to DW-iAs and to the concentrations and proportions of maternal urinary arsenicals. Results: DW-iAs for the study subjects ranged from iAs that exceeded the World Health Organization’s recommended guideline of 10 μg As/L. DW-iAs was significantly associated with the sum of the urinary arsenicals (U-tAs). Maternal urinary concentrations of MMAs were negatively associated with newborn birth weight and gestational age. Maternal urinary concentrations of iAs were associated with lower mean gestational age and newborn length. Conclusions: Biomonitoring results demonstrate that pregnant women in Gómez Palacio are exposed to potentially harmful levels of DW-iAs. The data support a relationship between iAs metabolism in pregnant women and adverse birth outcomes. The results underscore the risks associated with iAs exposure in vulnerable populations. Citation: Laine JE, Bailey KA, Rubio-Andrade M, Olshan AF, Smeester L, Drobná Z, Herring AH, Stýblo M, García-Vargas GG, Fry RC. 2015. Maternal arsenic exposure, arsenic methylation efficiency, and birth outcomes in the Biomarkers of Exposure to ARsenic (BEAR) pregnancy cohort in Mexico. Environ Health Perspect 123:186–192; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307476 PMID:25325819

  12. Evaluating of arsenic(V) removal from water by weak-base anion exchange adsorbents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awual, M Rabiul; Hossain, M Amran; Shenashen, M A; Yaita, Tsuyoshi; Suzuki, Shinichi; Jyo, Akinori

    2013-01-01

    Arsenic contamination of groundwater has been called the largest mass poisoning calamity in human history and creates severe health problems. The effective adsorbents are imperative in response to the widespread removal of toxic arsenic exposure through drinking water. Evaluation of arsenic(V) removal from water by weak-base anion exchange adsorbents was studied in this paper, aiming at the determination of the effects of pH, competing anions, and feed flow rates to improvement on remediation. Two types of weak-base adsorbents were used to evaluate arsenic(V) removal efficiency both in batch and column approaches. Anion selectivity was determined by both adsorbents in batch method as equilibrium As(V) adsorption capacities. Column studies were performed in fixed-bed experiments using both adsorbent packed columns, and kinetic performance was dependent on the feed flow rate and competing anions. The weak-base adsorbents clarified that these are selective to arsenic(V) over competition of chloride, nitrate, and sulfate anions. The solution pH played an important role in arsenic(V) removal, and a higher pH can cause lower adsorption capacities. A low concentration level of arsenic(V) was also removed by these adsorbents even at a high flow rate of 250-350 h(-1). Adsorbed arsenic(V) was quantitatively eluted with 1 M HCl acid and regenerated into hydrochloride form simultaneously for the next adsorption operation after rinsing with water. The weak-base anion exchange adsorbents are to be an effective means to remove arsenic(V) from drinking water. The fast adsorption rate and the excellent adsorption capacity in the neutral pH range will render this removal technique attractive in practical use in chemical industry.

  13. Arsenic volatilization in model anaerobic biogas digesters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mestrot, Adrien; Xie, Wan-Ying; Xue, Ximei; Zhu, Yong-Guan

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Arsenic is volatilized form all model anaerobic digesters, including the non-treated ones. • Volatile As species can be identified and quantified in all digesters. • Non-arsenic treated digesters volatilization rates are higher than Roxarsone treated ones. - Abstract: Arsenic is a class 1 non-threshold carcinogen which is highly ubiquitous. Arsenic undergoes many different transformations (biotic or abiotic) between and within environmental compartments, leading to a number of different chemical species possessing different properties and toxicities. One specific transformation is As biotic volatilization which is coupled with As biomethylation and has been scarcely studied due to inherent sampling issues. Arsenic methylation/volatilization is also linked with methanogenesis and occurs in anaerobic environments. In China, rice straw and animal manure are very often used to produce biogas and both can contain high amounts of As, especially if the rice is grown in areas with heavy mining or smelting industries and if Roxarsone is fed to the animals. Roxarsone is an As-containing drug which is widely used in China to control coccidian intestinal parasites, to improve feed efficiency and to promote rapid growth. Previous work has shown that this compound degrades to inorganic As under anaerobic conditions. In this study the focus is on biotic transformations of As in small microcosms designed as biogas digester models (BDMs) using recently validated As traps, thus, enabling direct quantification and identification of volatile As species. It is shown that although there was a loss of soluble As in the BDMs, their conditions favored biomethylation. All reactors produced volatile As, especially the monomethylarsonic acid spiked ones with 413 ± 148 ng As (mean ± SD, n = 3) which suggest that the first methylation step, from inorganic As, is a limiting factor. The most abundant species was trimethylarsine, but the toxic arsine was present in the

  14. Development of an enumeration method for arsenic methylating bacteria from mixed culture samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Islam, S M Atiqul; Fukushi, Kensuke; Yamamoto, Kazuo

    2005-12-01

    Bacterial methylation of arsenic converts inorganic arsenic into volatile and non-volatile methylated species. It plays an important role in the arsenic cycle in the environment. Despite the potential environmental significance of AsMB, an assessment of their population size and activity remains unknown. This study has now established a protocol for enumeration of AsMB by means of the anaerobic-culture-tube, most probable number (MPN) method. Direct detection of volatile arsenic species is then done by GC-MS. This method is advantageous as it can simultaneously enumerate AsMB and acetate and formate-utilizing methanogens. The incubation time for this method was determined to be 6 weeks, sufficient time for AsMB growth.

  15. Determination of inorganic arsenic in algae using bromine halogenation and on-line nonpolar solid phase extraction followed by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Weihong; Qi, Yuehan; Qin, Deyuan; Liu, Jixin; Mao, Xuefei; Chen, Guoying; Wei, Chao; Qian, Yongzhong

    2017-08-01

    Accurate, stable and fast analysis of toxic inorganic arsenic (iAs) in complicated and arsenosugar-rich algae matrix is always a challenge. Herein, a novel analytical method for iAs in algae was reported, using bromine halogenation and on-line nonpolar solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). The separation of iAs from algae was first performed by nonpolar SPE sorbent using Br - for arsenic halogenation. Algae samples were extracted with 1% perchloric acid. Then, 1.5mL extract was reduced by 1% thiourea, and simultaneously reacted (for 30min) with 50μL of 10% KBr for converting iAs to AsBr 3 after adding 3.5mL of 70% HCl to 5mL. A polystyrene (PS) resin cartridge was employed to retain arsenicals, which were hydrolyzed, eluted from the PS resin with H 2 O, and categorized as iAs. The total iAs was quantified by HG-AFS. Under optimum conditions, the spiked recoveries of iAs in real algae samples were in the 82-96% range, and the method achieved a desirable limit of detection of 3μgkg -1 . The inter-day relative standard deviations were 4.5% and 4.1% for spiked 100 and 500μgkg -1 respectively, which proved acceptable for this method. For real algae samples analysis, the highest presence of iAs was found in sargassum fusiforme, followed by kelp, seaweed and laver. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Magnetic ferrite particles combined with electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the speciation of low concentrations of arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-García, Ignacio; Marín-Hernández, Juan José; Hernández-Córdoba, Manuel

    2018-05-01

    Freshly in situ prepared ferrite particles were used for the micro-solid phase extraction of arsenic species. When the separation was carried out at pH 8, inorganic arsenic (As(III) + As(V)) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were retained in the magnetic material. A second aliquot was treated with 2,3 dimercapto propanol, leading to the retention of As(V)+MMA, while a third aliquot was first treated with sodium thiosulphate, in which case only inorganic arsenic passed to the solid phase. In all cases, the solid residue collected by a magnet was suspended in a dilute nitric acid solution containing Triton X-100 and introduced into the electrothermal atomizer to obtain the analytical signal of arsenic. The use of palladium as a chemical modifier allowed calibration to be carried out with aqueous standards. The detection limit was 0.02µgL -1 arsenic for a 10mL sample volume. The procedure was applied to waters and herbal infusions, and its reliability was evaluated by analyzing eleven certified reference materials for which speciation data are provided. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Creatinine, diet, micronutrients, and arsenic methylation in West Bengal, India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Arin; Mitra, Soma; Chung, Joyce; Guha Mazumder, D N; Ghosh, Nilima; Kalman, David; von Ehrenstein, Ondine S; Steinmaus, Craig; Liaw, Jane; Smith, Allan H

    2011-09-01

    Ingested inorganic arsenic (InAs) is methylated to monomethylated (MMA) and dimethylated metabolites (DMA). Methylation may have an important role in arsenic toxicity, because the monomethylated trivalent metabolite [MMA(III)] is highly toxic. We assessed the relationship of creatinine and nutrition--using dietary intake and blood concentrations of micronutrients--with arsenic metabolism, as reflected in the proportions of InAS, MMA, and DMA in urine, in the first study that incorporated both dietary and micronutrient data. We studied methylation patterns and nutritional factors in 405 persons who were selected from a cross-sectional survey of 7,638 people in an arsenic-exposed population in West Bengal, India. We assessed associations of urine creatinine and nutritional factors (19 dietary intake variables and 16 blood micronutrients) with arsenic metabolites in urine. Urinary creatinine had the strongest relationship with overall arsenic methylation to DMA. Those with the highest urinary creatinine concentrations had 7.2% more arsenic as DMA compared with those with low creatinine (p creatinine concentration was the strongest biological marker of arsenic methylation efficiency, and therefore should not be used to adjust for urine concentration in arsenic studies. The new finding that animal fat intake has a positive relationship with MMA% warrants further assessment in other studies. Increased MMA% was also associated, to a lesser extent, with low serum selenium and folate.

  18. Arsenic exposure from drinking water is associated with decreased gene expression and increased DNA methylation in peripheral blood

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ameer, Syeda Shegufta [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund (Sweden); Engström, Karin [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund (Sweden); Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Metals & Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden); Hossain, Mohammad Bakhtiar [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Lund University, Lund (Sweden); Concha, Gabriela [Science Department, Risk Benefit Assessment Unit, National Food Agency, Uppsala (Sweden); Vahter, Marie [Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Metals & Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden); Broberg, Karin, E-mail: Karin.broberg@ki.se [Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Metals & Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2017-04-15

    Background: Exposure to inorganic arsenic increases the risk of cancer and non-malignant diseases. Inefficient arsenic metabolism is a marker for susceptibility to arsenic toxicity. Arsenic may alter gene expression, possibly by altering DNA methylation. Objectives: To elucidate the associations between arsenic exposure, gene expression, and DNA methylation in peripheral blood, and the modifying effects of arsenic metabolism. Methods: The study participants, women from the Andes, Argentina, were exposed to arsenic via drinking water. Arsenic exposure was assessed as the sum of arsenic metabolites in urine (U-As), using high performance liquid-chromatography hydride-generation inductively-coupled-plasma-mass-spectrometry, and arsenic metabolism efficiency was assessed by the urinary fractions (%) of the individual metabolites. Genome-wide gene expression (N = 80 women) and DNA methylation (N = 93; 80 overlapping with gene expression) in peripheral blood were measured using Illumina DirectHyb HumanHT-12 v4.0 and Infinium Human-Methylation 450K BeadChip, respectively. Results: U-As concentrations, ranging 10–1251 μg/L, was associated with decreased gene expression: 64% of the top 1000 differentially expressed genes were down-regulated with increasing U-As. U-As was also associated with hypermethylation: 87% of the top 1000 CpGs were hypermethylated with increasing U-As. The expression of six genes and six individual CpG sites were significantly associated with increased U-As concentration. Pathway analyses revealed enrichment of genes related to cell death and cancer. The pathways differed somewhat depending on arsenic metabolism efficiency. We found no overlap between arsenic-related gene expression and DNA methylation for individual genes. Conclusions: Increased arsenic exposure was associated with lower gene expression and hypermethylation in peripheral blood, but with no evident overlap. - Highlights: • Women exposed to inorganic arsenic were studied for

  19. Synthesis and characterization of arsenic-doped cysteine-capped thoria-based nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, F. J.; Díez, M. T.; Aller, A. J.

    2013-01-01

    Thoria materials have been largely used in the nuclear industry. Nonetheless, fluorescent thoria-based nanoparticles provide additional properties to be applied in other fields. Thoria-based nanoparticles, with and without arsenic and cysteine, were prepared in 1,2-ethanediol aqueous solutions by a simple precipitation procedure. The synthesized thoria-based nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (ED-XRS), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. The presence of arsenic and cysteine, as well as the use of a thermal treatment facilitated fluorescence emission of the thoria-based nanoparticles. Arsenic-doped and cysteine-capped thoria-based nanoparticles prepared in 2.5 M 1,2-ethanediol solutions and treated at 348 K showed small crystallite sizes and strong fluorescence. However, thoria nanoparticles subjected to a thermal treatment at 873 K also produced strong fluorescence with a very narrow size distribution and much smaller crystallite sizes, 5 nm being the average size as shown by XRD and TEM. The XRD data indicated that, even after doping of arsenic in the crystal lattice of ThO 2 , the samples treated at 873 K were phase pure with the fluorite cubic structure. The Raman and FT-IR spectra shown the most characteristics vibrational peaks of cysteine together with other peaks related to the bonds of this molecule to thoria and arsenic when present

  20. Identification of a Novel Membrane Transporter Mediating Resistance to Organic Arsenic in Campylobacter jejuni

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Zhangqi; Luangtongkum, Taradon; Qiang, Zhiyi; Jeon, Byeonghwa; Wang, Liping

    2014-01-01

    Although bacterial mechanisms involved in the resistance to inorganic arsenic are well understood, the molecular basis for organic arsenic resistance has not been described. Campylobacter jejuni, a major food-borne pathogen causing gastroenteritis in humans, is highly prevalent in poultry and is reportedly resistant to the arsenic compound roxarsone (4-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzenearsonic acid), which has been used as a feed additive in the poultry industry for growth promotion. In this study, we report the identification of a novel membrane transporter (named ArsP) that contributes to organic arsenic resistance in Campylobacter. ArsP is predicted to be a membrane permease containing eight transmembrane helices, distinct from other known arsenic transporters. Analysis of multiple C. jejuni isolates from various animal species revealed that the presence of an intact arsP gene is associated with elevated resistance to roxarsone. In addition, inactivation of arsP in C. jejuni resulted in 4- and 8-fold reductions in the MICs of roxarsone and nitarsone, respectively, compared to that for the wild-type strain. Furthermore, cloning of arsP into a C. jejuni strain lacking a functional arsP gene led to 16- and 64-fold increases in the MICs of roxarsone and nitarsone, respectively. Neither mutation nor overexpression of arsP affected the MICs of inorganic arsenic, including arsenite and arsenate, in Campylobacter. Moreover, acquisition of arsP in NCTC 11168 led to accumulation of less roxarsone than the wild-type strain lacking arsP. Together, these results indicate that ArsP functions as an efflux transporter specific for extrusion of organic arsenic and contributes to the resistance to these compounds in C. jejuni. PMID:24419344

  1. A comprehensive assessment of arsenic in commonly consumed foodstuffs to evaluate the potential health risk in Bangladesh

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahmed, Md. Kawser [Faculty of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Shaheen, Nazma [Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS), University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Islam, Md. Saiful [Department of Risk Management and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-8501 (Japan); Habibullah-Al-Mamun, Md., E-mail: habibullah-al-sj@ynu.jp [Department of Risk Management and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-8501 (Japan); Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Islam, Saiful [Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS), University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Islam, Md. Monirul [Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); School of Earth and Environment, Leeds University, Leeds LS2, 9JT (United Kingdom); Kundu, Goutam Kumar [Department of Fisheries, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000 (Bangladesh); Bhattacharjee, Lalita [National Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Bangladesh)

    2016-02-15

    Arsenic (As), particularly of its inorganic form (iAs) is highly toxic, and its presence in food composites is a matter of concern for the public health safety, specifically in Bangladesh which is regarded as the most arsenic affected country throughout the world. This study was carried out to investigate the levels of As in the composite samples of commonly consumed foodstuffs collected from 30 different agro-ecological zones for the first time in Bangladesh. Most of the individual food composites contain a considerable amount of As which was, as a whole, in the range of 0.077–1.5 mg/kg fw which was lower than those reported from Spain, EU, France, Korea, whereas higher than those of Mexico, Chile, Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Serbia, respectively. Cereals, vegetables, milk, and fish contribute about 90% to the daily intake of inorganic arsenic. Human health risk of dietary iAs was assessed separately for both the rural and urban adults. The estimated daily dietary intakes (EDI) of iAs for the exposed rural (3.5) and urban residents (3.2 μg/kg-BW/day) clearly exceeded the previous provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) value of 2.1 μg/kg-BW/day, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). From the health point of view, this study concluded that both the rural and urban residents of Bangladesh are exposed to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks who consume As-contaminated water and foodstuffs. - Highlights: • A comprehensive health risk assessment from dietary arsenic exposure was evaluated. • Sample collected from 30 agro-ecological zones for the first time in Bangladesh. • Rural and urban adults are consuming more arsenic through food than the safe limit. • Cereals, vegetables, milk, and fish contribute about 90% to EDI of inorganic As. • Inhabitants are exposed chronically to arsenic induced risks.

  2. A comprehensive assessment of arsenic in commonly consumed foodstuffs to evaluate the potential health risk in Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, Md. Kawser; Shaheen, Nazma; Islam, Md. Saiful; Habibullah-Al-Mamun, Md.; Islam, Saiful; Islam, Md. Monirul; Kundu, Goutam Kumar; Bhattacharjee, Lalita

    2016-01-01

    Arsenic (As), particularly of its inorganic form (iAs) is highly toxic, and its presence in food composites is a matter of concern for the public health safety, specifically in Bangladesh which is regarded as the most arsenic affected country throughout the world. This study was carried out to investigate the levels of As in the composite samples of commonly consumed foodstuffs collected from 30 different agro-ecological zones for the first time in Bangladesh. Most of the individual food composites contain a considerable amount of As which was, as a whole, in the range of 0.077–1.5 mg/kg fw which was lower than those reported from Spain, EU, France, Korea, whereas higher than those of Mexico, Chile, Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Serbia, respectively. Cereals, vegetables, milk, and fish contribute about 90% to the daily intake of inorganic arsenic. Human health risk of dietary iAs was assessed separately for both the rural and urban adults. The estimated daily dietary intakes (EDI) of iAs for the exposed rural (3.5) and urban residents (3.2 μg/kg-BW/day) clearly exceeded the previous provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) value of 2.1 μg/kg-BW/day, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). From the health point of view, this study concluded that both the rural and urban residents of Bangladesh are exposed to carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks who consume As-contaminated water and foodstuffs. - Highlights: • A comprehensive health risk assessment from dietary arsenic exposure was evaluated. • Sample collected from 30 agro-ecological zones for the first time in Bangladesh. • Rural and urban adults are consuming more arsenic through food than the safe limit. • Cereals, vegetables, milk, and fish contribute about 90% to EDI of inorganic As. • Inhabitants are exposed chronically to arsenic induced risks.

  3. Arsenic Accumulation in Rice and Probable Mitigation Approaches: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anindita Mitra

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available According to recent reports, millions of people across the globe are suffering from arsenic (As toxicity. Arsenic is present in different oxidative states in the environment and enters in the food chain through soil and water. In the agricultural field, irrigation with arsenic contaminated water, that is, having a higher level of arsenic contamination on the top soil, which may affects the quality of crop production. The major crop like rice (Oryza sativa L. requires a considerable amount of water to complete its lifecycle. Rice plants potentially accumulate arsenic, particularly inorganic arsenic (iAs from the field, in different body parts including grains. Different transporters have been reported in assisting the accumulation of arsenic in plant cells; for example, arsenate (AsV is absorbed with the help of phosphate transporters, and arsenite (AsIII through nodulin 26-like intrinsic protein (NIP by the silicon transport pathway and plasma membrane intrinsic protein aquaporins. Researchers and practitioners are trying their level best to mitigate the problem of As contamination in rice. However, the solution strategies vary considerably with various factors, such as cultural practices, soil, water, and environmental/economic conditions, etc. The contemporary work on rice to explain arsenic uptake, transport, and metabolism processes at rhizosphere, may help to formulate better plans. Common agronomical practices like rain water harvesting for crop irrigation, use of natural components that help in arsenic methylation, and biotechnological approaches may explore how to reduce arsenic uptake by food crops. This review will encompass the research advances and practical agronomic strategies on arsenic contamination in rice crop.

  4. Assessment of arsenic in Australian grown and imported rice varieties on sale in Australia and potential links with irrigation practises and soil geochemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fransisca, Yunnita; Small, Darryl M; Morrison, Paul D; Spencer, Michelle J S; Ball, Andrew S; Jones, Oliver A H

    2015-11-01

    Chronic dietary exposure to arsenic, particularly the inorganic forms (defined as elemental arsenic, predominantly As(3+) and As(5+), and all its inorganic compounds except arsine), is a matter of concern for human health. Ingestion of arsenic usually occurs via contaminated water but recent studies show there is also a risk of exposure from food, particularly Asian rice (Oryza sativa). Australia is a rice growing country, contributing around 2% of the world rice trade, and a large proportion of the population consumes rice regularly. In the present study we investigated concentrations of arsenic in both Australian grown and imported rice on sale in Australia and examined the potential links with irrigation practises and soil geochemistry. The results indicated a wide spread of arsenic levels of 0.09-0.33 mg kg(-1), with Australian grown Arborio and sushi varieties of O. sativa containing the highest mean value of ∼0.22 mg kg(-1). Arsenic levels in all samples were below the 1 mg kg(-1) limit set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Arsenic Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes: MicroRNAs as Mechanistic Links?

    OpenAIRE

    Beck, Rowan; Styblo, Miroslav; Sethupathy, Praveen

    2017-01-01

    Purpose of Review The goal of this review is to delineate the following: (1) the primary means of inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure for human populations, (2) the adverse public health outcomes associated with chronic iAs exposure, (3) the pathophysiological connection between arsenic and type 2 diabetes (T2D), and (4) the incipient evidence for microRNAs as candidate mechanistic links between iAs exposure and T2D. Recent Findings Exposure to iAs in animal models has been associated with the d...

  6. Use of human metabolic studies and urinary arsenic speciation is assessing arsenic exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, L.R.; Farmer, J.G. (Memphis State Univ., TN (United States) Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom))

    1991-01-01

    The use of hair and nail analyses to assess human exposure to the trace metalloid arsenic (As) is hindered by the possibility of external contamination. Even though urine represents the major excretory route, its use as an indicator of exposure is limited when no distinction is made between the nontoxic organoarsenical (arsenobetaine) excreted following the consumption of seafood and the toxic inorganic forms of As and related metabolites. The development of analytical techniques capable of separating the different chemical species of As in urine have shown that the ingestion of inorganic As (AsV or AsIII) by animals and man triggers an in vivo reduction/methylation process resulting in excretion of the less toxic species, monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). This paper establishes the uptake, bio-transformation and elimination patterns reflected in urinary As following carefully controlled experimental exposure.

  7. CCQM-K108.2014: determination of arsenic species and total arsenic in brown rice flour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inagaki, K.; Narukawa, T.; Hioki, A.; Miyashita, S.; Long, S. E.; Ellisor, M. B.; Peng, S. L.; Dewi, F.; Shin, R.; Kapp, T.; Wai-hong, F.; Hei-shing, C.; Chao, W.; Kaewkhomdee, N.; Taebunpakul, S.; Thiengmanee, U.; Yafa, C.

    2017-01-01

    The key comparison CCQM-K108.2014 was organised by the Inorganic Analysis Working Group (IAWG) of CCQM to test the abilities of the national metrology institutes (NMIs) or the designated institutes (DIs) to measure the mass fractions of inorganic arsenic (i-As, sum of the amount of arsenite [As(III)] and arsenate [As(V)]), dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA), and total arsenic (total As) in brown rice flour. This was the follow-up comparison for the CCQM-K108 & CCQM-P147 (Cd, As, inorganic arsenic, and DMAA in brown rice flour). For total As, no strong outliers among the reported values were observed, and the distribution of the results was narrow, within 3% around the median. For i-As and DMAA, the distributions of the results were slightly wider than that for total arsenic, but no strong outliers among the reported values of i-As and DMAA were observed. Two potentially bias sources, an extraction efficiency of As species (the ratio of the sum of i-As and DMAA to total As) and the quality of primary standard of DMAA, were discussed. The extraction efficiency was estimated as the ratio of the sum of i-As and DMAA to total As. In the previous comparison (CCQM-K108 & CCQM-P147), the extraction efficiency was one of the largest bias sources for i-As and DMAA. However, in this study, all the extraction efficiencies estimated from the reported values were close to 100 %. Regarding the quality of the primary standard solutions, no significant difference was observed among the primary standard solution used by the participants. These results suggest the two potential bias sources mentioned above would not have been majors in this study, and then the technical issues in the previous comparison had been overcome. Accounting for relative expanded uncertainty, a comparability of measurement was successfully demonstrated by the participating NMIs and DIs for the measurement of total As at the level of less than 0.7 mg/kg, i-As at the level of less than 0.6 mg/kg, and DMAA at the level

  8. Biological and environmental hazards associated with exposure to chemical warfare agents: arsenicals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Changzhao; Srivastava, Ritesh K; Athar, Mohammad

    2016-08-01

    Arsenicals are highly reactive inorganic and organic derivatives of arsenic. These chemicals are very toxic and produce both acute and chronic tissue damage. On the basis of these observations, and considering the low cost and simple methods of their bulk syntheses, these agents were thought to be appropriate for chemical warfare. Among these, the best-known agent that was synthesized and weaponized during World War I (WWI) is Lewisite. Exposure to Lewisite causes painful inflammatory and blistering responses in the skin, lung, and eye. These chemicals also manifest systemic tissue injury following their cutaneous exposure. Although largely discontinued after WWI, stockpiles are still known to exist in the former Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, the United States, and Asia. Thus, access by terrorists or accidental exposure could be highly dangerous for humans and the environment. This review summarizes studies that describe the biological, pathophysiological, toxicological, and environmental effects of exposure to arsenicals, with a major focus on cutaneous injury. Studies related to the development of novel molecular pathobiology-based antidotes against these agents are also described. © 2016 New York Academy of Sciences.

  9. Enzyme-assisted extraction and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry for the determination of arsenic species in chicken meat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qingqing; Peng, Hanyong; Lu, Xiufen; Le, X Chris

    2015-08-12

    Chicken is the most consumed meat in North America. Concentrations of arsenic in chicken range from μg kg(-1) to mg kg(-1). However, little is known about the speciation of arsenic in chicken meat. The objective of this research was to develop a method enabling determination of arsenic species in chicken breast muscle. We report here enzyme-enhanced extraction of arsenic species from chicken meat, separation using anion exchange chromatography (HPLC), and simultaneous detection with both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESIMS). We compared the extraction of arsenic species using several proteolytic enzymes: bromelain, papain, pepsin, proteinase K, and trypsin. With the use of papain-assisted extraction, 10 arsenic species were extracted and detected, as compared to 8 detectable arsenic species in the water/methanol extract. The overall extraction efficiency was also improved using a combination of ultrasonication and papain digestion, as compared to the conventional water/methanol extraction. Detection limits were in the range of 1.0-1.8 μg arsenic per kg chicken breast meat (dry weight) for seven arsenic species: arsenobetaine (AsB), inorganic arsenite (As(III)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), inorganic arsenate (As(V)), 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (Roxarsone), and N-acetyl-4-hydroxy-m-arsanilic acid (NAHAA). Analysis of breast meat samples from six chickens receiving feed containing Roxarsone showed the presence of (mean±standard deviation μg kg(-1)) AsB (107±4), As(III) (113±7), As(V) (7±2), MMA (51±5), DMA (64±6), Roxarsone (18±1), and four unidentified arsenic species (approximate concentration 1-10 μg kg(-1)). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Arsenic species in raw and cooked rice: Implications for human health in rural Bengal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Halder, Dipti, E-mail: dipti@kth.se [KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Division of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 76, SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235, West Bengal (India); Biswas, Ashis [KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Division of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 76, SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden); Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235, West Bengal (India); Šlejkovec, Zdenka [Environmental Sciences Department, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Chatterjee, Debashis [Department of Chemistry, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, 741 235, West Bengal (India); Nriagu, Jerome [Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 109 Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029 (United States); Jacks, Gunnar; Bhattacharya, Prosun [KTH-International Groundwater Arsenic Research Group, Division of Land and Water Resources Engineering, Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 76, SE-100 44 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2014-11-01

    This study compares the concentrations of total and different species of arsenic (As) in 29 pairs of raw and cooked rice samples collected from households in an area of West Bengal affected by endemic arsenicism. The aim is to investigate the effects of indigenous cooking practice of the rural villagers on As accumulation and speciation in cooked rice. It is found that inorganic As is the predominant species in both raw (93.8%) and cooked rice (88.1%). Cooking of rice with water low in As (< 10 μg L{sup −1}) significantly decreases the total and inorganic As content in cooked rice compared to raw rice. Arsenic concentration is mainly decreased during boiling of rice grains with excess water. Washing of rice grains with low As water has negligible effect on grain As concentration. The study suggests that rice cooking with low As water by the villagers is a beneficial risk reduction strategy. Despite reductions in As content in cooked rice because of cooking with low As water, the consumption of cooked rice represents a significant health threat (in terms of chronic As toxicity) to the study population. - Highlights: • Pairs of raw and cooked rice samples are collected from households. • Total and different species of As in raw and cooked rice samples are compared. • Cooking with As safe water reduces total and inorganic As contents in cooked rice. • Inorganic As is the predominant species in both raw (93.8%) and cooked rice (88.1%). • Risks of As exposure from cooked rice consumption exceed the safety standards.

  11. Arsenic species in raw and cooked rice: Implications for human health in rural Bengal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halder, Dipti; Biswas, Ashis; Šlejkovec, Zdenka; Chatterjee, Debashis; Nriagu, Jerome; Jacks, Gunnar; Bhattacharya, Prosun

    2014-01-01

    This study compares the concentrations of total and different species of arsenic (As) in 29 pairs of raw and cooked rice samples collected from households in an area of West Bengal affected by endemic arsenicism. The aim is to investigate the effects of indigenous cooking practice of the rural villagers on As accumulation and speciation in cooked rice. It is found that inorganic As is the predominant species in both raw (93.8%) and cooked rice (88.1%). Cooking of rice with water low in As (< 10 μg L −1 ) significantly decreases the total and inorganic As content in cooked rice compared to raw rice. Arsenic concentration is mainly decreased during boiling of rice grains with excess water. Washing of rice grains with low As water has negligible effect on grain As concentration. The study suggests that rice cooking with low As water by the villagers is a beneficial risk reduction strategy. Despite reductions in As content in cooked rice because of cooking with low As water, the consumption of cooked rice represents a significant health threat (in terms of chronic As toxicity) to the study population. - Highlights: • Pairs of raw and cooked rice samples are collected from households. • Total and different species of As in raw and cooked rice samples are compared. • Cooking with As safe water reduces total and inorganic As contents in cooked rice. • Inorganic As is the predominant species in both raw (93.8%) and cooked rice (88.1%). • Risks of As exposure from cooked rice consumption exceed the safety standards

  12. Long-term consequences of arsenic poisoning during infancy due to contaminated milk powder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grandjean Philippe

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Arsenic toxicity is a global health problem affecting many millions of people. The main source of exposure is drinking water contaminated by natural geological sources. Current risk assessment is based on the recognized carcinogenicity of arsenic, but neurotoxic risks have been overlooked. In 1955, an outbreak of arsenic poisoning occurred among Japanese infants, with more than 100 deaths. The source was contaminated milk powder produced by the Morinaga company. Detailed accounts of the Morinaga dried milk poisoning were published in Japanese only, and an overview of this poisoning incident and its long-term consequences is therefore presented. From analyses available, the arsenic concentration in milk made from the Morinaga milk powder is calculated to be about 4–7 mg/L, corresponding to daily doses slightly above 500 μg/kg body weight. Lower exposures would result from using diluted milk. Clinical poisoning cases occurred after a few weeks of exposure, with a total dose of about 60 mg. This experience provides clear-cut evidence for hazard assessment of the developmental neurotoxicity. At the present time, more than 600 surviving victims, now in their 50s, have been reported to suffer from severe sequelae, such as mental retardation, neurological diseases, and other disabilities. Along with more recent epidemiological studies of children with environmental arsenic exposures, the data amply demonstrate the need to consider neurotoxicity as a key concern in risk assessment of inorganic arsenic exposure.

  13. Urinary arsenic concentrations and speciation in residents living in an area with naturally contaminated soils

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fillol, Clemence, E-mail: c.fillol@invs.sante.fr [Universite Paris Descartes, Laboratoire Sante Publique et Environnement - EA 4064, Paris (France); Institut de veille sanitaire, Departement Sante environnement, Saint-Maurice (France); Dor, Frederic [Institut de veille sanitaire, Departement Sante environnement, Saint-Maurice (France); Labat, Laurence [CHRU de Lille, Laboratoire de Toxicologie et Genopathies, Lille (France); Boltz, Patricia [Centre antipoison et de toxicovigilance de Nancy (France); Le Bouard, Jerome [Direction Regionale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales, Meurthe-et-Moselle (France); Mantey, Karine [Cellule Interregionale d' epidemiologie de l' Est (France); Mannschott, Christian [Direction Departementale des Affaires Sanitaires et Sociales 54, Meurthe-et-Moselle (France); Puskarczyk, Emmanuel [Centre antipoison et de toxicovigilance de Nancy (France); Viller, Frederique [Cellule Interregionale d' epidemiologie de l' Est (France); Momas, Isabelle [Universite Paris Descartes, Laboratoire Sante Publique et Environnement - EA 4064, Paris (France); Seta, Nathalie [Universite Paris Descartes, Laboratoire Sante Publique et Environnement - EA 4064, Paris (France); AP-HP, Hopital Bichat, Biochimie, Paris (France)

    2010-02-01

    A cross sectional study was carried out to evaluate arsenic exposure of residents living in an area with a soil naturally rich in arsenic (As), through urinary measurements. During the summer of 2007, 322 people aged over 7 years and resident in the study area for at least 4 days prior to the investigation were recruited. The sum of urinary inorganic arsenic and metabolites (iAs + MMA + DMA) and speciation were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. Geometric means levels of iAs + MMA + DMA were 3.6 {mu}g/L or 4.4 {mu}g/g creatinine. The percent of DMA, As(III) and MMA contribution to urinary arsenic concentrations was respectively 84.2%, 12% and 3.7%. We found significant associations between urinary arsenic concentrations and the consumption of seafood (p = 0.03), the consumption of wine (p = 0.03) and beer (p = 0.001), respectively 3 and 4 days before the investigation. When we focus on the various species, As(V) was rarely detected and DMA is the predominant metabolite composing the majority of measurable inorganic-related As in the urine. Considering the percent of DMA contribution to iAs + MMA + DMA urinary concentrations, almost half of the subjects had 100% of DMA contribution whatever the concentration of urinary As whereas the others had a lower DMA contribution, between 39 and 90%. Arsenic levels reported in this original study in France were between 2 and 4 times lower than in other studies dealing with iAs + MMA + DMA levels associated with soil arsenic exposure. Arsenic levels were similar to those observed in unexposed individuals in European countries, although 10% were above the French guideline values for the general population.

  14. Urinary arsenic concentrations and speciation in residents living in an area with naturally contaminated soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fillol, Clemence; Dor, Frederic; Labat, Laurence; Boltz, Patricia; Le Bouard, Jerome; Mantey, Karine; Mannschott, Christian; Puskarczyk, Emmanuel; Viller, Frederique; Momas, Isabelle; Seta, Nathalie

    2010-01-01

    A cross sectional study was carried out to evaluate arsenic exposure of residents living in an area with a soil naturally rich in arsenic (As), through urinary measurements. During the summer of 2007, 322 people aged over 7 years and resident in the study area for at least 4 days prior to the investigation were recruited. The sum of urinary inorganic arsenic and metabolites (iAs + MMA + DMA) and speciation were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, respectively. Geometric means levels of iAs + MMA + DMA were 3.6 μg/L or 4.4 μg/g creatinine. The percent of DMA, As(III) and MMA contribution to urinary arsenic concentrations was respectively 84.2%, 12% and 3.7%. We found significant associations between urinary arsenic concentrations and the consumption of seafood (p = 0.03), the consumption of wine (p = 0.03) and beer (p = 0.001), respectively 3 and 4 days before the investigation. When we focus on the various species, As(V) was rarely detected and DMA is the predominant metabolite composing the majority of measurable inorganic-related As in the urine. Considering the percent of DMA contribution to iAs + MMA + DMA urinary concentrations, almost half of the subjects had 100% of DMA contribution whatever the concentration of urinary As whereas the others had a lower DMA contribution, between 39 and 90%. Arsenic levels reported in this original study in France were between 2 and 4 times lower than in other studies dealing with iAs + MMA + DMA levels associated with soil arsenic exposure. Arsenic levels were similar to those observed in unexposed individuals in European countries, although 10% were above the French guideline values for the general population.

  15. Determination of total arsenic and arsenic(III) in phosphate fertilizers by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry after ultrasound-assisted extraction based on a control acid media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezende, Helen Cristine; Coelho, Nivia Maria Melo

    2014-01-01

    An ultrasound-assisted extraction procedure was developed for determination of inorganic arsenic (As) in phosphate fertilizer by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The variables that affect the hydride generation step were optimized, including the reducer, acid, sample flow rate, and concentrations of the acid and reducer. The determination of As(lll) was performed through the simple control of solution pH with a 0.5 M citric acid-sodium citrate buffer solution at pH 4.5, and total As was determined after a pre-reduction reaction with 1.0% (w/v) thiourea. Ultrasound-assisted acid extraction was performed, and the parameters sonication time and acid and Triton X-114 concentrations were optimized using a 23 factorial design and central composite design. LODs for As(lll) and total As were 0.029 and 0.022 microg/L, respectively. The accuracy of the method was confirmed with certified reference materials. The method was successfully applied in the determination of inorganic As in phosphate fertilizer samples.

  16. Regenerating an Arsenic Removal Iron-Based Adsorptive ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    The replacement of exhausted, adsorptive media used to remove arsenic from drinking water accounts for approximately 80% of the total operational and maintenance (O/M) costs of this commonly used small system technology. The results of three, full scale system studies of an on-site media regeneration process (Part 1) showed it to be effective in stripping arsenic and other contaminants from the exhausted media. Part 2, of this two part paper, presents information on the performance of the regenerated media to remove arsenic through multiple regeneration cycles (3) and the approximate cost savings of regeneration over media replacement. The results of the studies indicate that regenerated media is very effective in removing arsenic and the regeneration cost is substantially less than the media replacement cost. On site regeneration, therefore, provides small systems with alternative to media replacement when removing arsenic from drinking water using adsorptive media technology. Part 2 of a two part paper on the performance of the regenerated media to remove arsenic through multiple regeneration cycles (3) and the approximate cost savings of regeneration over media replacement.

  17. Occurrence and sorption properties of arsenicals in marine sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fauser, Patrik; Sanderson, Hans; Hedegaard, Rikke Susanne Vingborg

    2013-01-01

    in marine sediments when conditions are similar to the Baltic Sea. At locations with significant anthropogenic point sources or where the local geology contains volcanic rock and sulphide mineral deposits, there may be significantly elevated arsenic concentrations, and it is recommended to determine on......The content of total arsenic, the inorganic forms: arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)), the methylated forms: monomethylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), trimethylarsenic oxide, tetramethylarsenonium ion and arsenobetaine was measured in 95 sediment samples and 11 pore water samples...... in the Baltic Sea and other parts of the world. Existing data for on-site measurements of sorption coefficients (Kd) of arsenicals in marine and freshwater sediments show large variability from 1,000 L/kg. In this work, calculated sorption coefficients (Kd and Koc) for As(III+V) showed significant correlation...

  18. Mathematical model insights into arsenic detoxification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nijhout H Frederik

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Arsenic in drinking water, a major health hazard to millions of people in South and East Asia and in other parts of the world, is ingested primarily as trivalent inorganic arsenic (iAs, which then undergoes hepatic methylation to methylarsonic acid (MMAs and a second methylation to dimethylarsinic acid (DMAs. Although MMAs and DMAs are also known to be toxic, DMAs is more easily excreted in the urine and therefore methylation has generally been considered a detoxification pathway. A collaborative modeling project between epidemiologists, biologists, and mathematicians has the purpose of explaining existing data on methylation in human studies in Bangladesh and also testing, by mathematical modeling, effects of nutritional supplements that could increase As methylation. Methods We develop a whole body mathematical model of arsenic metabolism including arsenic absorption, storage, methylation, and excretion. The parameters for arsenic methylation in the liver were taken from the biochemical literature. The transport parameters between compartments are largely unknown, so we adjust them so that the model accurately predicts the urine excretion rates of time for the iAs, MMAs, and DMAs in single dose experiments on human subjects. Results We test the model by showing that, with no changes in parameters, it predicts accurately the time courses of urinary excretion in mutiple dose experiments conducted on human subjects. Our main purpose is to use the model to study and interpret the data on the effects of folate supplementation on arsenic methylation and excretion in clinical trials in Bangladesh. Folate supplementation of folate-deficient individuals resulted in a 14% decrease in arsenicals in the blood. This is confirmed by the model and the model predicts that arsenicals in the liver will decrease by 19% and arsenicals in other body stores by 26% in these same individuals. In addition, the model predicts that arsenic

  19. Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated paddy soils with Pteris vittata markedly reduces arsenic uptake by rice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ye Wenling; Khan, M. Asaduzzaman; McGrath, Steve P.; Zhao Fangjie

    2011-01-01

    Arsenic (As) accumulation in food crops such as rice is of major concern. To investigate whether phytoremediation can reduce As uptake by rice, the As hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata was grown in five contaminated paddy soils in a pot experiment. Over a 9-month period P. vittata removed 3.5-11.4% of the total soil As, and decreased phosphate-extractable As and soil pore water As by 11-38% and 18-77%, respectively. Rice grown following P. vittata had significantly lower As concentrations in straw and grain, being 17-82% and 22-58% of those in the control, respectively. Phytoremediation also resulted in significant changes in As speciation in rice grain by greatly decreasing the concentration of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). In two soils the concentration of inorganic As in rice grain was decreased by 50-58%. The results demonstrate an effective stripping of bioavailable As from contaminated paddy soils thus reducing As uptake by rice. - Highlights: → Pteris vittata removed 3.5-11.4% of the total As from five contaminated paddy soils. → P. vittata decreased phosphate-extractable and soil solution As to a greater extent. → P. vittata reduced As concentration in rice grain by 18-83%. → P. vittata decreased methylated As in rice grain more than inorganic As. - Phytoremediation with P. vittata significantly reduced arsenic uptake by rice from contaminated paddy soils.

  20. Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated paddy soils with Pteris vittata markedly reduces arsenic uptake by rice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye Wenling [Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ (United Kingdom); School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Khan, M. Asaduzzaman [Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ (United Kingdom); Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207 (Bangladesh); McGrath, Steve P. [Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ (United Kingdom); Zhao Fangjie, E-mail: Fangjie.Zhao@bbsrc.ac.uk [Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ (United Kingdom)

    2011-12-15

    Arsenic (As) accumulation in food crops such as rice is of major concern. To investigate whether phytoremediation can reduce As uptake by rice, the As hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata was grown in five contaminated paddy soils in a pot experiment. Over a 9-month period P. vittata removed 3.5-11.4% of the total soil As, and decreased phosphate-extractable As and soil pore water As by 11-38% and 18-77%, respectively. Rice grown following P. vittata had significantly lower As concentrations in straw and grain, being 17-82% and 22-58% of those in the control, respectively. Phytoremediation also resulted in significant changes in As speciation in rice grain by greatly decreasing the concentration of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). In two soils the concentration of inorganic As in rice grain was decreased by 50-58%. The results demonstrate an effective stripping of bioavailable As from contaminated paddy soils thus reducing As uptake by rice. - Highlights: > Pteris vittata removed 3.5-11.4% of the total As from five contaminated paddy soils. > P. vittata decreased phosphate-extractable and soil solution As to a greater extent. > P. vittata reduced As concentration in rice grain by 18-83%. > P. vittata decreased methylated As in rice grain more than inorganic As. - Phytoremediation with P. vittata significantly reduced arsenic uptake by rice from contaminated paddy soils.

  1. An investigation of the health effects caused by exposure to arsenic from drinking water and coal combustion: arsenic exposure and metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Binggan; Yu, Jiangping; Kong, Chang; Li, Hairong; Yang, Linsheng; Guo, Zhiwei; Cui, Na; Xia, Yajuan; Wu, Kegong

    2017-11-01

    Few studies have been conducted to compare arsenic exposure, metabolism, and methylation in populations exposed to arsenic in drinking water and from coal combustion. Therefore, arsenic concentrations in the environment and arsenic speciation in the urine of subjects exposed to arsenic as a consequence of coal combustion in a rural area in Shaanxi province (CCA) and in drinking water in a rural area in Inner Mongolia (DWA) were investigated. The mean arsenic concentrations in drinking water, indoor air, and soil in CCA were 4.52 μg/L, 0.03 mg/m 3 , and 14.93 mg/kg, respectively. The mean arsenic concentrations in drinking water and soil in DWA were 144.71 μg/L and 10.19 mg/kg, respectively, while the level in indoor air was lower than the limit of detection. The total daily intakes of arsenic in DWA and CCA were 4.47 and 3.13 μg/day·kg, respectively. The mean urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsenic acid (DMA), and total arsenic (TAs) for subjects with skin lesions in DWA were 50.41, 47.01, 202.66, and 300.08 μg/L. The concentrations for subjects without skin lesions were 49.76, 44.20, 195.60, and 289.56 μg/L, respectively. The %iAs, %MMA, and %DMA in the TAs in the urine of subjects from CCA were 12.24, 14.73, and 73.03%, while the corresponding values from DWA were 17.54, 15.57, and 66.89%, respectively. The subjects in DWA typically had a higher %iAs and %MMA, and a lower %DMA, and primary and secondary methylation index (PMI and SMI) than the subjects in CCA. It was concluded that the arsenic methylation efficiency of subjects in DWA and CCA was significantly influenced by chronic exposure to high levels of arsenic in the environment. The lower PMI and SMI values in DWA revealed lower arsenic methylation capacity due to ingestion of arsenic in drinking water. However, it remained unclear if the differences in arsenic metabolism between the two groups were due to differences in exposure levels

  2. Influence of groundwater composition on subsurface iron and arsenic removal

    KAUST Repository

    Moed, David H.; Van Halem, Doris; Verberk, J. Q J C; Amy, Gary L.; Van Dijk, Johannis C.

    2012-01-01

    Subsurface arsenic and iron removal (SAR/SIR) is a novel technology to remove arsenic, iron and other groundwater components by using the subsoil. This research project investigated the influence of the groundwater composition on subsurface treatment. In anoxic sand column experiments, with synthetic groundwater and virgin sand, it was found that several dissolved substances in groundwater compete for adsorption sites with arsenic and iron. The presence of 0.01 mmol L -1phosphate, 0.2 mmol L -1 silicate, and 1 mmol L -1 nitrate greatly reduced the efficiency of SAR, illustrating the vulnerability of this technology in diverse geochemical settings. SIR was not as sensitive to other inorganic groundwater compounds, though iron retardation was limited by 1.2 mmol L -1 calcium and 0.06 mmol L -1 manganese. © IWA Publishing 2012.

  3. Influence of groundwater composition on subsurface iron and arsenic removal

    KAUST Repository

    Moed, David H.

    2012-06-01

    Subsurface arsenic and iron removal (SAR/SIR) is a novel technology to remove arsenic, iron and other groundwater components by using the subsoil. This research project investigated the influence of the groundwater composition on subsurface treatment. In anoxic sand column experiments, with synthetic groundwater and virgin sand, it was found that several dissolved substances in groundwater compete for adsorption sites with arsenic and iron. The presence of 0.01 mmol L -1phosphate, 0.2 mmol L -1 silicate, and 1 mmol L -1 nitrate greatly reduced the efficiency of SAR, illustrating the vulnerability of this technology in diverse geochemical settings. SIR was not as sensitive to other inorganic groundwater compounds, though iron retardation was limited by 1.2 mmol L -1 calcium and 0.06 mmol L -1 manganese. © IWA Publishing 2012.

  4. Inorganic Arsenic Determination in Food: A Review of Analytical Proposals and Quality Assessment Over the Last Six Years.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llorente-Mirandes, Toni; Rubio, Roser; López-Sánchez, José Fermín

    2017-01-01

    Here we review recent developments in analytical proposals for the assessment of inorganic arsenic (iAs) content in food products. Interest in the determination of iAs in products for human consumption such as food commodities, wine, and seaweed among others is fueled by the wide recognition of its toxic effects on humans, even at low concentrations. Currently, the need for robust and reliable analytical methods is recognized by various international safety and health agencies, and by organizations in charge of establishing acceptable tolerance levels of iAs in food. This review summarizes the state of the art of analytical methods while highlighting tools for the assessment of quality assessment of the results, such as the production and evaluation of certified reference materials (CRMs) and the availability of specific proficiency testing (PT) programmes. Because the number of studies dedicated to the subject of this review has increased considerably over recent years, the sources consulted and cited here are limited to those from 2010 to the end of 2015.

  5. Arsenic in drinking water and lung cancer: A systematic review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celik, Ismail; Gallicchio, Lisa; Boyd, Kristina; Lam, Tram K.; Matanoski, Genevieve; Tao Xuguang; Shiels, Meredith; Hammond, Edward; Chen Liwei; Robinson, Karen A.; Caulfield, Laura E.; Herman, James G.; Guallar, Eliseo; Alberg, Anthony J.

    2008-01-01

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic via drinking water is a growing public health concern. We conducted a systematic review of the literature examining the association between arsenic in drinking water and the risk of lung cancer in humans. Towards this aim, we searched electronic databases for articles published through April 2006. Nine ecological studies, two case-control studies, and six cohort studies were identified. The majority of the studies were conducted in areas of high arsenic exposure (100 μg/L) such as southwestern Taiwan, the Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and Northern Chile. Most of the studies reported markedly higher risks of lung cancer mortality or incidence in high arsenic areas compared to the general population or a low arsenic exposed reference group. The quality assessment showed that, among the studies identified, only four assessed arsenic exposure at the individual level. Further, only one of the ecological studies presented results adjusted for potential confounders other than age; of the cohort and case-control studies, only one-half adjusted for cigarette smoking status in the analysis. Despite these methodologic limitations, the consistent observation of strong, statistically significant associations from different study designs carried out in different regions provide support for a causal association between ingesting drinking water with high concentrations of arsenic and lung cancer. The lung cancer risk at lower exposure concentrations remains uncertain

  6. Biotechnology based processes for arsenic removal

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huisman, J.; Olde Weghuis, M.; Gonzalez-Contreras, P.A.

    2011-01-01

    The regulations for arsenic control have become strict. Therefore, better technologies to remove arsenic from bleeds and effluents are desired. In addition, no single solution is suitable for all cases. The properties of the process streams and the storage facilities are major factors determining

  7. A Potential Synergy between Incomplete Arsenic Methylation Capacity and Demographic Characteristics on the Risk of Hypertension: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study in an Arsenic-Endemic Area of Inner Mongolia, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongfang Li

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Inefficient arsenic methylation capacity has been associated with various health hazards induced by arsenic. In this study, we aimed to explore the interaction effect of lower arsenic methylation capacity with demographic characteristics on hypertension risk. A total of 512 adult participants (126 hypertension subjects and 386 non-hypertension subjects residing in an arsenic-endemic area in Inner Mongolia, China were included. Urinary levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA, and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA were measured for all subjects. The percentage of urinary arsenic metabolites (iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%, primary methylation index (PMI and secondary methylation index (SMI were calculated to assess arsenic methylation capacity of individuals. Results showed that participants carrying a lower methylation capacity, which is characterized by lower DMA% and SMI, have a higher risk of hypertension compared to their corresponding references after adjusting for multiple confounders. A potential synergy between poor arsenic methylation capacity (higher MMA%, lower DMA% and SMI and older age or higher BMI were detected. The joint effects of higher MMA% and lower SMI with cigarette smoking also suggest some evidence of synergism. The findings of present study indicated that inefficient arsenic methylation capacity was associated with hypertension and the effect might be enhanced by certain demographic factors.

  8. The effect of cigarette smoke and arsenic exposure on urothelial carcinoma risk is modified by glutathione S-transferase M1 gene null genotype

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chung, Chi-Jung [Department of Health Risk Management, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Huang, Chao-Yuan; Pu, Yeong-Shiau [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Shiue, Horng-Sheng [Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Su, Chien-Tien [Department of Family Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2013-01-15

    Inter-individual variation in the metabolism of xenobiotics, caused by factors such as cigarette smoking or inorganic arsenic exposure, is hypothesized to be a susceptibility factor for urothelial carcinoma (UC). Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the role of gene–environment interaction in the carcinogenesis of UC. A hospital-based case–control study was conducted. Urinary arsenic profiles were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography–hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Information about cigarette smoking exposure was acquired from a lifestyle questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to estimate the UC risk associated with certain risk factors. We found that UC patients had higher urinary levels of total arsenic, higher percentages of inorganic arsenic (InAs%) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA%) and lower percentages of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%) compared to controls. Subjects carrying the GSTM1 null genotype had significantly increased UC risk. However, no association was observed between gene polymorphisms of CYP1A1, EPHX1, SULT1A1 and GSTT1 and UC risk after adjustment for age and sex. Significant gene–environment interactions among urinary arsenic profile, cigarette smoking, and GSTM1 wild/null polymorphism and UC risk were observed after adjustment for potential risk factors. Overall, gene–environment interactions simultaneously played an important role in UC carcinogenesis. In the future, large-scale studies should be conducted using tag-SNPs of xenobiotic-metabolism-related enzymes for gene determination. -- Highlights: ► Subjects with GSTM1 null genotype had significantly increased UC risk. ► UC patients had poor arsenic metabolic ability compared to controls. ► GSTM1 null genotype may modify arsenic related UC risk.

  9. The effect of cigarette smoke and arsenic exposure on urothelial carcinoma risk is modified by glutathione S-transferase M1 gene null genotype

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Chi-Jung; Huang, Chao-Yuan; Pu, Yeong-Shiau; Shiue, Horng-Sheng; Su, Chien-Tien; Hsueh, Yu-Mei

    2013-01-01

    Inter-individual variation in the metabolism of xenobiotics, caused by factors such as cigarette smoking or inorganic arsenic exposure, is hypothesized to be a susceptibility factor for urothelial carcinoma (UC). Therefore, our study aimed to evaluate the role of gene–environment interaction in the carcinogenesis of UC. A hospital-based case–control study was conducted. Urinary arsenic profiles were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography–hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Genotyping was performed using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Information about cigarette smoking exposure was acquired from a lifestyle questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to estimate the UC risk associated with certain risk factors. We found that UC patients had higher urinary levels of total arsenic, higher percentages of inorganic arsenic (InAs%) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA%) and lower percentages of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%) compared to controls. Subjects carrying the GSTM1 null genotype had significantly increased UC risk. However, no association was observed between gene polymorphisms of CYP1A1, EPHX1, SULT1A1 and GSTT1 and UC risk after adjustment for age and sex. Significant gene–environment interactions among urinary arsenic profile, cigarette smoking, and GSTM1 wild/null polymorphism and UC risk were observed after adjustment for potential risk factors. Overall, gene–environment interactions simultaneously played an important role in UC carcinogenesis. In the future, large-scale studies should be conducted using tag-SNPs of xenobiotic-metabolism-related enzymes for gene determination. -- Highlights: ► Subjects with GSTM1 null genotype had significantly increased UC risk. ► UC patients had poor arsenic metabolic ability compared to controls. ► GSTM1 null genotype may modify arsenic related UC risk.

  10. Association of Low-Moderate Arsenic Exposure and Arsenic Metabolism with Incident Diabetes and Insulin Resistance in the Strong Heart Family Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grau-Perez, Maria; Kuo, Chin-Chi; Gribble, Matthew O; Balakrishnan, Poojitha; Jones Spratlen, Miranda; Vaidya, Dhananjay; Francesconi, Kevin A; Goessler, Walter; Guallar, Eliseo; Silbergeld, Ellen K; Umans, Jason G; Best, Lyle G; Lee, Elisa T; Howard, Barbara V; Cole, Shelley A; Navas-Acien, Ana

    2017-12-20

    High arsenic exposure has been related to diabetes, but at low-moderate levels the evidence is mixed. Arsenic metabolism, which is partly genetically controlled and may rely on certain B vitamins, plays a role in arsenic toxicity. We evaluated the prospective association of arsenic exposure and metabolism with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. We included 1,838 American Indian men and women free of diabetes (median age, 36 y). Arsenic exposure was assessed as the sum of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonate (MMA), and dimethylarsinate (DMA) urine concentrations (ΣAs). Arsenic metabolism was evaluated by the proportions of iAs, MMA, and DMA over their sum (iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%). Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR) was measured at baseline and follow-up visits. Incident diabetes was evaluated at follow-up. Median ΣAs, iAs%, MMA%, and DMA% was 4.4 μg/g creatinine, 9.5%, 14.4%, and 75.6%, respectively. Over 10,327 person-years of follow-up, 252 participants developed diabetes. Median HOMA2-IR at baseline was 1.5. The fully adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval (CI)] for incident diabetes per an interquartile range increase in ΣAs was 1.57 (95% CI: 1.18, 2.08) in participants without prediabetes at baseline. Arsenic metabolism was not associated with incident diabetes. ΣAs was positively associated with HOMA2-IR at baseline but negatively with HOMA2-IR at follow-up. Increased MMA% was associated with lower HOMA2-IR when either iAs% or DMA% decreased. The association of arsenic metabolism with HOMA2-IR differed by B-vitamin intake and AS3MT genetics variants. Among participants without baseline prediabetes, arsenic exposure was associated with incident diabetes. Low MMA% was cross-sectional and prospectively associated with higher HOMA2-IR. Research is needed to confirm possible interactions of arsenic metabolism with B vitamins and AS3MT variants on diabetes risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2566.

  11. Determination and identification of hydrophilic and hydrophobic arsenic species in methanol extract of fresh cod liver by RP-HPLC with simultaneous ICP-MS and ESI-Q-TOF-MS detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arroyo-Abad, Uriel; Lischka, Susanne; Piechotta, Christian; Mattusch, Jürgen; Reemtsma, Thorsten

    2013-12-01

    The present study was focused on the determination and identification of arsenic species in methanolic extracts of cod liver. Arsenic species were fractionated and the fractions analysed by RP-HPLC-ICP-MS coupled with ESI-Q-TOF-MS. The total concentration of arsenic in the fresh cod liver was analysed by ICP-MS to be 1.53±0.02 mg As kg(-1)w.w. and the extraction recovery was ca. 100% and the column recovery >93%. Besides polar inorganic and methylated arsenic species (>70%) more hydrophobic arsenic-containing fatty acids and hydrocarbons occurred. Based on the mass spectrometric data proposals for molecular structures were elaborated for 20 of the organic As species included 10 arsenic-containing fatty acids (AsFA) and an arsenic-containing hydrocarbon (AsHC) mentioned for the first time in fresh cod liver. Arsenobetaine was found as main water-soluble arsenic compound in cod liver followed by higher molecular mass arsenic-containing fatty acids and hydrocarbons. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Development and validation of an SPE HG-AAS method for determination of inorganic arsenic in samples of marine origin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rasmussen, Rie R.; Larsen, Erik H.; Sloth, Jens J. [Technical University of Denmark, National Food Institute, Division of Food Chemistry, Soeborg (Denmark); Hedegaard, Rikke V. [Technical University of Denmark, National Food Institute, Division of Food Chemistry, Soeborg (Denmark); University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Food Science, Frederiksberg (Denmark)

    2012-07-15

    The present paper describes a novel method for the quantitative determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in food and feed of marine origin. The samples were subjected to microwave-assisted extraction using diluted hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, which solubilised the analytes and oxidised arsenite (As{sup III}) to arsenate (As{sup V}). Subsequently, a pH buffering of the sample extract at pH 6 enabled selective elution of As{sup V} from a strong anion exchange solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. Hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS) was applied to quantify the concentration of iAs (sum of As{sup III} and As{sup V}) as the total arsenic (As) in the SPE eluate. The results of the in-house validation showed that mean recoveries of 101-104% were achieved for samples spiked with iAs at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mg.kg{sup -1}, respectively. The limit of detection was 0.08 mg kg{sup -1}, and the repeatability (RSD{sub r}) and intra-laboratory reproducibility (RSD{sub IR}) were less than 8% and 13%, respectively, for samples containing 0.2 to 1.5 mg kg{sup -1} iAs. The trueness of the SPE HG-AAS method was verified by confirming results obtained by parallel analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. It was demonstrated that the two sets of results were not significantly different (P < 0.05). The SPE HG-AAS method was applied to 20 marine food and feed samples, and concentrations of up to 0.14 mg kg{sup -1} of iAs were detected. (orig.)

  13. Arsenic speciation in moso bamboo shoot - A terrestrial plant that contains organoarsenic species

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao Rui [Department of Chemistry, Key laboratory for Atomic and Molecular Nanosciences of Education Ministry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P.R. China (China); Zhao Mengxia [Department of Chemistry, Key laboratory for Atomic and Molecular Nanosciences of Education Ministry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Wang Hui [Department of Chemistry, Key laboratory for Atomic and Molecular Nanosciences of Education Ministry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Taneike, Yasuhito [Shimadzu Co Ltd, Spectroscopy Business Unit Analytical Instruments Div, Nakagyo Ku, Kyoto, 6048511 (Japan); Zhang Xinrong [Department of Chemistry, Key laboratory for Atomic and Molecular Nanosciences of Education Ministry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)]. E-mail: xrzhang@chem.tsinghua.edu.cn

    2006-12-01

    Arsenic is predominantly found as an inorganic species in most terrestrial plants. However, we found that a significant proportion of organic arsenic was present in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel) shoot in a market survey of arsenic species in edible terrestrial plants. Moso bamboo shoots from different producing areas in China were collected for analysis to confirm the ubiquity of methylated arsenic species. The total arsenic concentrations of bamboo shoots were determined by hydride generation coupled atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS), ranging from 27.7 to 94.0 {mu}g/kg. Information about arsenic species was acquired from cold trap-hydride generation-atomic absorption spectrometry (CT-HG-AAS). Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was present in the amount of 13.9% to 44.9% of sum of the arsenic species in all these samples. Monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) were also detected in certain samples in the range of 4.2-16.5% and 11.8-18.4%, respectively. In addition, bamboo shoots collected in winter were found to have more total arsenic and organic arsenic than those collected in spring. To investigate the source of the organic arsenic in moso bamboo shoots, arsenic species in the rhizosphere soils of the plants were examined. The absence of organic arsenic in soils would suggest the possibility of formation of methylated arsenic in the plants. In addition, studies of arsenic speciation in the peel and core of winter bamboo shoots showed that all the cores contained organic arsenic while no organic arsenic was detected in the peels. The study provides useful information for better understanding of the distribution of arsenic species in terrestrial plants.

  14. Association between arsenic exposure and plasma cholinesterase activity: a population based study in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karim Md Rezaul

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Arsenic is a potent pollutant that has caused an environmental catastrophe in certain parts of the world including Bangladesh where millions of people are presently at risk due to drinking water contaminated by arsenic. Chronic arsenic exposure has been scientifically shown as a cause for liver damage, cancers, neurological disorders and several other ailments. The relationship between plasma cholinesterase (PChE activity and arsenic exposure has not yet been clearly documented. However, decreased PChE activity has been found in patients suffering liver dysfunction, heart attack, cancer metastasis and neurotoxicity. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the PChE activity in individuals exposed to arsenic via drinking water in Bangladesh. Methods A total of 141 Bangladeshi residents living in arsenic endemic areas with the mean arsenic exposure of 14.10 ± 3.27 years were selected as study subjects and split into tertile groups based on three water arsenic concentrations: low ( 265 μg/L. Study subjects were further sub-divided into two groups (≤50 μg/L and > 50 μg/L based on the recommended upper limit of water arsenic concentration (50 μg/L in Bangladesh. Blood samples were collected from the study subjects by venipuncture and arsenic concentrations in drinking water, hair and nail samples were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS. PChE activity was assayed by spectrophotometer. Results Arsenic concentrations in hair and nails were positively correlated with the arsenic levels in drinking water. Significant decreases in PChE activity were observed with increasing concentrations of arsenic in water, hair and nails. The average levels of PChE activity in low, medium and high arsenic exposure groups were also significantly different between each group. Lower levels of PChE activity were also observed in the > 50 μg/L group compared to the ≤50 μg/L group. Moreover, PChE activity was

  15. Assessment of arsenic exposures and controls in gallium arsenide production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheehy, J W; Jones, J H

    1993-02-01

    The electronics industry is expanding the use of gallium arsenide in the production of optoelectronic devices and integrated circuits. Workers in the electronics industry using gallium arsenide are exposed to hazardous substances such as arsenic, arsine, and various acids. Arsenic requires stringent controls to minimize exposures (the current OSHA PEL for arsenic is 10 micrograms/m3 and the NIOSH REL is 2 micrograms/m3 ceiling). Inorganic arsenic is strongly implicated in respiratory tract and skin cancer. For these reasons, NIOSH researchers conducted a study of control systems for facilities using gallium arsenide. Seven walk-through surveys were performed to identify locations for detailed study which appeared to have effective controls; three facilities were chosen for in-depth evaluation. The controls were evaluated by industrial hygiene sampling. Including personal breathing zone and area air sampling for arsenic and arsine; wipe samples for arsenic also were collected. Work practices and the use of personal protective equipment were documented. This paper reports on the controls and the arsenic exposure results from the evaluation of the following gallium arsenide processes: Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) and Horizontal Bridgeman (HB) crystal growing, LEC cleaning operations, ingot grinding/wafer sawing, and epitaxy. Results at one plant showed that in all processes except epitaxy, average arsenic exposures were at or above the OSHA action level of 5 micrograms/m3. While cleaning the LEC crystal pullers, the average potential arsenic exposure of the cleaning operators was 100 times the OSHA PEL. At the other two plants, personal exposures for arsenic were well controlled in LEC, LEC cleaning, grinding/sawing, and epitaxy operations.

  16. Transcriptional Modulation of the ERK1/2 MAPK and NF-kB pathways in Human Urothelial cells after trivalent arsenical exposure: Implications for urinary bladder cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chronic exposure to drinking water contaminated with inorganic arsenic (iAs) is associated with an increased risk ofurinary bladder (DB) cancers in humans. Rodent models administered particular arsenicals have indicated urothelial necrosis followed by regenerative proliferation i...

  17. Differences in antimony and arsenic releases from lead smelter fly ash in soils

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ettler, V.; Mihaljevič, M.; Šebek, O.; Valigurova, R.; Klementová, Mariana

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 72, Supp. 4 (2012), s. 15-22 ISSN 0009-2819 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : Antimony * Arsenic * Lead smelting * Fly ash * Soil * Mobility Subject RIV: CA - Inorganic Chemistry Impact factor: 1.351, year: 2012

  18. Method development for the determination of arsenic by sequential injection/anodic stripping voltammetry using long-lasting gold-modified screen-printed carbon electrode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Punrat, Eakkasit; Chuanuwatanakul, Suchada; Kaneta, Takashi; Motomizu, Shoji; Chailapakul, Orawon

    2013-11-15

    An automated method has been developed for determining the concentration of inorganic arsenic. The technique uses sequential injection/anodic stripping voltammetry with a long-lasting gold-modified screen-printed carbon electrode. The long-lasting gold electrode was electrochemically deposited onto a screen-printed carbon electrode at a potential of -0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl in a supporting electrolyte solution of 1M hydrochloric acid. Under optimal conditions and the applied potentials, the electrode demonstrated that it can be used for a long time without a renewal process. The linear range for the determination of arsenic(III) was 1-100 μg L(-1), and the limit of detection (LOD) in standard solutions was as low as 0.03 μg L(-1) for a deposition time of 120 s and sample volume of 1 mL. This method was used to determine the concentration of arsenic(III) in water samples with satisfactory results. The LOD in real samples was found to be 0.5 μg L(-1). In addition, speciation between arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) has been achieved with the proposed method using deposition potentials of -0.5 V and -1.5 V for the determination of the arsenic(III) concentration and the total arsenic concentration, respectively; the results were acceptable. The proposed method is an automated system that offers a less expensive alternative for determining trace amounts of inorganic arsenic. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Polyacrylamide-based inorganic hybrid flocculants with self-degradable property

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Xinfang [Materials and Metallurgical College, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Hebei Provincial Laboratory for Dielectric and Electrolyte Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Tao, Junshi; Li, Mingzhi; Zhu, Bishan; Li, Xuan; Ma, Zhiyu; Zhao, Tingjie; Wang, Bingzhu; Suo, Biao [Hebei Provincial Laboratory for Dielectric and Electrolyte Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Wang, Haiwang, E-mail: whwdbdx@126.com [Materials and Metallurgical College, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Hebei Provincial Laboratory for Dielectric and Electrolyte Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Yang, Jun, E-mail: jyang@ipe.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Complex Systems, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Ye, Li, E-mail: yeli@iccas.ac.cn [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Qi, Xiwei, E-mail: qxw@mail.neuq.edu.cn [Materials and Metallurgical College, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Hebei Provincial Laboratory for Dielectric and Electrolyte Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

    2017-05-01

    Polyacrylamide (PAM)-based inorganic hybrid materials are of great potential as flocculants in soil-liquid separation. Herein, we reported the design of inorganic soil-TiO{sub 2}-PAM hybrid materials using a unique process, which involved coating of titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) nanoparticles on the surface of inorganic soils and subsequent polymerization of acrylamide (AM) on these nanoparticles under visible light. Inorganic soils including kaolin, bentonite, montmorillonite and diatomaceous earth were used to control the volume and to reduce the cost, and the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles accelerated PAM degradation. The nanoparticles initiated AM polymerization directly under visible light, thus providing a facile strategy for the synthesis of new organic-inorganic hybrid flocculants. The obtained hybrid materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The degradation of PAM initiated by UV irradiation exceeded 24% in 2 h, depending on its initial concentration. - Highlights: • A new polyacrylamide (PAM)-based inorganic hybrid flocculants with self-degradable property was developed. • TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles show a unique surface-initiated property under the condition of visible light. • We designed a facile strategy for the synthesis of inorganic soil@TiO{sub 2}@PAM hybrid materials.

  20. Major inorganic elements in tap water samples in Peninsular Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azrina, A; Khoo, H E; Idris, M A; Amin, I; Razman, M R

    2011-08-01

    Quality drinking water should be free from harmful levels of impurities such as heavy metals and other inorganic elements. Samples of tap water collected from 24 locations in Peninsular Malaysia were determined for inorganic element content. Minerals and heavy metals were analysed by spectroscopy methods, while non-metal elements were analysed using test kits. Minerals and heavy metals determined were sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, cadmium and lead while the non-metal elements were fluoride, chloride, nitrate and sulphate. Most of the inorganic elements found in the samples were below the maximum permitted levels recommended by inter-national drinking water standard limits, except for iron and manganese. Iron concentration of tap water from one of the locations was higher than the standard limit. In general, tap water from different parts of Peninsular Malaysia had low concentrations of heavy metals and inorganic elements.

  1. Monitoring and evaluation of plant and hydrological controls on arsenic transport across the water sediment interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaffe, P. R.; MacDonald, L. H.; Paull, J.

    2009-12-01

    Plants and hydrology influence the transport of arsenic in wetlands by changing the dominant redox chemistry in the subsurface, and different plant and hydrological regimes can serve as effective barriers or promoters of metal transport. Inorganic arsenic, especially arsenate, binds to iron oxides in wetlands. In flooded wetland sediments, organic carbon from plants consumes oxygen and promotes reductive iron dissolution, which leads to arsenic release, while plants simultaneously create microoxic regimes around root hairs that oxidize and precipitate iron, promoting arsenic capture. Hydrology influences arsenic mobility by promoting wetting and drying cycles. Such cycles can lead to rapid shifts from anaerobic to aerobic conditions, and vice versa, with lasting impact on the oxidation state of iron and, by extension, the mobility of arsenic. Remediation strategies should take these competing conditions into account, and to help inform these strategies this study examines the chemistry of an industrially contaminated wetland when the above mechanisms aggregate. The study tests whether, in bulk, plants promote iron reduction or oxidation in intermittently flooded or consistently flooded sediments, and how this impacts arsenic mobility. This research uses a novel dialysis-based monitoring technique to examine the macro-properties of arsenic transport at the sediment water interface and at depth. Dialysis-based monitoring allows long-term seasonal trends in anaerobic porewater and allows active hypothesis testing on the influence of plants on redox chemistry. This study finds that plants promote iron reduction and that iron-reducing zones tend to correlate with zones with mobile arsenic. However, one newly reported and important finding of this study is that a brief summer drought that dried and oxidized sediments with a long history of iron-reduction zone served to effectively halt iron reduction for many months, and this corresponded to a lasting decline in

  2. Capillary electrophoretic separation of inorganic and organic arsenic compounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greschonig, H. [Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Karl Franzens University Graz (Austria); Schmid, M.G.; Guebitz, G. [Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Karl Franzens University Graz (Austria)

    1998-09-01

    Capillary zone electrophoresis was used to separate arsenite, arsenate, dimethylarsinic and diphenylarsinic acid, methanearsonic acid, phenyl- and p-aminophenyl arsonic acid, phenylarsineoxide and phenarsazinic acid. Anionic and uncharged species were separated in a fused silica capillary with on-column UV detection at 200 nm. A 15 mM phosphate solution adjusted to pH 6.5 containing 10 mM sodium dodecylsulfonate served as background electrolyte. The influence of pH and applied voltage on separation efficiency, as well as the feasibility of identification of arsenic compounds in spiked urine, were investigated. (orig.) With 7 figs., 1 tab., 22 refs.

  3. Understanding arsenic carcinogenicity by the use of animal models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wanibuchi, Hideki; Salim, Elsayed I.; Kinoshita, Anna; Shen Jun; Wei Min; Morimura, Keiichirou; Yoshida, Kaoru; Kuroda, Koichi; Endo, Ginji; Fukushima, Shoji

    2004-01-01

    Although numerous epidemiological studies have indicated that human arsenic exposure is associated with increased incidences of bladder, liver, skin, and lung cancers, limited attempts have been made to understand mechanisms of carcinogenicity using animal models. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), an organic arsenic compound, is a major metabolite of ingested inorganic arsenics in mammals. Recent in vitro studies have proven DMA to be a potent clastogenic agent, capable of inducing DNA damage including double strand breaks and cross-link formation. In our attempts to clarify DMA carcinogenicity, we have recently shown carcinogenic effects of DMA and its related metabolites using various experimental protocols in rats and mice: (1) a multi-organ promotion bioassay in rats; (2) a two-stage promotion bioassay by DMA of rat urinary bladder and liver carcinogenesis; (3) a 2-year carcinogenicity test of DMA in rats; (4) studies on the effects of DMA on lung carcinogenesis in rats; (5) promotion of skin carcinogenesis by DMA in keratin (K6)/ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) transgenic mice; (6) carcinogenicity of DMA in p53(+/-) knockout and Mmh/8-OXOG-DNA glycolase (OGG1) mutant mice; (7) promoting effects of DMA and related organic arsenicals in rat liver; (8) promoting effects of DMA and related organic arsenicals in a rat multi-organ carcinogenesis test; and (9) 2-year carcinogenicity tests of monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO) in rats. The results revealed that the adverse effects of arsenic occurred either by promoting and initiating carcinogenesis. These data, as covered in the present review, suggest that several mechanisms may be involved in arsenic carcinogenesis

  4. Phloem Transport of Arsenic Species from Flag Leaf to Grain During Grain Filling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    A Carey; G Norton; C Deacon; K Scheckel; E Lombi; T Punshon; M Guerinot; A Lanzirotti; M Newville; et al.

    2011-12-31

    Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was investigated. Arsenic species were delivered through cut flag leaves during grain fill. Spatial unloading within grains was investigated using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microtomography. Additionally, the effect of germanic acid (a silicic acid analog) on grain As accumulation in arsenite-treated panicles was examined. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were extremely efficiently retranslocated from flag leaves to rice grain; arsenate was poorly retranslocated, and was rapidly reduced to arsenite within flag leaves; arsenite displayed no retranslocation. Within grains, DMA rapidly dispersed while MMA and inorganic As remained close to the entry point. Germanic acid addition did not affect grain As in arsenite-treated panicles. Three-dimensional SXRF microtomography gave further information on arsenite localization in the ovular vascular trace (OVT) of rice grains. These results demonstrate that inorganic As is poorly remobilized, while organic species are readily remobilized, from leaves to grain. Stem translocation of inorganic As may not rely solely on silicic acid transporters.

  5. Phloem transport of arsenic species from flag leaf to grain during grain filling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carey, Anne-Marie; Norton, Gareth J.; Deacon, Claire; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Lombi, Enzo; Punshon, Tracy; Guerinot, Mary Lou; Lanzirotti, Antonio; Newville, Matt; Choi, Yongseong; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A. (EPA); (U. South Australia); (Aberdeen); (UC); (Dartmouth)

    2011-09-20

    Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was investigated. Arsenic species were delivered through cut flag leaves during grain fill. Spatial unloading within grains was investigated using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microtomography. Additionally, the effect of germanic acid (a silicic acid analog) on grain As accumulation in arsenite-treated panicles was examined. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were extremely efficiently retranslocated from flag leaves to rice grain; arsenate was poorly retranslocated, and was rapidly reduced to arsenite within flag leaves; arsenite displayed no retranslocation. Within grains, DMA rapidly dispersed while MMA and inorganic As remained close to the entry point. Germanic acid addition did not affect grain As in arsenite-treated panicles. Three-dimensional SXRF microtomography gave further information on arsenite localization in the ovular vascular trace (OVT) of rice grains. These results demonstrate that inorganic As is poorly remobilized, while organic species are readily remobilized, from leaves to grain. Stem translocation of inorganic As may not rely solely on silicic acid transporters.

  6. [Effect of glutathione and sodium selenite on the metabolism of arsenic in mice exposed to arsenic through drinking water].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiao-Yun; Zhong, Yuan; Niu, Yu-Hong; Qu, Chun-Qing; Li, Ge-Xin; Lü, Xiu-Qiang; Sun, Gui-Fan; Jin, Ya-Ping

    2008-09-01

    To explore the effect of glutathione (GSH) and sodium selenite on the metabolism of arsenic in the liver, kidney and blood of mice exposed to iAsIII through drinking water. The mice were randomly divided into control, arsenic, GSH and sodium selenite group, respectively. And each group had eight mice and the mice were exposed to 50 mg/L arsenite by drinking water for 4 weeks. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with GSH (600 mg/kg) and sodium selenite (1 mg/kg) for seven days from the beginning of the fourth week. At the end of the fourth week, liver, kidney and blood were sampled to assess the concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsenic acid (MMA), dimethylarsenic acid (DMA) by hydride generation trapping by ultra-hypothermia coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry. The liver DMA (233.76 +/- 60.63 ng/g) concentration in GSH group was significantly higher than the arsenic group (218.36 +/- 42.71 ng/g). The concentration of DMA (88.52 +/- 30.86 ng/g) and total arsenic (TAs) (162.32 +/- 49.45 ng/g) in blood of GSH group was significantly higher than those [(45.32 +/- 12.19 ng/g), (108.51 +/- 18.00 ng/g), respectively] of arsenic groups(q values were 3.06, 6.40, 10.72 respectively, P < 0.05). The primary methylated index (PMI) (0.65 +/- 0.050) and secondary methylated index (SMI) (0.55 +/- 0.050) in liver sample of GSH group were significantly higher than those (0.58 +/- 0.056, 0.44 +/- 0. 093) in arsenic group. In blood samples, the PMI (0.85 +/- 0.066) in GSH group was significantly higher than that (0.54 +/- 0.113) in arsenic group (q values were 3.75, 5.26, 4.21 respectively, P < 0.05). However, no significant difference was identified between sodium selenite and arsenic groups in liver, kidney or blood samples. And no significant difference was detected in kidney samples among all arsenic exposing groups. Exogenous GSH could promote the methylated metabolism of iAsIII, but sodium selenite showed no significant effects.

  7. Arsenic-induced skin lesions among Atacameño people in Northern Chile despite good nutrition and centuries of exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, A H; Arroyo, A P; Mazumder, D N; Kosnett, M J; Hernandez, A L; Beeris, M; Smith, M M; Moore, L E

    2000-07-01

    It has been suggested that the indigenous Atacameño people in Northern Chile might be protected from the health effects of arsenic in drinking water because of many centuries of exposure. Here we report on the first intensive investigation of arsenic-induced skin lesions in this population. We selected 11 families (44 participants) from the village of Chiu Chiu, which is supplied with water containing between 750 and 800 microg/L inorganic arsenic. For comparison, 8 families (31 participants) were also selected from a village where the water contains approximately 10 microg/L inorganic arsenic. After being transported to the nearest city for blind assessment, participants were examined by four physicians with experience in studying arsenic-induced lesions. Four of the six men from the exposed village, who had been drinking the contaminated water for more than 20 years, were diagnosed with skin lesions due to arsenic, but none of the women had definite lesions. A 13-year-old girl had definite skin pigmentation changes due to arsenic, and a 19-year-old boy had both pigmentation changes and keratoses on the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet. Family interviews identified a wide range of fruits and vegetables consumed daily by the affected participants, as well as the weekly intake of red meat and chicken. However, the prevalence of skin lesions among men and children in the small population studied was similar to that reported with corresponding arsenic drinking water concentrations in both Taiwan and West Bengal, India--populations in which extensive malnutrition has been thought to increase susceptibility.

  8. Precipitation of organic arsenic compounds and their degradation products during struvite formation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Jin-Biao; Yuan, Shoujun [School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Institute of Water Treatment and Wastes Reutilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Wang, Wei, E-mail: dwhit@126.com [School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Institute of Water Treatment and Wastes Reutilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Hu, Zhen-Hu, E-mail: zhhu@hfut.edu.cn [School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Institute of Water Treatment and Wastes Reutilization, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009 (China); Yu, Han-Qing [Department of Chemistry, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China)

    2016-11-05

    Highlights: • Organic and inorganic arsenic compounds precipitated during struvite formation. • Precipitation of organic arsenic compounds in struvite decreased with increasing pH. • Arsenate easily precipitate in struvite as compared to organic arsenic compounds. • Arsenic compounds in solution affected the shape of struvite crystallization products. - Abstract: Roxarsone (ROX) and arsanilic acid (ASA) have been extensively used as organoarsenic animal feed additives. Organic arsenic compounds and their degradation products, arsenate (As(V)) and arsenite (As(III)), exist in the effluent from anaerobic reactors treating animal manure contaminated by ROX or ASA with ammonium (NH{sub 4}{sup +}-N) and phosphate (PO{sub 4}{sup 3−}-P) together. Therefore, arsenic species in the effluent might be involved in the struvite formation process. In this study, the involvement of organic arsenic compounds and their degradation products As(V) and As(III) in the struvite crystallization was investigated. The results demonstrated that arsenic compounds did not substantially affect the PO{sub 4}{sup 3−}-P recovery, but confirmed the precipitation of arsenic during struvite formation. The precipitation of arsenic compounds in struvite was considerably affected by a solution pH from 9.0 to 11.0. With an increase in pH, the content of ASA and ROX in the precipitation decreased, but the contents of As(III) and As(V) increased. In addition, the arsenic content of As(V) in the struvite was higher than that of As(III), ASA and ROX. The results indicated that the struvite could be contaminated when the solution contains arsenic species, but that could be minimized by controlling the solution pH and maintaining anaerobic conditions during struvite formation.

  9. Removal of arsenic species from drinking water by Iranian natural and synthetic zeolites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Menhaje-Bena, R.; Kazemian, H.; Shahtaheri, S.J.; Ghazi-Khansari, M.

    2003-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to find a relatively inexpensive method for removal of arsenic species from drinking water. The uptake capability of Iron (II) modified natural clinoptilolites and relevant synthetic zeolites A and P was investigated toward inorganic arsenic species from drinking water. Results obtained from sorption experiments, using a batch (static) technique showed that, among the investigated zeolites, modified synthetic zeolite A was the most selective sorbent for removal of arsenate and arsenite from drinking water. Through this study the influencing of factories including temperature, concentration, pH, particle size and interferences was evaluated on removal of arsenic species. The synthetic zeolites and their modified forms were also characterized, using XRD, XRF and thermal analysis techniques. (authors)

  10. Benchmark Dose Modeling Estimates of the Concentrations of Inorganic Arsenic That Induce Changes to the Neonatal Transcriptome, Proteome, and Epigenome in a Pregnancy Cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rager, Julia E; Auerbach, Scott S; Chappell, Grace A; Martin, Elizabeth; Thompson, Chad M; Fry, Rebecca C

    2017-10-16

    Prenatal inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure influences the expression of critical genes and proteins associated with adverse outcomes in newborns, in part through epigenetic mediators. The doses at which these genomic and epigenomic changes occur have yet to be evaluated in the context of dose-response modeling. The goal of the present study was to estimate iAs doses that correspond to changes in transcriptomic, proteomic, epigenomic, and integrated multi-omic signatures in human cord blood through benchmark dose (BMD) modeling. Genome-wide DNA methylation, microRNA expression, mRNA expression, and protein expression levels in cord blood were modeled against total urinary arsenic (U-tAs) levels from pregnant women exposed to varying levels of iAs. Dose-response relationships were modeled in BMDExpress, and BMDs representing 10% response levels were estimated. Overall, DNA methylation changes were estimated to occur at lower exposure concentrations in comparison to other molecular endpoints. Multi-omic module eigengenes were derived through weighted gene co-expression network analysis, representing co-modulated signatures across transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenomic profiles. One module eigengene was associated with decreased gestational age occurring alongside increased iAs exposure. Genes/proteins within this module eigengene showed enrichment for organismal development, including potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1), an imprinted gene showing differential methylation and expression in response to iAs. Modeling of this prioritized multi-omic module eigengene resulted in a BMD(BMDL) of 58(45) μg/L U-tAs, which was estimated to correspond to drinking water arsenic concentrations of 51(40) μg/L. Results are in line with epidemiological evidence supporting effects of prenatal iAs occurring at levels iAs exposure influences neonatal outcome-relevant transcriptomic, proteomic, and epigenomic profiles.

  11. Arsenic removal from water using low-cost adsorbents: A comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajaković Ljubinka V.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Inorganic arsenic removal from water using low-cost adsorbents is presented in this paper. Selective removal of As(III and As(V from water was performed with natural materials (zeolite, bentonite, sepiolite, pyrolusite and limonite and industrial by-products (waste filter sand as a water treatment residual and blast furnace slag from steel production; all inexpensive and locally available. Kinetic and equilibrium studies were realized using batch system techniques under conditions that are likely to occur in real water treatment systems. The natural zeolite and the industrial by-products were found to be good and inexpensive sorbents for arsenic while bentonite and sepiolite clays showed little affinity towards arsenic. The highest maximum sorption capacities were obtained for natural zeolite, 4.07 mg As(V g-1, and waste iron slag, 4.04 mg As(V g-1.

  12. Thio-dimethylarsinate is a common metabolite in urine samples from arsenic-exposed women in Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raml, Reingard; Rumpler, Alice; Goessler, Walter; Vahter, Marie; Li Li; Ochi, Takafumi; Francesconi, Kevin A.

    2007-01-01

    Over the last 6 years, much work on arsenic species in urine samples has been directed toward the determination of the reduced dimethylated arsenic species, DMA(III), because of its high toxicity and perceived key role in the metabolism of inorganic arsenic. Recent work, however, has suggested that DMA(III) may at times have been misidentified because its chromatographic properties can be similar to those of thio-dimethylarsinate (thio-DMA). We analyzed by HPLC-ICPMS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) urine samples from 75 arsenic-exposed women from Bangladesh with total arsenic concentrations ranging from 8 to 1034 μg As/L and found that thio-DMA was present in 44% of the samples at concentrations ranging mostly from trace amounts to 24 μg As/L (one sample contained 123 μg As/L). Cytotoxicity testing with HepG2 cells derived from human hepatocarcinoma indicated that thio-DMA was about 10-fold more cytotoxic than dimethylarsinate (DMA). The widespread occurrence of thio-DMA in urine from these arsenic-exposed women suggests that this arsenical may also be present in other urine samples and has so far escaped detection. The work highlights the need for analytical methods providing specific determinations of arsenic compounds in future studies on arsenic metabolism and toxicology

  13. Thio-dimethylarsinate is a common metabolite in urine samples from arsenic-exposed women in Bangladesh

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raml, Reingard; Rumpler, Alice; Goessler, Walter [Karl-Franzens University Graz, Institute of Chemistry-Analytical Chemistry, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010 Graz (Austria); Vahter, Marie; Li, Li [Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, PO Box 210, 17177 Stockholm (Sweden); Ochi, Takafumi [Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, Sagamiko, Kanagawa 199-0195 (Japan); Francesconi, Kevin A. [Karl-Franzens University Graz, Institute of Chemistry-Analytical Chemistry, Universitaetsplatz 1, 8010 Graz (Austria)], E-mail: kevin.francesconi@uni-graz.at

    2007-08-01

    Over the last 6 years, much work on arsenic species in urine samples has been directed toward the determination of the reduced dimethylated arsenic species, DMA(III), because of its high toxicity and perceived key role in the metabolism of inorganic arsenic. Recent work, however, has suggested that DMA(III) may at times have been misidentified because its chromatographic properties can be similar to those of thio-dimethylarsinate (thio-DMA). We analyzed by HPLC-ICPMS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) urine samples from 75 arsenic-exposed women from Bangladesh with total arsenic concentrations ranging from 8 to 1034 {mu}g As/L and found that thio-DMA was present in 44% of the samples at concentrations ranging mostly from trace amounts to 24 {mu}g As/L (one sample contained 123 {mu}g As/L). Cytotoxicity testing with HepG2 cells derived from human hepatocarcinoma indicated that thio-DMA was about 10-fold more cytotoxic than dimethylarsinate (DMA). The widespread occurrence of thio-DMA in urine from these arsenic-exposed women suggests that this arsenical may also be present in other urine samples and has so far escaped detection. The work highlights the need for analytical methods providing specific determinations of arsenic compounds in future studies on arsenic metabolism and toxicology.

  14. HPLC-ICP-MS speciation analysis and risk assessment of arsenic in Cordyceps sinensis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuo, Tian-Tian; Li, Yao-Lei; Jin, Hong-Yu; Gao, Fei; Wang, Qi; Wang, Ya-Dan; Ma, Shuang-Cheng

    2018-01-01

    Cordyceps sinensis , one of the most valued traditional herbal medicines in China, contains high amount of arsenic. Considering the adverse health effects of arsenic, this is of particular concern. The aim of this study was to determine and analyze arsenic speciation in C. sinensis , and to measure the associated human health risks. We used microwave extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine and analyze the arsenic content in C. sinensis , and measured the associated human health risks according to the hazard index (HI), lifetime cancer risk (CR), and target hazard quotient (THQ). The main arsenic speciation in C. sinensis were not the four organic arsenic compounds, including dimethyl arsenic, monomethyl arsenic, arsenobetaine, and arsenocholine, but comprised inorganic arsenic and other unknown risk arsenic compounds. HI scores indicated that the risk of C. sinensis was acceptable. CR results suggested that the cancer risk was greater than the acceptable lifetime risk of 10 -5 , even at low exposure levels. THQ results indicated that at the exposure level  3.0 months/year, the systemic effects of the arsenic in C. sinensis was of great concern. The arsenic in C. sinensis might not be free of risks. The suggested C. sinensis consumption rate of 2.0 months/year provided important insights into the ways by which to minimize potential health risks. Our study not only played the role of "cast a brick to attract jade" by which to analyze arsenic speciation in C. sinensis but also offered a promising strategy of risk assessment for harmful residues in traditional herbal medicines.

  15. Speciated arsenic in air: measurement methodology and risk assessment considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewis, Ari S; Reid, Kim R; Pollock, Margaret C; Campleman, Sharan L

    2012-01-01

    Accurate measurement of arsenic (As) in air is critical to providing a more robust understanding of arsenic exposures and associated human health risks. Although there is extensive information available on total arsenic in air, less is known on the relative contribution of each arsenic species. To address this data gap, the authors conducted an in-depth review of available information on speciated arsenic in air. The evaluation included the type of species measured and the relative abundance, as well as an analysis of the limitations of current analytical methods. Despite inherent differences in the procedures, most techniques effectively separated arsenic species in the air samples. Common analytical techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and/or hydride generation (HG)- or quartz furnace (GF)-atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) were used for arsenic measurement in the extracts, and provided some of the most sensitive detection limits. The current analysis demonstrated that, despite limited comparability among studies due to differences in seasonal factors, study duration, sample collection methods, and analytical methods, research conducted to date is adequate to show that arsenic in air is mainly in the inorganic form. Reported average concentrations of As(III) and As(V) ranged up to 7.4 and 10.4 ng/m3, respectively, with As(V) being more prevalent than As(III) in most studies. Concentrations of the organic methylated arsenic compounds are negligible (in the pg/m3 range). However because of the variability in study methods and measurement methodology, the authors were unable to determine the variation in arsenic composition as a function of source or particulate matter (PM) fraction. In this work, the authors include the implications of arsenic speciation in air on potential exposure and risks. The authors conclude that it is important to synchronize sample collection, preparation, and analytical techniques in order to generate

  16. Arsenic in groundwater: a summary of sources and the biogeochemical and hydrogeologic factors affecting arsenic occurrence and mobility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barringer, Julia L.; Reilly, Pamela A.; Bradley, Paul M.

    2013-01-01

    Arsenic (As) is a metalloid element (atomic number 33) with one naturally occurring isotope of atomic mass 75, and four oxidation states (-3, 0, +3, and +5) (Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). In the aqueous environment, the +3 and +5 oxidation states are most prevalent, as the oxyanions arsenite (H3AsO3 or H2AsO3- at pH ~9-11) and arsenate (H2AsO4- and HAsO42- at pH ~4-10) (Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). In soils, arsine gases (containing As3-) may be generated by fungi and other organisms (Woolson, 1977). The different forms of As have different toxicities, with arsine gas being the most toxic form. Of the inorganic oxyanions, arsenite is considered more toxic than arsenate, and the organic (methylated) arsenic forms are considered least toxic (for a detailed discussion of toxicity issues, the reader is referred to Mandal and Suzuki (2002)). Arsenic is a global health concern due to its toxicity and the fact that it occurs at unhealthful levels in water supplies, particularly groundwater, in more than 70 countries (Ravenscroft et al., 2009) on six continents.

  17. Arsenic pollution sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garelick, Hemda; Jones, Huw; Dybowska, Agnieszka; Valsami-Jones, Eugenia

    2008-01-01

    Arsenic is a widely dispersed element in the Earth's crust and exists at an average concentration of approximately 5 mg/kg. There are many possible routes of human exposure to arsenic from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Arsenic occurs as a constituent in more than 200 minerals, although it primarily exists as arsenopyrite and as a constituent in several other sulfide minerals. The introduction of arsenic into drinking water can occur as a result of its natural geological presence in local bedrock. Arsenic-containing bedrock formations of this sort are known in Bangladesh, West Bengal (India), and regions of China, and many cases of endemic contamination by arsenic with serious consequences to human health are known from these areas. Significant natural contamination of surface waters and soil can arise when arsenic-rich geothermal fluids come into contact with surface waters. When humans are implicated in causing or exacerbating arsenic pollution, the cause can almost always be traced to mining or mining-related activities. Arsenic exists in many oxidation states, with arsenic (III) and (V) being the most common forms. Similar to many metalloids, the prevalence of particular species of arsenic depends greatly on the pH and redox conditions of the matrix in which it exists. Speciation is also important in determining the toxicity of arsenic. Arsenic minerals exist in the environment principally as sulfides, oxides, and phosphates. In igneous rocks, only those of volcanic origin are implicated in high aqueous arsenic concentrations. Sedimentary rocks tend not to bear high arsenic loads, and common matrices such as sands and sandstones contain lower concentrations owing to the dominance of quartz and feldspars. Groundwater contamination by arsenic arises from sources of arsenopyrite, base metal sulfides, realgar and orpiment, arsenic-rich pyrite, and iron oxyhydroxide. Mechanisms by which arsenic is released from minerals are varied and are accounted for by

  18. Atrazine is primarily responsible for the toxicity of long-term exposure to a combination of atrazine and inorganic arsenic in the nigrostriatal system of the albino rat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bardullas, Ulises; Giordano, Magda; Rodríguez, Verónica Mireya

    2013-01-01

    Chronic and simultaneous exposure to a variety of chemicals present in the environment is an unavoidable fact. However, given the complexity of studying chemical mixtures, most toxicological studies have focused on the effects of short-term exposure to single substances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects on the nigrostriatal system of the chronic, simultaneous exposure to two widely distributed substances that have been identified as potential dopaminergic system toxicants, inorganic arsenic (iAs) and atrazine (ATR). Six groups of rats were treated daily for one year with atrazine (10mg ATR/kg), inorganic arsenic (0.5 or 50mgiAs/L of drinking water), or a combination of ATR+0.5mgiAs/L or ATR+50mgiAs/L. The 50mgiAs/L group showed locomotor hypoactivity, while all treatments decreased motor coordination in contrast no effects of treatment were found on the place and response learning tasks. Regarding markers for liver and muscle damage, there were no differences between groups in creatine kinase (CK) or aspartate transaminase (AST) activities, while decreases in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were found in some exposed groups. The striatal DA content was significantly reduced in ATR, 0.5mgiAs/L, ATR+0.5mgiAs/L, and ATR+50mgiAs/L groups, in comparison to the control group. The number of mesencephalic tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells decreased in the ATR and ATR+0.5mgiAs/L groups compared to the control. In contrast, immunoreactivity to cytochrome oxidase was reduced compared to the control in all treated groups, except for the group treated with 0.5iAsmg alone. Our results indicate that ATR has deleterious effects on dopaminergic neurons and that the combination of ATR and iAs does not exacerbate these effects. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Arsenic transformation predisposes human skin keratinocytes to UV-induced DNA damage yet enhances their survival apparently by diminishing oxidant response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Yang; Kojima, Chikara; Chignell, Colin; Mason, Ronald; Waalkes, Michael P.

    2011-01-01

    Inorganic arsenic and UV, both human skin carcinogens, may act together as skin co-carcinogens. We find human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cells) are malignantly transformed by low-level arsenite (100 nM, 30 weeks; termed As-TM cells) and with transformation concurrently undergo full adaptation to arsenic toxicity involving reduced apoptosis and oxidative stress response to high arsenite concentrations. Oxidative DNA damage (ODD) is a possible mechanism in arsenic carcinogenesis and a hallmark of UV-induced skin cancer. In the current work, inorganic arsenite exposure (100 nM) did not induce ODD during the 30 weeks required for malignant transformation. Although acute UV-treatment (UVA, 25 J/cm 2 ) increased ODD in passage-matched control cells, once transformed by arsenic to As-TM cells, acute UV actually further increased ODD (> 50%). Despite enhanced ODD, As-TM cells were resistant to UV-induced apoptosis. The response of apoptotic factors and oxidative stress genes was strongly mitigated in As-TM cells after UV exposure including increased Bcl2/Bax ratio and reduced Caspase-3, Nrf2, and Keap1 expression. Several Nrf2-related genes (HO-1, GCLs, SOD) showed diminished responses in As-TM cells after UV exposure consistent with reduced oxidant stress response. UV-exposed As-TM cells showed increased expression of cyclin D1 (proliferation gene) and decreased p16 (tumor suppressor). UV exposure enhanced the malignant phenotype of As-TM cells. Thus, the co-carcinogenicity between UV and arsenic in skin cancer might involve adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure generally mitigating the oxidative stress response, allowing apoptotic by-pass after UV and enhanced cell survival even in the face of increased UV-induced oxidative stress and increased ODD. - Highlights: → Arsenic transformation adapted to UV-induced apoptosis. → Arsenic transformation diminished oxidant response. → Arsenic transformation enhanced UV-induced DNA damage.

  20. Het ontwikkelen en valideren van een analysemethode voor arseen in urine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heerde E van; Ooik A van; Ritsema R; LAC

    1997-01-01

    The development and validation of a method for analyzing arsenic in urine samples of non specific exposed persons has been described. Measurements are performed by FIA-AAS based on reduction of inorganic arsenic to arsine. In this way only inorganic arsenic can be quantified. For total arsenic

  1. [Studies on markers of exposure and early effect in areas with arsenic pollution: methods and results of the project SEpiAs. Epidemiological surveillance in areas with environmental pollution by natural or anthropogenic arsenic].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bustaffa, Elisa; Minichilli, Fabrizio; Andreassi, Maria Grazia; Carone, Simona; Coi, Alessio; Cori, Liliana; Faita, Francesca; Faita, Francesco; Grecchi, Sabina; Minoia, Claudio; Ronchi, Anna; Scovassi, Ivana; Sicari, Rosa; Stea, Francesco; Bianchi, Fabrizio

    2014-01-01

    Arsenic and its inorganic compounds are classified as carcinogenic to humans. Exposures to inorganic arsenic (iAs) in drinking water are associated with both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. The risk assessment of exposures to low-moderate levels of environmental arsenic (As) is a challenging objective for research and public health. The SEpiAs study, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health (CCM), was carried out in four areas with arsenic pollution prevalently of natural origin, Amiata and Viterbo areas, or of industrial origin, Taranto and Gela. 271 subjects (132 men) aged 20-44, were randomly sampled stratifying by area, gender and age classes. Individual data on residential history, socio-economic status, environmental and occupational exposures, lifestyle and dietary habits, were collected through interviews using questionnaire. In urine samples of recruited subjects, the concentration of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and methylated species (MMA, DMA) was measured using inductively coupled mass spectrometer (DRCICP- MS), after chromatographic separation (HPLC). Molecular biomarkers and biomarkers of DNA damage, as well as markers of cardiovascular risk were measured The distributions of iAs and iAs+MMA+DMA were described by area and gender, geometric mean (GM), percentiles and standard deviation (SD). The associations between As species and variables collected by questionnaire were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. Results showed a high variability of As species within and among areas. Gela and Taranto samples showed higher iAs concentration compared to Viterbo and Amiata. Subjects with iAs>1,5 μg/L or iAs+MMA+DMA>15 μg/L (thresholds suggested by the Italian Society of Reference Values), are 137 (50,6%) and 68 (25,1%), respectively. A positive association between iAs and use of drinking water emerged in the Viterbo sample, between iAs and occupational exposure in the Gela and Taranto samples. Fish consumption was associated with higher i

  2. Arsenic Metabolism in Children Differs From That in Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skröder Löveborn, Helena; Kippler, Maria; Lu, Ying; Ahmed, Sultan; Kuehnelt, Doris; Raqib, Rubhana; Vahter, Marie

    2016-07-01

    Arsenic toxicity in adults is associated with methylation efficiency, influenced by factors such as gender, genetics, and nutrition. The aim of this study was to evaluate influencing factors for arsenic metabolism in children. For 488 children (9 years), whose mothers participated in a study on arsenic exposure during pregnancy (nested into the MINIMat trial) in rural Bangladesh, we measured urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and its metabolites methylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) by HPLC-HG-ICPMS. Methylation efficiency was assessed by relative amounts (%) of the metabolites. We evaluated the impact of factors such as maternal urinary metabolite pattern, arsenic exposure, gender, socioeconomic status, season of sampling, and nutritional factors, including erythrocyte selenium (Ery-Se), and plasma folate and vitamin B12.Children had higher %DMA and lower %iAs in urine compared to their mothers, unrelated to their lower exposure [median urinary arsenic (U-As) 53 vs 78 µg/l]. Surprisingly, selenium status (Ery-Se) was strongly associated with children's arsenic methylation; an increase in Ery-Se from the 5-95th percentile was associated with: +1.8 percentage points (pp) for %iAs (P  =  .001), +1.4 pp for %MMA (P  =  .003), and -3.2 pp for %DMA (P  41 µg/l, P  =  .026). As expected, plasma folate was inversely associated with %iAs (5-95th percentile: -1.9 pp, P  =  .001) and positively associated with %DMA (5-95th percentile: +2.2 pp, P  =  .008). Children methylated arsenic more efficiently than their mothers. Also influencing factors, mainly selenium and folate, differed. This warrants further research. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology.

  3. Urinary arsenic levels in the French adult population: the French National Nutrition and Health Study, 2006-2007.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saoudi, Abdessattar; Zeghnoun, Abdelkrim; Bidondo, Marie-Laure; Garnier, Robert; Cirimele, Vincent; Persoons, Renaud; Fréry, Nadine

    2012-09-01

    The French Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) was conducted to describe dietary intakes, nutritional status, physical activity, and levels of various biomarkers for environmental chemicals (heavy metals and pesticides) in the French population (adults aged 18-74 years and children aged 3-17 years living in continental France in 2006-2007). The aim of this paper was to describe the distributions of total arsenic and the sum of iAs+MMA+DMA in the general adult population, and to present their main risk factors. In the arsenic study, 1500 and 1515 adults (requested to avoid seafood intake in the previous 3 days preceding urine collection) were included respectively for the analysis of the sum of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and its two metabolites, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and for the total arsenic. Results were presented as geometric means and selected percentiles of urinary arsenic concentrations (μg/L) and creatinine-adjusted urinary arsenic (μg/g of creatinine) for total arsenic, and the sum of inorganic arsenic and metabolites (iAs+MMA+DMA). The geometric mean concentration of the sum of iAs+MMA+DMA in the adult population living in France was 3.34 μg/g of creatinine [3.23-3.45] (3.75 μg/L [3.61-3.90]) with a 95th percentile of 8.9 μg/g of creatinine (10.68 μg/L). The geometric mean concentration of total arsenic was 11.96 μg/g of creatinine [11.41-12.53] (13.42 μg/L [12.77-14.09]) with a 95th percentile of 61.29 μg/g of creatinine (72.75 μg/L). Urinary concentrations of total arsenic and iAS+MMA+DMA were influenced by sociodemographic and economic factors, and by risk factors such as consumption of seafood products and of wine. In our study, covariate-adjusted geometric means demonstrated several slight differences, due to consumption of fish, shellfish/crustaceans or wine. This study provides the first reference value for arsenic in a representative sample of the French population not particularly exposed to high levels

  4. Arsenic in drinking water and congenital heart anomalies in Hungary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rudnai, Tamás; Sándor, János; Kádár, Mihály; Borsányi, Mátyás; Béres, Judit; Métneki, Júlia; Maráczi, Gabriella; Rudnai, Péter

    2014-11-01

    Inorganic arsenic can get easily through the placenta however there are very few human data on congenital anomalies related to arsenic exposure. Objective of our study was to explore the associations between arsenic content of drinking water and prevalence of some congenital anomalies. Four anomalies reported to the Hungarian Congenital Anomalies Registry between 1987 and 2003 were chosen to be analysed in relation to arsenic exposure: congenital anomalies of the circulatory system (n=9734) were considered as cases, while Down syndrome, club foot and multiple congenital malformations were used as controls (n=5880). Arsenic exposure of the mothers during pregnancy was estimated by using archive measurement data for each year and for each settlement where the mothers lived. Analysis of the associations between the prevalence of congenital heart anomalies and arsenic exposure during pregnancy was performed by logistic regression. The child's gender and age of the mother were adjusted for. The associations were evaluated by using the present EU health limit value of 10.0 μg/L arsenic concentration as a cut-off point. Regular consumption of drinking water with arsenic concentration above 10 μg/L during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of congenital heart anomalies in general (adjusted OR=1.41; 95% C.I.: 1.28-1.56), and especially that of ductus Botalli persistens (adjusted OR=1.81, 95%C.I.: 1.54-2.11) and atrial septal defect (adjusted OR=1.79; 95%C.I.: 1.59-2.01). The presented results showed an increased risk of congenital heart anomalies among infants whose mothers were exposed to drinking water with arsenic content above 10 μg/L during pregnancy. Further studies of possible similar effects of concentrations below 10 μg/L are warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  5. Predicting arsenic concentrations in groundwater of San Luis Valley, Colorado: implications for individual-level lifetime exposure assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Katherine A; Meliker, Jaymie R; Buttenfield, Barbara E; Byers, Tim; Zerbe, Gary O; Hokanson, John E; Marshall, Julie A

    2014-08-01

    Consumption of inorganic arsenic in drinking water at high levels has been associated with chronic diseases. Risk is less clear at lower levels of arsenic, in part due to difficulties in estimating exposure. Herein we characterize spatial and temporal variability of arsenic concentrations and develop models for predicting aquifer arsenic concentrations in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, an area of moderately elevated arsenic in groundwater. This study included historical water samples with total arsenic concentrations from 595 unique well locations. A longitudinal analysis established temporal stability in arsenic levels in individual wells. The mean arsenic levels for a random sample of 535 wells were incorporated into five kriging models to predict groundwater arsenic concentrations at any point in time. A separate validation dataset (n = 60 wells) was used to identify the model with strongest predictability. Findings indicate that arsenic concentrations are temporally stable (r = 0.88; 95 % CI 0.83-0.92 for samples collected from the same well 15-25 years apart) and the spatial model created using ordinary kriging best predicted arsenic concentrations (ρ = 0.72 between predicted and observed validation data). These findings illustrate the value of geostatistical modeling of arsenic and suggest the San Luis Valley is a good region for conducting epidemiologic studies of groundwater metals because of the ability to accurately predict variation in groundwater arsenic concentrations.

  6. Site-specific data confirm arsenic exposure predicted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, S; Griffin, S

    1998-03-01

    The EPA uses an exposure assessment model to estimate daily intake to chemicals of potential concern. At the Anaconda Superfund site in Montana, the EPA exposure assessment model was used to predict total and speciated urinary arsenic concentrations. Predicted concentrations were then compared to concentrations measured in children living near the site. When site-specific information on concentrations of arsenic in soil, interior dust, and diet, site-specific ingestion rates, and arsenic absorption rates were used, measured and predicted urinary arsenic concentrations were in reasonable agreement. The central tendency exposure assessment model successfully described the measured urinary arsenic concentration for the majority of children at the site. The reasonable maximum exposure assessment model successfully identified the uppermost exposed population. While the agreement between measured and predicted urinary arsenic is good, it is not exact. The variables that were identified which influenced agreement included soil and dust sample collection methodology, daily urinary volume, soil ingestion rate, and the ability to define the exposure unit. The concentration of arsenic in food affected agreement between measured and predicted total urinary arsenic, but was not considered when comparing measured and predicted speciated urinary arsenic. Speciated urinary arsenic is the recommended biomarker for recent inorganic arsenic exposure. By using site-specific data in the exposure assessment model, predicted risks from exposure to arsenic were less than predicted risks would have been if the EPA's default values had been used in the exposure assessment model. This difference resulted in reduced magnitude and cost of remediation while still protecting human health.

  7. 77 FR 5061 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Inorganic...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-01

    ... is to protect workers from the adverse health effects associated with occupational exposure to... compliance programs, and to provide workers with information about their exposures and the health effects of... requires employers to monitor workers' exposure to inorganic arsenic, to monitor worker health, to develop...

  8. Determination and Uncertainty Analysis of Inorganic Arsenic in Husked Rice by Solid Phase Extraction and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry with Hydride Generation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, Sushil Kumar; Karipalli, Agnes Raju; Krishnan, Anoop A; Rangasamy, Rajesh; Malekadi, Praveen; Singh, Dhirendra P; Vasu, Vimesh; Singh, Vijay K

    2017-05-01

    This study enables the selective determination of inorganic arsenic (iAs) with a low detection limit using an economical instrument [atomic absorption spectrometer with hydride generation (HG)] to meet the regulatory requirements as per European Commission (EC) and Codex guidelines. Dry rice samples (0.5 g) were diluted using 0.1 M HNO3-3% H2O2 and heated in a water bath (90 ± 2°C) for 60 min. Through this process, all the iAs is solubilized and oxidized to arsenate [As(V)]. The centrifuged extract was loaded onto a preconditioned and equilibrated strong anion-exchange SPE column (silica-based Strata SAX 500 mg/6 mL), followed by selective and sequential elution of As(V), enabling the selective quantification of iAs using atomic absorption spectrometry with HG. In-house validation showed a mean recovery of 94% and an LOQ of 0.025 mg/kg. The repeatability (HorRatr) and reproducibility (HorRatR) values were <2, meeting the performance criteria mandated by the EC. The combined standard measurement uncertainty by this method was less than the maximum standard measurement uncertainty; thus, the method can be considered for official control purposes. The method was applied for the determination of iAs in husked rice samples and has potential applications in other food commodities.

  9. Simultaneous determination of arsenic and mercury species in rice by ion-pairing reversed phase chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Yong; Pan, Yushi; Li, Peng; Xue, Mei; Pei, Fei; Yang, Wenjian; Ma, Ning; Hu, Qiuhui

    2016-12-15

    An analytical method using reversed phase chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for arsenic and mercury speciation analysis was described. The effect of ion-pairing reagent on simultaneous separation of four arsenic (arsenite, arsenate, monomethlyarsonate and dimethylarsinate) and three mercury species (inorganic mercury (Hg(II)), methylmecury and ethylmercury) was investigated. Parameters including concentrations and pH of the mobile phase were optimized. The separation and re-equilibration time was attained within 20min. Meanwhile, a sequential extraction method for arsenic and mercury in rice was tested. Subsequently, 1% HNO3 microwave-assisted extraction was chosen. Calibration curves based on peak area measurements were linear with correlation coefficient greater than 0.9958 for each species in the range studied. The detection limits of the species were in the range of 0.84-2.41μg/L for arsenic and 0.01-0.04μg/L for mercury, respectively. The proposed method was then successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of arsenic and mercury species in rice flour standard material and two kinds of rice from local markets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Arsenic in Ironite fertilizer: The absorption by hamsters and the chemical form

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aposhian, M.M.; Koch, I.; Avram, M.D.; Chowdhury, U.K.; Smith, P.G.; Reimer, K.J.; Aposhian, H.V.; (Ariz); (Royal)

    2009-09-11

    We determined the gastrointestinal absorption of the arsenic in Ironite, a readily available fertilizer, for male hamsters (Golden Syrian), considered to be an excellent model for how the human processes inorganic arsenic. Urine and feces were collected after administering an aqueous suspension of Ironite by stomach tube. In addition, we studied the forms and oxidation states of arsenic in Ironite by synchrotron spectroscopic techniques. The absorption of the arsenic in Ironite (1-0-0) was 21.2% and the absorption relative to sodium arsenite was 31.0%. Our results using XANES spectra determinations indicate that Ironite contains scorodite (AsV) as well as previously reported arsenopyrite (As(-1)). Since the 1-0-0 Ironite is readily available for purchase, its risk assessment for children by professionals is recommended. This is especially important because it is used to fertilize large areas of grass in playgrounds and parks where children play. The absorption of the arsenic in it, the hand to mouth activity of children, and the potential of ground water contamination makes the use of 1-0-0 Ironite as a fertilizer a potential environmental hazard.

  11. Arsenic stability and mobilization in soil at an amenity grassland overlying chemical waste (St. Helens, UK)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartley, William [School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF (United Kingdom)], E-mail: w.hartley@ljmu.ac.uk; Dickinson, Nicholas M. [School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF (United Kingdom); Clemente, Rafael [Department of Soil and Water Conservation and Organic Waste Management, Centro de Edafologia y Biologia Aplicada del Segura, CSIC, Apartado 4195, 30080 Murcia (Spain); French, Christopher [School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF (United Kingdom); Piearce, Trevor G. [Biological Sciences Division, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ (United Kingdom); Sparke, Shaun; Lepp, Nicholas W. [School of Biological and Earth Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF (United Kingdom)

    2009-03-15

    A 6.6 ha grassland, established on a former chemical waste site adjacent to a residential area, contains arsenic (As) in surface soil at concentrations 200 times higher than UK Soil Guideline Values. The site is not recognized as statutory contaminated land, partly on the assumption that mobility of the metalloid presents a negligible threat to human health, groundwater and ecological receptors. Evidence for this is evaluated, based on studies of the effect of organic (green waste compost) and inorganic (iron oxides, lime and phosphate) amendments on As fractionation, mobility, plant uptake and earthworm communities. Arsenic mobility in soil was low but significantly related to dissolved organic matter and phosphate, with immobilization associated with iron oxides. Plant uptake was low and there was little apparent impact on earthworms. The existing vegetation cover reduces re-entrainment of dust-blown particulates and pathways of As exposure via this route. Minimizing risks to receptors requires avoidance of soil exposure, and no compost or phosphate application. - Stabilization of alkali industry waste requires careful management to minimise soil arsenic mobilization and dispersal to the wider environment.

  12. Honey as a bioindicator of arsenic contamination due to volcanic and mining activities in Chile

    OpenAIRE

    Bastías, José M; Jambon, Philippe; Muñoz, Ociel; Manquián, Nimia; Bahamonde, Patricia; Neira, Miguel

    2013-01-01

    The content of heavy metals in honey is indicative of natural or anthropogenic pollution and has therefore been proposed as a feasible bioindicator for arsenic contamination in different regions of Chile. Total arsenic (t-As) and inorganic As (i-As) concentrations were determined in 227 samples of honey harvested during the years 2007, 2008, and 2009 in the areas of San Pedro de Atacama, Atacama, Chiloé, and Futaleufú, with the last town located 156 km from the Chaitén Volcano (latest eruptio...

  13. Removal of arsenic from groundwater with low cost multilayer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samad, A.; Rahman, M.A.

    2010-01-01

    A simple, low cost arsenic removal system was developed to treat arsenic contaminated ground water containing 425 +- 4.2 micro g/L arsenic. The system decontaminates arsenic from water by sorption through fine particles of waste materials (Coconut husk's ash, Refused brick dust, Stone dust and Waste newspaper) of multilayer. The treatment efficiency of the process was investigated under various operating conditions that might affect the sorption/ desorption of arsenic. Sorption column method shows the optimum removal of As(III) under the following conditions: initial As concentration (100 micro g/L), sorbent amount (4.0 g for brick dust, 3.0 g for stone dust, 3.0 g for Coconut husk's ash and 0.3 g for waste newspaper), particle size (<355 micro m), treatment flow rate (1.4 mL/min), optimum volume (100 mL) and pH (5.0). Desorption efficiencies with 2M of KOH after the treatment of groundwater were observed in the range of 78 +- 1.2% - 82 +- 1.4%. Average arsenic concentration of treated sample water was 8.30 +- 0.4 micro g/L which is below the WHO guideline value for Bangladesh. Different techniques were used to measure thirteen metals, four anions with pH, conductivity, and temperature to understand the status of other species before and after treatment. The average concentrations of other inorganic constituents of health concern (Cu, Mn, Pb, Cr and Fe) in treated water were below WHO guideline value for drinking water. The present study showed a new method for removal of as from ground water. (author)

  14. Perspectives of low cost arsenic remediation of drinking water in Pakistan and other countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malik, Amir Haider; Khan, Zahid Mehmood; Mahmood, Qaisar; Nasreen, Sadia; Bhatti, Zulfiqar Ahmed

    2009-08-30

    Arsenic concentrations above acceptable standards for drinking water have been detected in many countries and this should therefore is a global issue. The presence of arsenic in subsurface aquifers and drinking water systems is a potentially serious human health hazard. The current population growth in Pakistan and other developing countries will have direct bearing on the water sector for meeting the domestic, industrial and agricultural needs. Pakistan is about to exhaust its available water resources and is on the verge of becoming a water deficit country. Water pollution is a serious menace in Pakistan, as almost 70% of its surface waters as well as its groundwater reserves have contaminated by biological, organic and inorganic pollutants. In some areas of Pakistan, a number of shallow aquifers and tube wells are contaminated with arsenic at levels which are above the recommended USEPA arsenic level of 10 ppb (10 microg L(-1)). Adverse health effects including human mortality from drinking water are well documented and can be attributed to arsenic contamination. The present paper reviews appropriate and low cost methods for the elimination of arsenic from drinking waters. It is recommended that a combination of low cost chemical treatment like ion exchange, filtration and adsorption along with bioremediation may be useful option for arsenic removal from drinking water.

  15. Expression of arsenic resistance genes in the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a gut microbiome bacterium

    OpenAIRE

    Li, Jiaojiao; Mandal, Goutam; Rosen, Barry P.

    2016-01-01

    The response of the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a common human gut microbiota, to arsenic was determined. B. vulgatus ATCC 8482 is highly resistant to pentavalent As(V) and methylarsenate (MAs(V)). It is somewhat more sensitive to trivalent inorganic As(III) but 100-fold more sensitive to methylarsenite (MAs(III)) than to As(III). B. vulgatus ATCC 8482 has eight continuous genes in its genome that we demonstrate form an arsenical-inducible transcriptional unit. The first...

  16. Novel chitosan/PVA/zerovalent iron biopolymeric nanofibers with enhanced arsenic removal applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, Divya; Dwivedi, Jaya; Sankararamakrishnan, Nalini

    2014-01-01

    Enhanced removal application of both forms of inorganic arsenic from arsenic-contaminated aquifers at near-neutral pH was studied using a novel electrospun chitosan/PVA/zerovalent iron (CPZ) nanofibrous mat. CPZ was carefully examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Application of the adsorbent towards the removal of total inorganic arsenic in batch mode has also been studied. A suitable mechanism for the adsorption has also been discussed. CPZ nanofibers mat was found capable to remove 200.0±10.0 mg g(-1) of As(V) and 142.9±7.2 mg g(-1) of As(III) from aqueous solution of pH 7.0 at ambient condition. Addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) enabled the stability of iron in zerovalent state (ZVI). Enhanced capacity of the fibrous mat could be attributed to the high surface area of the fibers, presence of ZVI, and presence of functional groups such as amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups of the chitosan and EDTA. Both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were applicable to describe the removal process. The possible mechanism of adsorption has been explained in terms of electrostatic attraction between the protonated amino groups of chitosan/arsenate ions and oxidation of arsenite to arsenate by Fentons generated from ZVI and subsequent complexation of the arsenate with the oxidized iron. These CPZ nanofibrous mats has been prepared with environmentally benign naturally occurring biodegradable biopolymer chitosan, which offers unique advantage in the removal of arsenic from contaminated groundwater.

  17. Arsenic drinking water exposure and urinary excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meza, M.M.; Kopplin, M.J.; Burgess, J.L.; Gandolfi, A.J.

    2004-01-01

    The objective of this study was to determine arsenic exposure via drinking water and to characterize urinary arsenic excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2001 to May 2002. Study subjects were from the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico, residents of four towns with different arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. Arsenic exposure was estimated through water intake over 24 h. Arsenic excretion was assessed in the first morning void urine. Total arsenic concentrations and their species arsenate (As V), arsenite (As III), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) were determined by HPLC/ICP-MS. The town of Esperanza with the highest arsenic concentration in water had the highest daily mean intake of arsenic through drinking water, the mean value was 65.5 μg/day. Positive correlation between total arsenic intake by drinking water/day and the total arsenic concentration in urine (r=0.50, P<0.001) was found. Arsenic excreted in urine ranged from 18.9 to 93.8 μg/L. The people from Esperanza had the highest geometric mean value of arsenic in urine, 65.1 μg/L, and it was statistically significantly different from those of the other towns (P<0.005). DMA was the major arsenic species in urine (47.7-67.1%), followed by inorganic arsenic (16.4-25.4%), and MMA (7.5-15%). In comparison with other reports the DMA and MMA distribution was low, 47.7-55.6% and 7.5-9.7%, respectively, in the urine from the Yaqui Valley population (except the town of Cocorit). The difference in the proportion of urinary arsenic metabolites in those towns may be due to genetic polymorphisms in the As methylating enzymes of these populations

  18. Arsenic drinking water exposure and urinary excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meza, Maria Mercedes; Kopplin, Michael J; Burgess, Jefferey L; Gandolfi, A Jay

    2004-10-01

    The objective of this study was to determine arsenic exposure via drinking water and to characterize urinary arsenic excretion among adults in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2001 to May 2002. Study subjects were from the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico, residents of four towns with different arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. Arsenic exposure was estimated through water intake over 24 h. Arsenic excretion was assessed in the first morning void urine. Total arsenic concentrations and their species arsenate (As V), arsenite (As III), monomethyl arsenic (MMA), and dimethyl arsenic (DMA) were determined by HPLC/ICP-MS. The town of Esperanza with the highest arsenic concentration in water had the highest daily mean intake of arsenic through drinking water, the mean value was 65.5 microg/day. Positive correlation between total arsenic intake by drinking water/day and the total arsenic concentration in urine (r = 0.50, P < 0.001) was found. Arsenic excreted in urine ranged from 18.9 to 93.8 microg/L. The people from Esperanza had the highest geometric mean value of arsenic in urine, 65.1 microg/L, and it was statistically significantly different from those of the other towns (P < 0.005). DMA was the major arsenic species in urine (47.7-67.1%), followed by inorganic arsenic (16.4-25.4%), and MMA (7.5-15%). In comparison with other reports the DMA and MMA distribution was low, 47.7-55.6% and 7.5-9.7%, respectively, in the urine from the Yaqui Valley population (except the town of Cocorit). The difference in the proportion of urinary arsenic metabolites in those towns may be due to genetic polymorphisms in the As methylating enzymes of these populations.

  19. Arsenic: natural and anthropogenic

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Matschullat, Jörg; Deschamps, Eleonora

    2011-01-01

    .... Based on state-of-the-art investigations into the global arsenic cycle, the related human toxicology and available remediation technologies, it assesses arsenic in all the environmental compartments...

  20. Arsenic: it's extent of pollution and toxicosis: An animal perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tapan Kumar Das

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic poisoning is now considered as one of the biggest environmental disaster and a major public health issue. Incidence of arsenicpoisoning has been reported from many parts of the world. While Bangladesh and West Bengal (India account for the most of the incidence, occasional reports from Mexico, Taiwan and mainland China have also appeared.It is a natural metalloid found in low concentrations in virtually every part of the environment as it is used in a wide variety of industrial applications, from computers to fireworks. Ground water arsenic is the major source of poisoning in animals and human. About 80% of ingested arsenic is absorbed and metabolized in liver and then excreted through urine and faeces while upon chronic exposure, it is deposited in liver, kidney and skin. Human populations are also being exposed to this poison by consuming the milk of affected animal.Inorganic forms of arsenic are more toxic compared to organic forms. Acute toxicity is rare in nature in comparison to chronic toxicity, which is prevalent in contaminated areas. Most non-ruminants are more susceptible to intoxication than ruminants. Chronic exposure of arsenic in animals and human beings causes severe adverse effects in the form of lowered immunity, diseases and production performances. [Vet World 2013; 6(1.000: 53-58

  1. Levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in the branchial plate and muscle tissue of mobulid rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ooi, Michelle S.M.; Townsend, Kathy A.; Bennett, Michael B.; Richardson, Anthony J.; Fernando, Daniel; Villa, Cesar A.; Gaus, Caroline

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Branchial plate and muscle tissue from mobulid rays were analysed for certain metals. • Mean concentrations of cadmium in Mobula japanica were above the EC ML. • Mean inorganic arsenic concentration in Mobula japanica muscle equalled the FSANZ ML. • Mean concentration of lead in Manta alfredi muscle tissue exceeded EC and Codex MLs. • There were significant correlations between the types of tissues for some metals. - Abstract: Mobulid rays are targeted in fisheries for their branchial plates, for use in Chinese medicine. Branchial plate and muscle tissue from Mobula japanica were collected from fish markets in Sri Lanka, and muscle tissue biopsies from Manta alfredi in Australia. These were analysed for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury and compared to maximum levels (MLs) set by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), European Commission (EC) and Codex Alimentarius Commission. The estimated intake for a vulnerable human age group was compared to minimal risk levels set by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The mean inorganic arsenic concentration in M. japanica muscle was equivalent to the FSANZ ML while cadmium exceeded the EC ML. The mean concentration of lead in M. alfredi muscle tissue exceeded EC and Codex MLs. There were significant positive linear correlations between branchial plate and muscle tissue concentrations for arsenic, cadmium and lead

  2. Enhanced urinary bladder and liver carcinogenesis in male CD1 mice exposed to transplacental inorganic arsenic and postnatal diethylstilbestrol or tamoxifen

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waalkes, Michael P.; Liu Jie; Ward, Jerrold M.; Diwan, Bhalchandra A.

    2006-01-01

    Pregnant CD1 mice received 85 ppm arsenite in the drinking water from gestation day 8 to 18, groups (n = 35) of male offspring were subsequently injected on postpartum days 1 through 5 with diethylstilbestrol (DES; 2 μg/pup/day) or tamoxifen (TAM; 10 μg/pup/day), and tumor formation was assessed over 90 weeks. Arsenic alone increased hepatocellular carcinoma (14%), adenoma (23%) and total tumors (31%) compared to control (0, 2 and 2%, respectively). Arsenic alone also increased lung adenocarcinoma, adrenal cortical adenoma and renal cystic tubular hyperplasia compared to control. Compared to arsenic alone, arsenic plus DES increased liver tumor incidence in mice at risk 2.2-fold and increased liver tumor multiplicity (tumors/liver) 1.8-fold. The treatments alone did not impact urinary bladder carcinogenesis, but arsenic plus TAM significantly increased formation of urinary bladder transitional cell tumors (papilloma and carcinoma; 13%) compared to control (0%). Urinary bladder proliferative lesions (combined tumors and hyperplasia) were also increased by arsenic plus TAM (40%) or arsenic plus DES (43%) compared to control (0%) or the treatments alone. Urinary bladder proliferative lesions occurred in the absence of any evidence of uroepithelial cytotoxic lesions. Urinary bladder lesions and hepatocellular carcinoma induced by arsenic plus TAM and/or DES overexpressed estrogen receptor-α, indicating that aberrant estrogen signaling may have been a factor in the enhanced carcinogenic response. Thus, in male CD1 mice, gestational arsenic exposure alone induced liver adenoma and carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, adrenal adenoma and renal cystic hyperplasia. Furthermore, DES enhanced transplacental arsenic-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. In utero arsenic also initiated urinary bladder tumor formation when followed by postnatal TAM and uroepithelial proliferative lesions when followed by TAM or DES

  3. Advancing Dose-Response Assessment Methods for Environmental Regulatory Impact Analysis: A Bayesian Belief Network Approach Applied to Inorganic Arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zabinski, Joseph W; Garcia-Vargas, Gonzalo; Rubio-Andrade, Marisela; Fry, Rebecca C; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald

    2016-05-10

    Dose-response functions used in regulatory risk assessment are based on studies of whole organisms and fail to incorporate genetic and metabolomic data. Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) could provide a powerful framework for incorporating such data, but no prior research has examined this possibility. To address this gap, we develop a BBN-based model predicting birthweight at gestational age from arsenic exposure via drinking water and maternal metabolic indicators using a cohort of 200 pregnant women from an arsenic-endemic region of Mexico. We compare BBN predictions to those of prevailing slope-factor and reference-dose approaches. The BBN outperforms prevailing approaches in balancing false-positive and false-negative rates. Whereas the slope-factor approach had 2% sensitivity and 99% specificity and the reference-dose approach had 100% sensitivity and 0% specificity, the BBN's sensitivity and specificity were 71% and 30%, respectively. BBNs offer a promising opportunity to advance health risk assessment by incorporating modern genetic and metabolomic data.

  4. Speciation of arsenic in water, sediment, and plants of the Moira watershed, Canada, using HPLC coupled to high resolution ICP-MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Jian; Hintelmann, Holger; Dimock, Brian; Dzurko, Mark Stephen [Department of Chemistry, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, K9J 7B8, Peterborough, Ontario (Canada)

    2003-09-01

    High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with high-resolution sector field ICP-MS was applied to the speciation of arsenic in environmental samples collected from the Moira watershed, Ontario, Canada. Arsenic contamination in Moira River and Moira Lake from historic gold mine operations is of increasing environmental concern to the local community. In this study, the current arsenic contamination status in water, sediment, and plants was investigated. Elevated levels of arsenic in the surface water of up to 75 ng mL{sup -1} in Moira River and 50 ng mL{sup -1} in Moira Lake were detected, 98% of which was present as arsenate. High concentrations of arsenic (>300 ng mL{sup -1}), mainly present as arsenite, were detected in sediment porewaters. A sediment profile of As from the West basin of Moira Lake showed lower As concentrations compared with data from the 1990s. An optimized extraction procedure using a phosphoric acid-ascorbic acid mixture demonstrated that an unknown ''As-complex'' which may consist of As, sulfide and organic matter is potentially responsible for the release of arsenite from the sediment to the overlying water column. Arsenic concentrations in plant samples ranged from 2.6 to 117 mg kg{sup -1}, dry weight. Accumulation of arsenic was observed in submerged plants collected from Moira River and Moira Lake. Only a small part of the arsenic (6.3-16.1%) in the plants was extractable with methanol-water (9:1), and most of this arsenic (70-93%) was inorganic arsenic. A variety of organic arsenic compounds, including simple methylated compounds (methylarsonic acid and dimethylarsinic acid), trimethylarsine oxide, and tetramethylarsonium cation were detected at trace levels. No arsenobetaine and arsenocholine was found in any plant sample. An unknown compound, most probably an arsenosugar was detected in the two submerged plants, coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum) and long-stemmed waterwort (Elatine triandra). These

  5. Determination of As(III) and total inorganic As in water samples using an on-line solid phase extraction and flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sigrist, Mirna; Albertengo, Antonela; Beldomenico, Horacio; Tudino, Mabel

    2011-01-01

    A simple and robust on-line sequential injection system based on solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to a flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HGAAS) with a heated quartz tube atomizer (QTA) was developed and optimized for the determination of As(III) in groundwater without any kind of sample pretreatment. The method was based on the selective retention of inorganic As(V) that was carried out by passing the filtered original sample through a cartridge containing a chloride-form strong anion exchanger. Thus the most toxic form, inorganic As(III), was determined fast and directly by AsH 3 generation using 3.5 mol L -1 HCl as carrier solution and 0.35% (m/v) NaBH 4 in 0.025% NaOH as the reductant. Since the uptake of As(V) should be interfered by several anions of natural occurrence in waters, the effect of Cl - , SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , HPO 4 2- , HCO 3 - on retention was evaluated and discussed. The total soluble inorganic arsenic concentration was determined on aliquots of filtered samples acidified with concentrated HCl and pre-reduced with 5% KI-5% C 6 H 8 O 6 solution. The concentration of As(V) was calculated by difference between the total soluble inorganic arsenic and As(III) concentrations. Detection limits (LODs) of 0.5 μg L -1 and 0.6 μg L -1 for As(III) and inorganic total As, respectively, were obtained for a 500 μL sample volume. The obtained limits of detection allowed testing the water quality according to the national and international regulations. The analytical recovery for water samples spiked with As(III) ranged between 98% and 106%. The sampling throughput for As(III) determination was 60 samples h -1 . The device for groundwater sampling was especially designed for the authors. Metallic components were avoided and the contact between the sample and the atmospheric oxygen was carried to a minimum. On-field arsenic species separation was performed through the employ of a serial connection of membrane filters and

  6. 78 FR 18590 - Organic Arsenicals; Amendments to Terminate Uses; Amendment to Existing Stocks Provisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-27

    ... action for carcinogenic effects of inorganic arsenic. Because the peer review process has not yet... effect, EPA would make a written determination whether EPA believes that the science on the mode of... timely completion of the peer review process and EPA's written determination thereto. In light of a...

  7. The speciation of arsenic in seawater and marine species

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusof, A.M.; Ikhsan, Z.B.

    1994-01-01

    Dissolved inorganic arsenic species were determined in natural waters and selected marine species. Prior to irradiation by NAA samples were preconcentrated and the As(III) and As(V) species separated by APCDT-chloroform extraction. Marine samples were digested by microwave heating. Interpretation of data was achieved by comparing the ratio of As(III)/As(V) in the samples and correlating it with the prevailing environmental conditions. (author) 19 refs.; 1 fig.; 3 tabs

  8. Determinants and Consequences of Arsenic Metabolism Efficiency among 4,794 Individuals: Demographics, Lifestyle, Genetics, and Toxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jansen, Rick J; Argos, Maria; Tong, Lin; Li, Jiabei; Rakibuz-Zaman, Muhammad; Islam, Md Tariqul; Slavkovich, Vesna; Ahmed, Alauddin; Navas-Acien, Ana; Parvez, Faruque; Chen, Yu; Gamble, Mary V; Graziano, Joseph H; Pierce, Brandon L; Ahsan, Habibul

    2016-02-01

    Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs), a class I carcinogen, affects several hundred million people worldwide. Once absorbed, iAs is converted to monomethylated (MMA) and then dimethylated forms (DMA), with methylation facilitating urinary excretion. The abundance of each species in urine relative to their sum (iAs%, MMA%, and DMA%) varies across individuals, reflecting differences in arsenic metabolism capacity. The association of arsenic metabolism phenotypes with participant characteristics and arsenical skin lesions was characterized among 4,794 participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (Araihazar, Bangladesh). Metabolism phenotypes include those obtained from principal component (PC) analysis of arsenic species. Two independent PCs were identified: PC1 appears to represent capacity to produce DMA (second methylation step), and PC2 appears to represent capacity to convert iAs to MMA (first methylation step). PC1 was positively associated (P 4.32/AS3MT region polymorphisms were strongly associated with PC1, but not PC2. Patterns of association for most variables were similar for PC1 and DMA%, and for PC2 and MMA% with the exception of arsenic exposure and SNP associations. Two distinct arsenic metabolism phenotypes show unique associations with age, sex, BMI, 10q24.32 polymorphisms, and skin lesions. This work enhances our understanding of arsenic metabolism kinetics and toxicity risk profiles. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  9. Changes in serum thioredoxin among individuals chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yuanyuan; Gao, Yanhui; Zhao, Lijun [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Wei, Yudan [Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Macon 31207, GA (United States); Feng, Hongqi; Wang, Cheng; Wei, Wei; Ding, Yunpeng [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China); Sun, Dianjun, E-mail: hrbmusdj@163.com [Center for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Key Lab of Etiology and Epidemiology, Education Bureau of Hei Long Jiang Province and Ministry of Health (23618104), Harbin 150081 (China)

    2012-02-15

    It is well known that oxidative damage plays a key role in the development of chronic arsenicosis. There is a complex set of mechanisms of redox cycling in vivo to protect cells from the damage. In this study, we examined the differences in the levels of serum thioredoxin1 (TRX1) among individuals exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water and detected early biomarkers of arsenic poisoning before the appearance of skin lesions. A total of 157 subjects from endemic regions of China were selected and divided into arsenicosis group with skin lesions (total intake of arsenic: 8.68–45.71 mg-year) and non-arsenicosis group without skin lesions, which further divided into low (0.00–1.06 mg-year), medium (1.37–3.55 mg-year), and high (4.26–48.13 mg-year) arsenic exposure groups. Concentrations of serum TRX1 were analyzed by an ELISA method. Levels of water arsenic and urinary speciated arsenics, including inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), and dimethylated arsenic (DMA), were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Our results showed that the levels of serum TRX1 in arsenicosis patients were significantly higher than that of the subjects who were chronically exposed to arsenic, but without skin lesions. A positive correlation was seen between the levels of serum TRX1 and the total water arsenic intake or the levels of urinary arsenic species. The results of this study indicate that arsenic exposure could significantly change the levels of human serum TRX1, which can be detected before arsenic-specific dermatological symptoms occur. This study provides further evidence on revealing the mechanism of arsenic toxicity. -- Highlights: ► Three regions are selected as the areas affected by endemic arsenicosis of China. ► We first examine changes in serum TRX1 among individuals exposed to arsenic. ► A positive correlation was seen between serum TRX1 and total water arsenic intake. ► The same relationship

  10. Changes in serum thioredoxin among individuals chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yuanyuan; Gao, Yanhui; Zhao, Lijun; Wei, Yudan; Feng, Hongqi; Wang, Cheng; Wei, Wei; Ding, Yunpeng; Sun, Dianjun

    2012-01-01

    It is well known that oxidative damage plays a key role in the development of chronic arsenicosis. There is a complex set of mechanisms of redox cycling in vivo to protect cells from the damage. In this study, we examined the differences in the levels of serum thioredoxin1 (TRX1) among individuals exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water and detected early biomarkers of arsenic poisoning before the appearance of skin lesions. A total of 157 subjects from endemic regions of China were selected and divided into arsenicosis group with skin lesions (total intake of arsenic: 8.68–45.71 mg-year) and non-arsenicosis group without skin lesions, which further divided into low (0.00–1.06 mg-year), medium (1.37–3.55 mg-year), and high (4.26–48.13 mg-year) arsenic exposure groups. Concentrations of serum TRX1 were analyzed by an ELISA method. Levels of water arsenic and urinary speciated arsenics, including inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylated arsenic (MMA), and dimethylated arsenic (DMA), were determined by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. Our results showed that the levels of serum TRX1 in arsenicosis patients were significantly higher than that of the subjects who were chronically exposed to arsenic, but without skin lesions. A positive correlation was seen between the levels of serum TRX1 and the total water arsenic intake or the levels of urinary arsenic species. The results of this study indicate that arsenic exposure could significantly change the levels of human serum TRX1, which can be detected before arsenic-specific dermatological symptoms occur. This study provides further evidence on revealing the mechanism of arsenic toxicity. -- Highlights: ► Three regions are selected as the areas affected by endemic arsenicosis of China. ► We first examine changes in serum TRX1 among individuals exposed to arsenic. ► A positive correlation was seen between serum TRX1 and total water arsenic intake. ► The same relationship

  11. Removal of Arsenic from Groundwater with Low Cost Multilayer Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdus Samad

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available A simple, low cost arsenic removal system was developed to treat arsenic contaminated ground water containing 425 ± 4.2 µg/L arsenic. The system decontaminates arsenic from water by sorption through fine particles of waste materials (Coconut husk’s ash, Refused brick dust, Stone dust and Waste newspaper of multilayer. The treatment efficiency of the process was investigated under various operating conditions that might affect the sorption/ desorption of arsenic. Sorption column method shows the optimum removal of As(III under the following conditions: initial As concentration (100 µg/L, sorbent amount (4.0 g for brick dust, 3.0 g for stone dust, 3.0 g for Coconut husk’s ash and 0.3 g for waste newspaper, particle size (<355 µm, treatment flow rate (1.4 mL/min, optimum volume (100 mL and pH (5.0. Desorption efficiencies with 2M of KOH after the treatment of groundwater were observed in the range of 78 ± 1.2% - 82 ± 1.4%. Average arsenic concentration of treated sample water was 8.30 ± 0.4 µg/L which is below the WHO guideline value for Bangladesh. Different techniques were used to measure thirteen metals, four anions with pH, conductivity, and temperature to understand the status of other species before and after treatment. The average concentrations of other inorganic constituents of health concern (Cu, Mn, Pb, Cr and Fe in treated water were below WHO guideline value for drinking water. The present study showed a new method for removal of as from ground water.

  12. Arsenic induces diabetic effects through beta-cell dysfunction and increased gluconeogenesis in mice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Su; Guo, Xuechao; Wu, Bing; Yu, Haiyan; Zhang, Xuxiang; Li, Mei

    2014-11-01

    Arsenic as a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes has been received attention recently. However, the roles of arsenic on development of diabetes are unclear. In this study, we compared the influences of inorganic arsenic (iAs) on normal and diabetic mice by systems toxicology approaches. Although iAs exposure did not change glucose tolerance in normal mice, it caused the pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and increased gluconeogenesis and oxidative damages in liver. However, iAs exposure worsened the glucose tolerance in diabetic mice, which might be due to increased gluconeogenesis and impairment of pancreatic β-cell function. It is interesting that iAs exposure could improve the insulin sensitivity based on the insulin tolerance testing by the activation of glucose uptake-related genes and enzymes in normal and diabetic individuals. Our data suggested that iAs exposure could cause pre-diabetic effects by altering the lipid metabolism, gluconeogenesis and insulin secretion in normal individual, and worsen diabetic effects in diabetes individual by these processes. Insulin resistance might be not the reason of diabetic effects caused by iAs, indicating that mechanism of the diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure is different from the mechanism associated with traditional risk factors (such as obesity)-reduced type 2 diabetes.

  13. Arsenic induces diabetic effects through beta-cell dysfunction and increased gluconeogenesis in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Su; Guo, Xuechao; Wu, Bing; Yu, Haiyan; Zhang, Xuxiang; Li, Mei

    2014-11-04

    Arsenic as a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes has been received attention recently. However, the roles of arsenic on development of diabetes are unclear. In this study, we compared the influences of inorganic arsenic (iAs) on normal and diabetic mice by systems toxicology approaches. Although iAs exposure did not change glucose tolerance in normal mice, it caused the pancreatic β-cell dysfunction and increased gluconeogenesis and oxidative damages in liver. However, iAs exposure worsened the glucose tolerance in diabetic mice, which might be due to increased gluconeogenesis and impairment of pancreatic β-cell function. It is interesting that iAs exposure could improve the insulin sensitivity based on the insulin tolerance testing by the activation of glucose uptake-related genes and enzymes in normal and diabetic individuals. Our data suggested that iAs exposure could cause pre-diabetic effects by altering the lipid metabolism, gluconeogenesis and insulin secretion in normal individual, and worsen diabetic effects in diabetes individual by these processes. Insulin resistance might be not the reason of diabetic effects caused by iAs, indicating that mechanism of the diabetogenic effects of iAs exposure is different from the mechanism associated with traditional risk factors (such as obesity)-reduced type 2 diabetes.

  14. A broad view of arsenic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, F T

    2007-01-01

    In the mind of the general public, the words "arsenic" and "poison" have become almost synonymous. Yet, As is a natural metallic element found in low concentrations in virtually every part of the environment, including foods. Mining and smelting activities are closely associated with As, and the largest occurrence of As contamination in the United States is near the gold mines of northern Nevada. Inhabitants of Bangladesh and surrounding areas have been exposed to water that is naturally and heavily contaminated with As, causing what the World Health Organization has described as the worst mass poisoning in history. Although readily absorbed by humans, most inorganic As (>90%) is rapidly cleared from the blood with a half-life of 1 to 2 h, and 40 to 70% of the As intake is absorbed, metabolized, and excreted within 48 h. Arsenic does not appreciably bioaccumulate, nor does it biomagnify in the food chain. The United States has for some time purchased more As than any other country in the world, but As usage is waning, and further reductions appear likely. Arsenic is used in a wide variety of industrial applications, from computers to fireworks. All feed additives used in US poultry feeds must meet the strict requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine (Rockville, MD) before use. Although some public health investigators have identified poultry products as a potentially significant source of total As exposure for Americans, studies consistently demonstrate that perception issue.

  15. Dynamics of arsenic-containing compounds' sorption on sediments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reczynski, W.; Posmyk, G.; Nowak, K. [AGH Univ. of Science and Technology, Faculty of Material Science and Ceramics, Dept. of Analytical Chemistry, Krakow (Poland)

    2004-07-01

    River and lake sediments constitute complex and difficult analytical samples. On the other hand, sediments play a fundamental role in the distribution of toxic compounds in aquatic systems and in the evaluation of the current state and the course of changes taking place in the environment. Among elements present in the environment in trace concentrations, but having well-elaborated toxic properties, one of most dangerous is arsenic. The element occurs in the environment in several chemical forms, predominant are inorganic forms of As(V) and As(III), and methylated forms such as monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA). Objectives. Reported herein are experiments, which were undertaken with the aim of examining the dynamics of arsenic sorption in sediments and its dependence on speciation of the element and the pH in the environment. Simultaneously, influence of organic matter content and chemical composition of the sediments on As sorption, were investigated. Methods. Sediment samples (upper 10 cm layer) were collected from three sites located in the vicinity of Cracow: Rudawa river - 37 km long river, flowing mainly through the suburban area; Vistula river - heavily contaminated, main Polish river; Dobczyce reservoir - artificial reservoir on Raba river, total capacity of 125,000,000 m{sup 3}, supplying about 60% of drinking water to the of Cracow. Using XRD and IR methods, mineral composition of sediments was analysed. Concentrations of iron, manganese, aluminium and arsenic as well as organic matter content in solid samples were analysed. Examined sediments of Vistula river and Dobczyce lake were characterised by relatively high concentrations of arsenic, iron, manganese and aluminium. Rudawa river. At pH 3, the concentration of inorganic As in solution decreased from an initial value of 0.049 {mu}g/ml to 0.012 {mu}g/ml in 7.5 hours time. The same decreasing tendency was found at pH 5 (initial value 0.046 {mu}g/ml, after 7.5 hours - 0

  16. The contribution of microbial mats to the arsenic geochemistry of an ancient gold mine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drewniak, Lukasz; Maryan, Natalia; Lewandowski, Wiktor; Kaczanowski, Szymon; Sklodowska, Aleksandra

    2012-01-01

    The ancient Zloty Stok (SW Poland) gold mine is such an environment, where different microbial communities, able to utilize inorganic arsenic species As(III) and As(V), are found. The purpose of the present study was to (i) estimate prokaryotic diversity in the microbial mats in bottom sediments of this gold mine, (ii) identify microorganisms that can metabolize arsenic, and (iii) estimate their potential role in the arsenic geochemistry of the mine and in the environment. The oxidation/reduction experiments showed that the microbial mat community may significantly contribute to arsenic contamination in groundwater. The presence of both arsenite oxidizing and dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the mat was confirmed by the detection of arsenite oxidase and dissimilatory arsenate reductase genes, respectively. This work also demonstrated that microorganisms utilizing other compounds that naturally co-occur with arsenic are present within the microbial mat community and may contribute to the arsenic geochemistry in the environment. - Highlights: ► The microbial mats from this ancient gold mine are highly diverse community. ► As(III) oxidizing and As(V) reducing bacteria are present in the mats. ► As redox transformations are linked to the metabolism of microbial mats bacteria. ► Microbial mats play a crucial role in the As biogeochemical cycle within the mine. - The microbial mats from this ancient gold mine can mediate oxidation/reduction reaction of arsenic and in this way may significantly contribute to arsenic contamination in groundwater.

  17. Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Vivien F.; Jackson, Brian P.; Siegfried, Matthew R.; Navratilova, Jana; Francesconi, Kevin A.; Kirshtein, Julie; Voytek, Mary

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic concentration and speciation were determined in benthic fauna collected from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents. The shrimp species, Rimicaris exoculata, the vent chimney-dwelling mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus, Branchipolynoe seepensis, a commensal worm of B. azoricus and the gastropod Peltospira smaragdina showed variations in As concentration and in stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) signature between species, suggesting different sources of As uptake. Arsenic speciation showed arsenobetaine to be the dominant species in R. exoculata, whereas in B. azoricus and B. seepensis arsenosugars were most abundant, although arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinate and inorganic arsenic were also observed, along with several unidentified species. Scrape samples from outside the vent chimneys covered with microbial mat, which is a presumed food source for many vent organisms, contained high levels of total As, but organic species were not detectable. The formation of arsenosugars in pelagic environments is typically attributed to marine algae, and the pathway to arsenobetaine is still unknown. The occurrence of arsenosugars and arsenobetaine in these deep sea organisms, where primary production is chemolithoautotrophic and stable isotope analyses indicate food sources are of vent origin, suggests that organic arsenicals can occur in a foodweb without algae or other photosynthetic life.

  18. Arsenic speciation in food chains from mid-Atlantic hydrothermal vents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Vivien F; Jackson, Brian P; Siegfried, Matthew; Navratilova, Jana; Francesconi, Kevin A; Kirshtein, Julie; Voytek, Mary

    2012-05-04

    Arsenic concentration and speciation were determined in benthic fauna collected from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents. The shrimp species, Rimicaris exoculata , the vent chimney-dwelling mussel, Bathymodiolus azoricus , Branchipolynoe seepensis , a commensal worm of B. azoricus , and the gastropod Peltospira smaragdina showed variations in As concentration and in stable isotope (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) signature between species, suggesting different sources of As uptake. Arsenic speciation showed arsenobetaine to be the dominant species in R. exoculata , whereas in B. azoricus and B. seepensis arsenosugars were most abundant, although arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinate, and inorganic arsenic were also observed, along with several unidentified species. Scrape samples from outside the vent chimneys, covered with microbial mat, which is a presumed food source for many vent organisms, contained high levels of total As, but organic species were not detectable. The formation of arsenosugars in pelagic environments is typically attributed to marine algae, and the pathway to arsenobetaine is still unknown. The occurrence of arsenosugars and arsenobetaine in these deep sea organisms, where primary production is chemolithoautotrophic and stable isotope analyses indicate food sources are of vent origin, suggests that organic arsenicals can occur in a food web without algae or other photosynthetic life.

  19. Genome-wide DNA methylation reprogramming in response to inorganic arsenic links inhibition of CTCF binding, DNMT expression and cellular transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rea, Matthew; Eckstein, Meredith; Eleazer, Rebekah; Smith, Caroline; Fondufe-Mittendorf, Yvonne N.

    2017-02-01

    Chronic low dose inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure leads to changes in gene expression and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transformation. During this transformation, cells adopt a fibroblast-like phenotype accompanied by profound gene expression changes. While many mechanisms have been implicated in this transformation, studies that focus on the role of epigenetic alterations in this process are just emerging. DNA methylation controls gene expression in physiologic and pathologic states. Several studies show alterations in DNA methylation patterns in iAs-mediated pathogenesis, but these studies focused on single genes. We present a comprehensive genome-wide DNA methylation analysis using methyl-sequencing to measure changes between normal and iAs-transformed cells. Additionally, these differential methylation changes correlated positively with changes in gene expression and alternative splicing. Interestingly, most of these differentially methylated genes function in cell adhesion and communication pathways. To gain insight into how genomic DNA methylation patterns are regulated during iAs-mediated carcinogenesis, we show that iAs probably targets CTCF binding at the promoter of DNA methyltransferases, regulating their expression. These findings reveal how CTCF binding regulates DNA methyltransferase to reprogram the methylome in response to an environmental toxin.

  20. Combinatorial effects of zinc deficiency and arsenic exposure on zebrafish (Danio rerio development.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura M Beaver

    Full Text Available Zinc deficiency and chronic low level exposures to inorganic arsenic in drinking water are both significant public health concerns that affect millions of people including pregnant women. These two conditions can co-exist in the human population but little is known about their interaction, and in particular, whether zinc deficiency sensitizes individuals to arsenic exposure and toxicity, especially during critical windows of development. To address this, we utilized the Danio rerio (zebrafish model to test the hypothesis that parental zinc deficiency sensitizes the developing embryo to low-concentration arsenic toxicity, leading to altered developmental outcomes. Adult zebrafish were fed defined zinc deficient and zinc adequate diets and were spawned resulting in zinc adequate and zinc deficient embryos. The embryos were treated with environmentally relevant concentrations of 0, 50, and 500 ppb arsenic. Arsenic exposure significantly reduced the amount of zinc in the developing embryo by ~7%. The combination of zinc deficiency and low-level arsenic exposures did not sensitize the developing embryo to increased developmental malformations or mortality. The combination did cause a 40% decline in physical activity of the embryos, and this decline was significantly greater than what was observed with zinc deficiency or arsenic exposure alone. Significant changes in RNA expression of genes that regulate zinc homeostasis, response to oxidative stress and insulin production (including zip1, znt7, nrf2, ogg1, pax4, and insa were found in zinc deficient, or zinc deficiency and arsenic exposed embryos. Overall, the data suggests that the combination of zinc deficiency and arsenic exposure has harmful effects on the developing embryo and may increase the risk for developing chronic diseases like diabetes.

  1. Direct speciation analysis of arsenic in sub-cellular compartments using micro-X-ray absorption spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacquart, Thomas; Deves, Guillaume; Ortega, Richard

    2010-01-01

    Identification of arsenic chemical species at a sub-cellular level is a key to understanding the mechanisms involved in arsenic toxicology and antitumor pharmacology. When performed with a microbeam, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (μ-XANES) enables the direct speciation analysis of arsenic in sub-cellular compartments avoiding cell fractionation and other preparation steps that might modify the chemical species. This methodology couples tracking of cellular organelles in a single cell by confocal or epifluorescence microscopy with local analysis of chemical species by μ-XANES. Here we report the results obtained with a μ-XANES experimental setup based on Kirkpatrick-Baez X-ray focusing optics that maintains high flux of incoming radiation (>10 11 ph/s) at micrometric spatial resolution (1.5x4.0 μm 2 ). This original experimental setup enabled the direct speciation analysis of arsenic in sub-cellular organelles with a 10 -15 g detection limit. μ-XANES shows that inorganic arsenite, As(OH) 3 , is the main form of arsenic in the cytosol, nucleus, and mitochondrial network of cultured cancer cells exposed to As 2 O 3 . On the other hand, a predominance of As(III) species is observed in HepG2 cells exposed to As(OH) 3 with, in some cases, oxidation to a pentavalent form in nuclear structures of HepG2 cells. The observation of intra-nuclear mixed redox states suggests an inter-individual variability in a cell population that can only be evidenced with direct sub-cellular speciation analysis.

  2. Identification of an S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) dependent arsenic methyltransferase in Danio rerio

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamdi, Mohamad [Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309 (United States); Yoshinaga, Masafumi; Packianathan, Charles; Qin, Jie [Department of Cellular Biology and Pharmacology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, FL33199 (United States); Hallauer, Janell; McDermott, Joseph R. [Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309 (United States); Yang, Hung-Chi [Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Sciences, Chang-Gung University, Tao-Yuan, Kwei-San 333, Taiwan (China); Tsai, Kan-Jen [School of Medical Laboratory and Biotechnology, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Liu, Zijuan, E-mail: liu2345@oakland.edu [Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309 (United States)

    2012-07-15

    Arsenic methylation is an important cellular metabolic process that modulates arsenic toxicity and carcinogenicity. Biomethylation of arsenic produces a series of mono-, di- and tri-methylated arsenic metabolites that can be detected in tissues and excretions. Here we report that zebrafish exposed to arsenite (As{sup III}) produces organic arsenicals, including MMA{sup III}, MMA{sup V} and DMA{sup V} with characteristic tissue ratios, demonstrating that an arsenic methylation pathway exists in zebrafish. In mammals, cellular inorganic arsenic is methylated by a SAM-dependent arsenic methyltransferase, AS3MT. A zebrafish arsenic methyltransferase homolog, As3mt, was identified by sequence alignment. Western blotting analysis showed that As3mt was universally expressed in zebrafish tissues. Prominent expression in liver and intestine correlated with methylated arsenic metabolites detected in those tissues. As3mt was expressed in and purified from Escherichia coli for in vitro functional studies. Our results demonstrated that As3mt methylated As{sup III} to DMA{sup V} as an end product and produced MMA{sup III} and MMA{sup V} as intermediates. The activity of As3mt was inhibited by elevated concentrations of the substrate As{sup III} as well as the metalloid selenite, which is a well-known antagonistic micronutrient of arsenic toxicity. The activity As3mt was abolished by substitution of either Cys160 or Cys210, which corresponds to conserved cysteine residues in AS3MT homologs, suggesting that they are involved in catalysis. Expression in zebrafish of an enzyme that has a similar function to human and rodent orthologs in catalyzing intracellular arsenic biomethylation validates the applicability of zebrafish as a valuable vertebrate model for understanding arsenic-associated diseases in humans. -- Highlights: ► Zebrafish methylated As{sup III} to MMA{sup III}, MMA{sup V} and DMA{sup V}. ► A zebrafish arsenic methyltransferase (As3mt) was purified in E. coli.

  3. Severe systemic toxicity and urinary bladder cytotoxicity and regenerative hyperplasia induced by arsenite in arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase knockout mice. A preliminary report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokohira, Masanao; Arnold, Lora L.; Pennington, Karen L.; Suzuki, Shugo; Kakiuchi-Kiyota, Satoko; Herbin-Davis, Karen; Thomas, David J.; Cohen, Samuel M.

    2010-01-01

    Arsenic (+ 3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (As3mt) catalyzes reactions which convert inorganic arsenic to methylated metabolites. This study determined whether the As3mt null genotype in the mouse modifies cytotoxic and proliferative effects seen in urinary bladders of wild type mice after exposure to inorganic arsenic. Female wild type C57BL/6 mice and As3mt KO mice were divided into 3 groups each (n = 8) with free access to a diet containing 0, 100 or 150 ppm of arsenic as arsenite (As III ). During the first week of As III exposure, As3mt KO mice exhibited severe and lethal systemic toxicity. At termination, urinary bladders of both As3mt KO and wild type mice showed hyperplasia by light microscopy. As expected, arsenic-containing granules were found in the superficial urothelial layer of wild type mice. In As3mt KO mice these granules were present in all layers of the bladder epithelium and were more abundant and larger than in wild type mice. Scanning electron microscopy of the bladder urothelium of As3mt KO mice treated with 100 ppm As III showed extensive superficial necrosis and hyperplastic changes. In As3mt KO mice, livers showed severe acute inflammatory changes and spleen size and lymphoid areas were decreased compared with wild type mice. Thus, diminished arsenic methylation in As3mt KO mice exacerbates systemic toxicity and the effects of As III on the bladder epithelium, showing that altered kinetic and dynamic behavior of arsenic can affect its toxicity.

  4. Engineered coryneform bacteria as a bio-tool for arsenic remediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villadangos, Almudena F; Ordóñez, Efrén; Pedre, Brandán; Messens, Joris; Gil, Jose A; Mateos, Luis M

    2014-12-01

    Despite current remediation efforts, arsenic contamination in water sources is still a major health problem, highlighting the need for new approaches. In this work, strains of the nonpathogenic and highly arsenic-resistant bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum were used as inexpensive tools to accumulate inorganic arsenic, either as arsenate (As(V)) or arsenite (As(III)) species. The assays made use of "resting cells" from these strains, which were assessed under well-established conditions and compared with C. glutamicum background controls. The two mutant As(V)-accumulating strains were those used in a previously published study: (i) ArsC1/C2, in which the gene/s encoding the mycothiol-dependent arsenate reductases is/are disrupted, and (ii) MshA/C mutants unable to produce mycothiol, the low molecular weight thiol essential for arsenate reduction. The As(III)-accumulating strains were either those lacking the arsenite permease activities (Acr3-1 and Acr3-2) needed in As(III) release or recombinant strains overexpressing the aquaglyceroporin genes (glpF) from Corynebacterium diphtheriae or Streptomyces coelicolor, to improve As(III) uptake. Both genetically modified strains accumulated 30-fold more As(V) and 15-fold more As(III) than the controls. The arsenic resistance of the modified strains was inversely proportional to their metal accumulation ability. Our results provide the basis for investigations into the use of these modified C. glutamicum strains as a new bio-tool in arsenic remediation efforts.

  5. Neurological and neurophysiological examinations of workers exposed to arsenic levels exceeding hygiene standards

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halina Sińczuk-Walczak

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The assessment of the neurotoxic effect of arsenic (As and its inorganic compounds is still the subject of interest due to a growing As application in a large array of technologies and the need to constantly verify the principles of prevention and technological parameters. The aim of this study was to determine the status of the nervous system (NS in workers exposed to As at concentrations exceeding hygiene standards (Threshold Limit Values (TLV – 10 μg/m3, Biological Exposure Index (BEI – 35 μg/l and to analyze the relationship between the NS functional state, species of As in urine and As levels in the workplace air. Material and Methods: The study group comprised 21 men (mean age: 47.43±7.59 employed in a copper smelting factory (mean duration of employment: 22.29±11.09. The control group comprised 16 men, matched by age and work shifts. Arsenic levels in the workplace air (As-A ranged from 0.7 to 92.3 μg/m3; (M = 25.18±28.83. The concentration of total arsenic in urine (Astot-U ranged from 17.35 to 434.68 μg/l (M = 86.82±86.6. Results: Syndrome of peripheral nervous system (PNS was manifested by extremity fatigue (28.6%, extremity pain (33.3% and paresthesia in the lower extremities (33.3%, as well as by neuropathy-type mini-symptoms (23.8%. Electroneurographic (ENeG tests of peroneal nerves showed significantly decreased response amplitude with normal values of motor conduction velocity (MCV. Stimulation of sural nerves revealed a significantly slowed sensory conduction velocity (SCV and decreased sensory potential amplitude. Neurophysiological parameters and the results of biological and environmental monitoring showed a relationship between Astot, AsIII (trivalent arsenic, the sum of iAs (AsIII+AsV (pentavalent arsenic+MMA (monomethylarsonic acid concentration in urine and As levels in the air. Conclusions: The results of the study demonstrate that occupational exposure to inorganic arsenic levels exceeding hygiene

  6. Application of granular ferric hydroxides for removal elevated concentrations of arsenic from mine waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szlachta, Małgorzata; Włodarczyk, Paweł; Wójtowicz, Patryk

    2015-04-01

    Arsenic is naturally occurring element in the environment. Over three hundred minerals are known to contain some form of arsenic and among them arsenopyrite is the most common one. Arsenic-bearing minerals are frequently associated with ores containing mined metals such as copper, tin, nickel, lead, uranium, zinc, cobalt, platinum and gold. In the aquatic environment arsenic is typically present in inorganic forms, mainly in two oxidation states (+5, +3). As(III) is dominant in more reduced conditions, whereas As(V) is mostly present in an oxidizing environment. However, due to certain human activities the elevated arsenic levels in aquatic ecosystems are arising to a serious environmental problem. High arsenic concentrations found in surface and groundwaters, in some regions originate from mining activities and ore processing. Therefore, the major concern of mining industry is to maintain a good quality of effluents discharged in large volumes. This requires constant monitoring of effluents quality that guarantee the efficient protection of the receiving waters and reacting to possible negative impact of contamination on local communities. A number of proven technologies are available for arsenic removal from waters and wastewaters. In the presented work special attention is given to the adsorption method as a technically feasible, commonly applied and effective technique for the treatment of arsenic rich mine effluents. It is know that arsenic has a strong affinity towards iron rich materials. Thus, in this study the granular ferric hydroxides (CFH 12, provided by Kemira Oyj, Finland) was applied to remove As(III) and As(V) from aqueous solutions. The batch adsorption experiments were carried out to assess the efficiency of the tested Fe-based material under various operating parameters, including composition of treated water, solution pH and temperature. The results obtained from the fixed bed adsorption tests demonstrated the benefits of applying granular

  7. HPLC-HG-AFS determination of arsenic species in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) plasma and blood cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Meihua; Wang, Wenjing; Hai, Xin; Zhou, Jin

    2017-10-25

    Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been successfully used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). To clarify the arsenic species in APL patients, high performance liquid chromatography-hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS) and HG-AFS methods were developed and validated to quantify the plasma concentrations of inorganic arsenic (As(III) and As(V)) and methylated metabolites (MMA and DMA), and the total amounts of arsenic in blood cells and plasma. Blood cells and plasma were digested with mixtures of HNO 3 H 2 O 2 and analyzed by HG-AFS. For arsenic speciation, plasma samples were prepared with perchloric acid to precipitate protein. The supernatant was separated on an anion-exchange column within 6min with isocratic elution using 13mM CH 3 COONa, 3mM NaH 2 PO 4 , 4mM KNO 3 and 0.2mM EDTA-2Na. The methods provided linearity range of 0.2-20ng/mL for total arsenic and 2.0-50ng/mL for four arsenic species. The developed methods for total arsenic and arsenic species determination were precise and accurate. The spiked recoveries ranged from 81.2%-108.6% and the coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-batch precision were less than 9.3% and 12.5%, respectively. The developed methods were applied successfully for the assay of total arsenic and arsenic species in 5 APL patients. The HPLC-HG-AFS may be a good alternative for arsenic species determination in APL patients with its simplicity and low-cost in comparison with HPLC-ICP-MS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Distribution and Excretion of Arsenic Metabolites after Oral Administration of Seafood-Related Organoarsenicals in Rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yayoi Kobayashi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Less information is available on the metabolism of organic arsenicals compared to inorganic arsenic in mammals. In the present study, we investigated tissue distribution, metabolism and excretion in rats of organoarsenicals, dimethylarsinic acid (DMAV, arsenobetaine (AB, arsenocholine (AC and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAOV. Among these animals, arsenic concentrations in red blood cells (RBCs and spleen increased remarkably only in the DMAV group. Hepatic arsenic concentration increased significantly only in the AC group. Approximately 17%, 72% and 60% of the dose was excreted in urine in two days in the DMAV, AB and AC groups, respectively; virtually the entire dose was excreted in urine in one day in the TMAOV group. On the other hand, approximately 18%, 0.2%, 0.5% and 0.1% of the dose was excreted in feces in two days in the DMAV, AB, AC and TMAOV groups, respectively. A large amount of arsenic was accumulated in RBCs in the form of protein-bound dimethylarsinous acid (DMAIII, and dimethylmonothioarsinic acid (DMMTAV, a reportedly toxic thio-arsenical, was found in urine and fecal extract in the DMAV group. These results suggest that intake of DMAV is a potential health hazard, given that the metabolites of DMAV, such as DMAIII and DMMTAV, are known to be highly toxic.

  9. Neurological effects of inorganic arsenic exposure: altered cysteine/glutamate transport, NMDA expression and spatial memory impairment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucio A Ramos-Chávez

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Inorganic arsenic (iAs is an important natural pollutant. Millions of individuals worldwide drink water with high levels of iAs. Chronic exposure to iAs has been associated with lower IQ and learning disabilities as well as memory impairment. iAs is methylated in tissues such as the brain generating mono and dimethylated species. iAs methylation requires cellular glutathione (GSH, which is the main antioxidant in the central nervous system. In humans, As species cross the placenta and are found in cord blood. A CD1 mouse model was used to investigate effects of gestational iAs exposure which can lead to oxidative damage, disrupted cysteine/glutamate transport and its putative impact in learning and memory. On postnatal days (PNDs 1, 15 and 90, the expression of membrane transporters related to GSH synthesis and glutamate transport and toxicity, such as xCT, EAAC1, GLAST and GLT1, as well as LAT1, were analyzed. Also, the expression of the glutamate receptor N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDAR subunits NR2A and B as well as the presence of As species in cortex and hippocampus were investigated. On PND 90, an object location task was performed to associate exposure with memory impairment. Gestational exposure to iAs affected the expression of cysteine/glutamate transporters in cortex and hippocampus and induced a negative modulation of NMDAR NR2B subunit in the hippocampus. Behavioral tasks showed significant spatial memory impairment in males while the effect was marginal in females.

  10. Individual differences in arsenic metabolism and lung cancer in a case-control study in Cordoba, Argentina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steinmaus, Craig; Yuan Yan; Kalman, Dave; Rey, Omar A.; Skibola, Christine F.; Dauphine, Dave; Basu, Anamika; Porter, Kristin E.; Hubbard, Alan; Bates, Michael N.; Smith, Martyn T.; Smith, Allan H.

    2010-01-01

    In humans, ingested inorganic arsenic is metabolized to monomethylarsenic (MMA) then to dimethylarsenic (DMA), although in most people this process is not complete. Previous studies have identified associations between the proportion of urinary MMA (%MMA) and increased risks of several arsenic-related diseases, although none of these reported on lung cancer. In this study, urinary arsenic metabolites were assessed in 45 lung cancer cases and 75 controls from arsenic-exposed areas in Cordoba, Argentina. Folate has also been linked to arsenic-disease susceptibility, thus an exploratory assessment of associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms in folate metabolizing genes, arsenic methylation, and lung cancer was also conducted. In analyses limited to subjects with metabolite concentrations above detection limits, the mean %MMA was higher in cases than in controls (17.5% versus 14.3%, p = 0.01). The lung cancer odds ratio for subjects with %MMA in the upper tertile compared to those in the lowest tertile was 3.09 (95% CI, 1.08-8.81). Although the study size was too small for a definitive conclusion, there was an indication that lung cancer risks might be highest in those with a high %MMA who also carried cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) rs234709 and rs4920037 variant alleles. This study is the first to report an association between individual differences in arsenic metabolism and lung cancer, a leading cause of arsenic-related mortality. These results add to the increasing body of evidence that variation in arsenic metabolism plays an important role in arsenic-disease susceptibility.

  11. Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fatmi, Zafar; Azam, Iqbal; Ahmed, Faiza; Kazi, Ambreen; Gill, Albert Bruce; Kadir, Muhmmad Masood; Ahmed, Mubashir; Ara, Naseem; Janjua, Naveed Zafar

    2009-01-01

    A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons ≥15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographical distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software.The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among ≥15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI 2 . Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river.This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan. Further investigations and

  12. Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fatmi, Zafar, E-mail: zafar.fatmi@aku.edu [Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi (Pakistan); Azam, Iqbal; Ahmed, Faiza; Kazi, Ambreen; Gill, Albert Bruce; Kadir, Muhmmad Masood; Ahmed, Mubashir; Ara, Naseem; Janjua, Naveed Zafar [Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi (Pakistan)

    2009-07-15

    A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons {>=}15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographical distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software.The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among {>=}15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI <18.5 kg/m{sup 2}. Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river.This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan. Further

  13. Health burden of skin lesions at low arsenic exposure through groundwater in Pakistan. Is river the source?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fatmi, Zafar; Azam, Iqbal; Ahmed, Faiza; Kazi, Ambreen; Gill, Albert Bruce; Kadir, Muhmmad Masood; Ahmed, Mubashir; Ara, Naseem; Janjua, Naveed Zafar

    2009-07-01

    A significant proportion of groundwater in south Asia is contaminated with arsenic. Pakistan has low levels of arsenic in groundwater compared with China, Bangladesh and India. A representative multi-stage cluster survey conducted among 3874 persons > or = 15 years of age to determine the prevalence of arsenic skin lesions, its relation with arsenic levels and cumulative arsenic dose in drinking water in a rural district (population: 1.82 million) in Pakistan. Spot-urine arsenic levels were compared among individuals with and without arsenic skin lesions. In addition, the relation of age, body mass index, smoking status with arsenic skin lesions was determined. The geographical distribution of the skin lesions and arsenic-contaminated wells in the district were ascertained using global positioning system. The total arsenic, inorganic and organic forms, in water and spot-urine samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The prevalence of skin lesions of arsenic was estimated for complex survey design, using surveyfreq and surveylogistic options of SAS 9.1 software.The prevalence of definitive cases i.e. hyperkeratosis of both palms and soles, was 3.4 per 1000 and suspected cases i.e. any sign of arsenic skin lesions (melanosis and/or keratosis), were 13.0 per 1000 among > or = 15-year-old persons in the district. Cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) was calculated from levels of arsenic in water and duration of use of current drinking water source. Prevalence of skin lesions increases with cumulative arsenic exposure (dose) in drinking water and arsenic levels in urine. Skin lesions were 2.5-fold among individuals with BMI <18.5 kg/m2. Geographically, more arsenic-contaminated wells and skin lesions were alongside Indus River, suggests a strong link between arsenic contamination of groundwater with proximity to river.This is the first reported epidemiological and clinical evidence of arsenic skin lesions due to groundwater in Pakistan. Further

  14. Root carbon input in organic and inorganic fertilizer-based systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chirinda, Ngoni; Olesen, Jørgen E; Porter, John

    2012-01-01

    C input to remain scant. This study aimed at determining macro-root C input and topsoil root related respiration in response to nutrient management and soil fertility building measures. Methods We sampled roots and shoots of cereals and catch crops in inorganic and organic fertilizer-based arable...... season of winter wheat by subtracting soil respiration from soil with and without exclusion of roots. Results Catch crop roots accounted for more than 40 % of total plant C. For spring barley in 2008 and spring wheat in 2010, root C was higher in the organic than in the inorganic fertilizer-based systems...... was higher (31–131 %) in inorganic than in organic fertilizer-based systems. Conclusions Our findings show that macro-roots of both cereal crops and catch crops play a relatively larger role in organically managed systems than in mineral fertilizer based systems; and that the use of fixed biomass S/R ratios...

  15. Epidemiology of chronic disease related to arsenic in Argentina: A systematic review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardach, Ariel Esteban; Ciapponi, Agustin; Soto, Natalie; Chaparro, Martin R.; Calderon, Maria; Briatore, Agustina; Cadoppi, Norma; Tassara, Roberto; Litter, Marta I.

    2015-01-01

    Four million people in Argentina are exposed to arsenic contamination from drinking waters of several center-northern provinces. A systematic review to examine the geographical distribution of arsenic-related diseases in Argentina was conducted, searching electronic databases and gray literature up to November 2013. Key informants were also contacted. Of the 430 references identified, 47 (mostly cross-sectional and ecological designs) referred to arsenic concentration in water and its relationship with the incidence and mortality of cancer, dermatological diseases and genetic disorders. A high percentage of the water samples had arsenic concentrations above the WHO threshold value of 10 μg/L, especially in the province of Buenos Aires. The median prevalence of arsenicosis was 2.6% in exposed areas. The proportion of skin cancer in patients with arsenicosis reached 88% in case-series from the Buenos Aires province. We found higher incidence rate ratios per 100 μg/L increment in inorganic arsenic concentration for colorectal, lung, breast, prostate and skin cancer, for both genders. Liver and skin cancer mortality risk ratios were higher in regions with medium/high concentrations than in those with low concentrations. The relative risk of mortality by skin cancer associated to arsenic exposure in the province of Buenos Aires ranged from 2.5 to 5.2. In the north of this province, high levels of arsenic in drinking water were reported; however, removal interventions were scarcely documented. Arsenic contamination in Argentina is associated with an increased risk of serious chronic diseases, including cancer, showing the need for adequate and timely actions. - Highlights: • Arsenic content in Argentina was associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. • The median arsenicosis prevalence was 2.6% in exposed areas. • The relative risk of mortality by skin cancer was 2.5 to 5.2 in affected areas. • The median percentage of water samples above the cut

  16. Epidemiology of chronic disease related to arsenic in Argentina: A systematic review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bardach, Ariel Esteban, E-mail: abardach@iecs.org.ar [Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Ciapponi, Agustin; Soto, Natalie; Chaparro, Martin R.; Calderon, Maria [Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Briatore, Agustina [Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Cadoppi, Norma; Tassara, Roberto [Foro Estratégico para el Desarrollo Nacional (Argentina); Litter, Marta I. [National Atomic Energy Commission, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (Argentina)

    2015-12-15

    Four million people in Argentina are exposed to arsenic contamination from drinking waters of several center-northern provinces. A systematic review to examine the geographical distribution of arsenic-related diseases in Argentina was conducted, searching electronic databases and gray literature up to November 2013. Key informants were also contacted. Of the 430 references identified, 47 (mostly cross-sectional and ecological designs) referred to arsenic concentration in water and its relationship with the incidence and mortality of cancer, dermatological diseases and genetic disorders. A high percentage of the water samples had arsenic concentrations above the WHO threshold value of 10 μg/L, especially in the province of Buenos Aires. The median prevalence of arsenicosis was 2.6% in exposed areas. The proportion of skin cancer in patients with arsenicosis reached 88% in case-series from the Buenos Aires province. We found higher incidence rate ratios per 100 μg/L increment in inorganic arsenic concentration for colorectal, lung, breast, prostate and skin cancer, for both genders. Liver and skin cancer mortality risk ratios were higher in regions with medium/high concentrations than in those with low concentrations. The relative risk of mortality by skin cancer associated to arsenic exposure in the province of Buenos Aires ranged from 2.5 to 5.2. In the north of this province, high levels of arsenic in drinking water were reported; however, removal interventions were scarcely documented. Arsenic contamination in Argentina is associated with an increased risk of serious chronic diseases, including cancer, showing the need for adequate and timely actions. - Highlights: • Arsenic content in Argentina was associated with increased risk of chronic diseases. • The median arsenicosis prevalence was 2.6% in exposed areas. • The relative risk of mortality by skin cancer was 2.5 to 5.2 in affected areas. • The median percentage of water samples above the cut

  17. Impact of lifestage and duration of exposure on arsenic-induced proliferative lesions and neoplasia in C3H mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Epidemiological studies suggest that chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with cancer of the skin, urinary bladder and lung as well as the kidney and liver. Previous experimental studies have demonstrated increased incidence of liver, lung, ovary, and uterine tumo...

  18. Arsenic Removal from Pinctada martensii Enzymatic Hydrolysate by Using Zr(Ⅳ)-Loaded Chelating Resin

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YANG Xiaoman; DAI Wenjin; SUN Huili; PAN Jianyu

    2013-01-01

    The present study investigated the removal of inorganic arsenic from Pinctada martensii enzymatic hydrolysate through unmodified resin (D296) and Zr(Ⅳ)-loaded chelating resin (Zr-D401).By loading Zr to macroporous chelating resin D401,the as exchange adsorption active sites are generated.This transforms D401 from a material that does not have the arsenic adsorption capacity into a material that has excellent arsenic exchange adsorption capacity.The static adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the optimal removal condition for D296 and Zr-D401.The experimental results show that:the optimum condition for D296 is that T=25℃,pH=5,resin additive amount=1 g(50mL)-1,and contact time=10h,the corresponding arsenic removal rate being 65.7%,and protein loss being 2.33%; the optimum condition for Zr-D401 is that T=25 ℃,pH=8,resin additive amount=1 g (50 mL)-1,and contact time=10 h,the corresponding arsenic removal rate being 70.3%,and protein loss being 4.65%.These results show that both of the two resins are effective in arsenic removal for preserving useful substance.Our research provides scientific evidence and advances in the processing technology for heavy metal removal in shellfish.

  19. Implementation of ferric hydroxide-based media for removal of toxic metalloids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szlachta, Małgorzata; Wójtowicz, Patryk

    2017-11-01

    Effective removal of inorganic arsenic species is possible by application of the sorption technique with the use of iron-based sorbents. This study investigates the removal of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) from an aqueous solution by application of a granular ferric hydroxide-based sorbent. The performance of tested media was evaluated based on the batch and fixed-bed adsorption studies. The efficiency of the process was determined with various treatment times, adsorbent doses, initial concentrations of arsenic and various solution temperatures. The obtained adsorption data were fitted with pseudo-first and second-order kinetic models and Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. It was observed that the overall arsenite removal was lower when compared to the arsenate, and all tested operating parameters influenced the process efficiency. The experiments under dynamic conditions showed high treatment capacity and stability of tested adsorbent over a long period of time.

  20. Preconcentration of Arsenic in Water Samples Using the Composition-Induced Phase Separation Method and Determination by ETAAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Güçoğlu M.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available A new phase transition microextraction method was developed for determination of trace amount of arsenic ions in water samples in this work. The method is based on the critical point of miscibility of solvents. In this method the mixed solution of sample and organic solvent is initially homogeneous but is separated into two phases by adding a secondary solvent (modifier. In acidic medium As(V was complexed with ammonium molybdate, this complex was quantitatively extracted to the mixture of organic solvent (acetonitrile/methyl isobutyl ketone before ETAAS determination. Total inorganic arsenic (III, V was extracted similarly after oxidation of As(III to As(V with nitric acid. Concentration of As(III was calculated by difference in the concentration between total arsenic and As(V. Optimization of the experimental conditions and instrumental parameters was investigated in detail. A detection limit of 0.05 μgL−1 with enrichment factor of 85 was achieved for only 5 mL of sample. The analytical curve was linear in the concentration range of 0.25-4.00 μgL−1. Relative standard deviation (RSD for 10 replicate determinations of 2.0 μgL−1 of As(V was 4,1%. The method was successfully applied to preconcentration and determination of arsenic in real water samples.

  1. Separation of arsenic species by capillary electrophoresis with sample-stacking techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Zu Liang; Naidu, Ravendra [Adelaide Laboratory, CSIRO Land and Water, PMB2, 5064, Glen Osmond, SA (Australia); Lin, Jin-Ming [Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 2871, 100085, Beijing (China)

    2003-03-01

    A simple capillary zone electrophoresis procedure was developed for the separation of arsenic species (AsO{sub 2}{sup 2-}, AsO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, and dimethylarsinic acid, DMA). Both counter-electroosmotic and co-electroosmotic (EOF) modes were investigated for the separation of arsenic species with direct UV detection at 185 nm using 20 mmol L{sup -1} sodium phosphate as the electrolyte. The separation selectivity mainly depends on the separation modes and electrolyte pH. Inorganic anions (Cl{sup -}, NO{sub 2}{sup -}, NO{sub 3}{sup -} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}) presented in real samples did not interfere with arsenic speciation in either separation mode. To improve the detection limits, sample-stacking techniques, including large-volume sample stacking (LVSS) and field-amplified sample injection (FASI), were investigated for the preconcentration of As species in co-CZE mode. Less than 1 {mu}mol L{sup -1} of detection limits for As species were achieved using FASI. The proposed method was demonstrated for the separation and detection of As species in water. (orig.)

  2. Determination of As(III) and total inorganic As in water samples using an on-line solid phase extraction and flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sigrist, Mirna, E-mail: msigrist@fiq.unl.edu.ar [Laboratorio Central, Facultad de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2654-Piso 6, (3000) Santa Fe (Argentina); Albertengo, Antonela; Beldomenico, Horacio [Laboratorio Central, Facultad de Ingenieria Quimica, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2654-Piso 6, (3000) Santa Fe (Argentina); Tudino, Mabel [Laboratorio de Analisis de Trazas, Departamento de Quimica Inorganica, Analitica y Quimica Fisica/INQUIMAE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Pabellon II, Ciudad Universitaria (1428), Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2011-04-15

    A simple and robust on-line sequential injection system based on solid phase extraction (SPE) coupled to a flow injection hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer (FI-HGAAS) with a heated quartz tube atomizer (QTA) was developed and optimized for the determination of As(III) in groundwater without any kind of sample pretreatment. The method was based on the selective retention of inorganic As(V) that was carried out by passing the filtered original sample through a cartridge containing a chloride-form strong anion exchanger. Thus the most toxic form, inorganic As(III), was determined fast and directly by AsH{sub 3} generation using 3.5 mol L{sup -1} HCl as carrier solution and 0.35% (m/v) NaBH{sub 4} in 0.025% NaOH as the reductant. Since the uptake of As(V) should be interfered by several anions of natural occurrence in waters, the effect of Cl{sup -}, SO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, NO{sub 3}{sup -}, HPO{sub 4}{sup 2-}, HCO{sub 3}{sup -} on retention was evaluated and discussed. The total soluble inorganic arsenic concentration was determined on aliquots of filtered samples acidified with concentrated HCl and pre-reduced with 5% KI-5% C{sub 6}H{sub 8}O{sub 6} solution. The concentration of As(V) was calculated by difference between the total soluble inorganic arsenic and As(III) concentrations. Detection limits (LODs) of 0.5 {mu}g L{sup -1} and 0.6 {mu}g L{sup -1} for As(III) and inorganic total As, respectively, were obtained for a 500 {mu}L sample volume. The obtained limits of detection allowed testing the water quality according to the national and international regulations. The analytical recovery for water samples spiked with As(III) ranged between 98% and 106%. The sampling throughput for As(III) determination was 60 samples h{sup -1}. The device for groundwater sampling was especially designed for the authors. Metallic components were avoided and the contact between the sample and the atmospheric oxygen was carried to a minimum. On-field arsenic species

  3. Continuous flow hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination and speciation of arsenic in wine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karadjova, Irina B. [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sofia, 1 James Bourchier Blvd., Sofia 1164 (Bulgaria); Lampugnani, Leonardo [C.N.R. Istituto per i processi chimico-fisici, Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa (Italy)]. E-mail: lampugnani@ipcf.cnr.it; Onor, Massimo [C.N.R. Istituto per i processi chimico-fisici, Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa (Italy); D' Ulivo, Alessandro [C.N.R. Istituto per i processi chimico-fisici, Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa (Italy); Tsalev, Dimiter L. [Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sofia, 1 James Bourchier Blvd., Sofia 1164 (Bulgaria)

    2005-07-15

    Methods for the atomic fluorescence spectrometric (AFS) determination of total arsenic and arsenic species in wines based on continuous flow hydride generation (HG) with atomization in miniature diffusion flame (MDF) are described. For hydride-forming arsenic, L-cysteine is used as reagent for pre-reduction and complexation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonate and dimethylarsinate. Concentrations of hydrochloric acid and tetrahydroborate are optimized in order to minimize interference by ethanol. Procedure permits determination of the sum of these four species in 5-10-fold diluted samples with limit of detection (LOD) 0.3 and 0.6 {mu}g l{sup -1} As in white and red wines, respectively, with precision between 2% and 8% RSD at As levels within 0.5-10 {mu}g l{sup -1}. Selective arsine generation from different reaction media is used for non-chromatographic determination of arsenic species in wines: citrate buffer at pH 5.1 for As(III); 0.2 mol l{sup -1} acetic acid for arsenite + dimethylarsinate (DMA); 8 mol l{sup -1} HCl for total inorganic arsenic [As(III) + As(V)]; and monomethylarsonate (MMA) calculated by difference. Calibration with aqueous and ethanol-matched standard solutions of As(III) is used for 10- and 5-fold diluted samples, respectively. The LODs are 0.4 {mu}g l{sup -1} for As(III) and 0.3 {mu}g l{sup -1} for the other three As species and precision is within 4-8% RSDs. Arsenic species in wine were also determined by coupling of ion chromatographic separation on an anion exchange column and HG-flame AFS detection. Methods were validated by means of recovery studies and comparative analyses by HG-AFS and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave digestion. The LODs were 0.12, 0.27, 0.15 and 0.13 {mu}g l{sup -1} (as As) and RSDs were 2-6%, 5-9%, 3-7% and 2-5% for As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA arsenic species, respectively. Bottled red and white wines from Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia and Italy were analyzed by non

  4. Continuous flow hydride generation-atomic fluorescence spectrometric determination and speciation of arsenic in wine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karadjova, Irina B.; Lampugnani, Leonardo; Onor, Massimo; D'Ulivo, Alessandro; Tsalev, Dimiter L.

    2005-01-01

    Methods for the atomic fluorescence spectrometric (AFS) determination of total arsenic and arsenic species in wines based on continuous flow hydride generation (HG) with atomization in miniature diffusion flame (MDF) are described. For hydride-forming arsenic, L-cysteine is used as reagent for pre-reduction and complexation of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonate and dimethylarsinate. Concentrations of hydrochloric acid and tetrahydroborate are optimized in order to minimize interference by ethanol. Procedure permits determination of the sum of these four species in 5-10-fold diluted samples with limit of detection (LOD) 0.3 and 0.6 μg l -1 As in white and red wines, respectively, with precision between 2% and 8% RSD at As levels within 0.5-10 μg l -1 . Selective arsine generation from different reaction media is used for non-chromatographic determination of arsenic species in wines: citrate buffer at pH 5.1 for As(III); 0.2 mol l -1 acetic acid for arsenite + dimethylarsinate (DMA); 8 mol l -1 HCl for total inorganic arsenic [As(III) + As(V)]; and monomethylarsonate (MMA) calculated by difference. Calibration with aqueous and ethanol-matched standard solutions of As(III) is used for 10- and 5-fold diluted samples, respectively. The LODs are 0.4 μg l -1 for As(III) and 0.3 μg l -1 for the other three As species and precision is within 4-8% RSDs. Arsenic species in wine were also determined by coupling of ion chromatographic separation on an anion exchange column and HG-flame AFS detection. Methods were validated by means of recovery studies and comparative analyses by HG-AFS and electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry after microwave digestion. The LODs were 0.12, 0.27, 0.15 and 0.13 μg l -1 (as As) and RSDs were 2-6%, 5-9%, 3-7% and 2-5% for As(III), As(V), MMA and DMA arsenic species, respectively. Bottled red and white wines from Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia and Italy were analyzed by non-chromatographic and chromatographic procedures and the As

  5. Voltammetric determination of arsenic in high iron and manganese groundwaters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbon-Walsh, Kristoff; Salaün, Pascal; Uroic, M Kalle; Feldmann, Joerg; McArthur, John M; van den Berg, Constant M G

    2011-09-15

    Determination of the speciation of arsenic in groundwaters, using cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV), is severely hampered by high levels of iron and manganese. Experiments showed that the interference is eliminated by addition of EDTA, making it possible to determine the arsenic speciation on-site by CSV. This work presents the CSV method to determine As(III) in high-iron or -manganese groundwaters in the field with only minor sample treatment. The method was field-tested in West-Bengal (India) on a series of groundwater samples. Total arsenic was subsequently determined after acidification to pH 1 by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Comparative measurements by ICP-MS as reference method for total As, and by HPLC for its speciation, were used to corroborate the field data in stored samples. Most of the arsenic (78±0.02%) was found to occur as inorganic As(III) in the freshly collected waters, in accordance with previous studies. The data shows that the modified on-site CSV method for As(III) is a good measure of water contamination with As. The EDTA was also found to be effective in stabilising the arsenic speciation for longterm sample storage at room temperature. Without sample preservation, in water exposed to air and sunlight, the As(III) was found to become oxidised to As(V), and Fe(II) oxidised to Fe(III), removing the As(V) by adsorption on precipitating Fe(III)-hydroxides within a few hours. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. ARSENIC REMOVAL BY PHYTOFILTRATION AND SILICON TREATMENT : A POTENTIAL SOLUTION FOR LOWERING ARSENIC CONCENTRATIONS IN FOOD CROPS

    OpenAIRE

    Sandhi, Arifin

    2017-01-01

    Use of arsenic-rich groundwater for crop irrigation can increase the arsenic (As) content in food crops and act as a carcinogen, compromising human health. Using aquatic plant based phytofiltration is a potential eco-technique for removing arsenic from water. The aquatic moss species Warnstorfia fluitans grows naturally in mining areas in northern Sweden, where high concentrations of arsenic occur in lakes and rivers. This species was selected as a model for field, climate chamber and greenho...

  7. Phytoextraction by arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L. from six arsenic-contaminated soils: Repeated harvests and arsenic redistribution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gonzaga, Maria I.S.; Santos, Jorge A.G. [Department of Soil Chemistry, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Cruz das Almas, 44380000 (Brazil); Ma, Lena Q. [Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, 2169 McCarty Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611-0290 (United States)], E-mail: lqma@ifas.ufl.edu

    2008-07-15

    This greenhouse experiment evaluated arsenic removal by Pteris vittata and its effects on arsenic redistribution in soils. P. vittata grew in six arsenic-contaminated soils and its fronds were harvested and analyzed for arsenic in October, 2003, April, 2004, and October, 2004. The soil arsenic was separated into five fractions via sequential extraction. The ferns grew well and took up arsenic from all soils. Fern biomass ranged from 24.8 to 33.5 g plant{sup -1} after 4 months of growth but was reduced in the subsequent harvests. The frond arsenic concentrations ranged from 66 to 6,151 mg kg{sup -1}, 110 to 3,056 mg kg{sup -1}, and 162 to 2,139 mg kg{sup -1} from the first, second and third harvest, respectively. P. vittata reduced soil arsenic by 6.4-13% after three harvests. Arsenic in the soils was primarily associated with amorphous hydrous oxides (40-59%), which contributed the most to arsenic taken up by P. vittata (45-72%). It is possible to use P. vittata to remediate arsenic-contaminated soils by repeatedly harvesting its fronds. - Pteris vittata was effective in continuously removing arsenic from contaminated soils after three repeated harvests.

  8. The fate of arsenic in soil-plant systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Jiménez, Eduardo; Esteban, Elvira; Peñalosa, Jesús M

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic is a natural trace element found in the environment. In some cases and places, human activities have increased the soil concentration of As to levels that exceed hazard thresholds. Amongst the main contributing sources of As contamination of soil and water are the following: geologic origin, pyriticmining, agriculture, and coal burning. Arsenic speciation in soils occurs and is relatively complex. Soils contain both organic and inorganic arsenic species. Inorganic As species include arsenite and arsenate, which are the most abundant forms found in the environment. The majority of As in aerated soils exists as H₂AsO₄- (acid soils) or HAsO₄²- (neutral species and basic). However, HA₃sO₃ is the predomiant anaerobic soils, where arsenic availability is higher and As(III) is more weakly retained in the soil matrix than is As(V). The availability of As in soils is usually driven by multiple factors. Among these factors is the presence of Fe-oxides and/or phosphorus, (co)precipitation in salts, pH, organic matter, clay content, rainfall amount, etc. The available and most labile As fraction can potentially be taken up by plant roots, although the concentration of this fraction is usually low. Arsenic has no known biological function in plants. Once inside root cells, As(V) is quickly reduced to As(III), and, in many plant species, becomes complexed. Phosphorus nutrition influences As(V) uptake and toxicity in plants, whilst silicon has similar influences on As(III). Plants cope with As contamination in their tissues by possessing detoxification mechanisms. Such mechanisms include complexation and compartmentalization. However, once these mechanisms are saturated, symptoms of phytotoxicity appear. Phytotoxic effects commonly observed from As exposure includes growth inhibition, chlorophyll degradation, nutrient depletion and oxidative stress. Plants vary in their ability to accumulate and tolerate As (from tolerant hyperaccumulators to sensitive

  9. Speciation analysis of arsenic in biological matrices by automated hydride generation-cryotrapping-atomic absorption spectrometry with multiple microflame quartz tube atomizer (multiatomizer).

    Science.gov (United States)

    This paper describes an automated system for the oxidation state specific speciation of inorganic and methylated arsenicals by selective hydride generation - cryotrapping- gas chromatography - atomic absorption spectrometry with the multiatomizer. The corresponding arsines are ge...

  10. Pregnant women in Timis County, Romania are exposed primarily to low-level (<10 μg/L) arsenic through residential drinking water consumption

    OpenAIRE

    Neamtiu, Iulia; Bloom, Michael S.; Gati, Gabriel; Goessler, Walter; Surdu, Simona; Pop, Cristian; Braeuer, Simone; Fitzgerald, Edward F.; Baciu, Calin; Lupsa, Ioana Rodica; Anastasiu, Doru; Gurzau, Eugen

    2015-01-01

    Excessive arsenic content in drinking water poses health risks to millions of people worldwide. Inorganic arsenic (iAs) in groundwater exceeding the 10 μg/l maximum contaminant level (MCL) set by the World Health Organization (WHO) is characteristic for intermediate-depth aquifers over large areas of the Pannonian Basin in Central Europe. In western Romania, near the border with Hungary, Arad, Bihor, and Timis counties use drinking water coming partially or entirely from iAs contaminated aqui...

  11. Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harte, Philip T.

    2015-01-01

    The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several conceptual distributional patterns of arsenic in groundwater based on the arsenic source under idealized conditions. An example of advanced subsurface mapping of dissolved arsenic with geophysical surveys, chemical monitoring, and redox fingerprinting is presented for a landfill site in New Hampshire with a complex flow pattern. Tools to assist in the mapping of arsenic in groundwater ultimately provide information on the source of contamination. Once an understanding of the arsenic contamination is achieved, appropriate remedial strategies can then be formulated.

  12. DIFFERENTIAL MODULATION OF CANCER-RELATED MOLECULAR NETWORKS IN HUMAN AND RAT URINARY BLADDER CELLS EXPOSED TO TRIVALENT ARSENICALS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsenic (As) is classified as a known human carcinogen with primary targets of urinary bladder (UB), skin and lung. The most prevalent source of As exposure in humans is drinking water contaminated with inorganic As (iAs), and millions of people worldwide are exposed to drinking ...

  13. HPLC-ICP-MS speciation analysis of arsenic in urine of Japanese subjects without occupational exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hata, Akihisa; Endo, Yoko; Nakajima, Yoshiaki; Ikebe, Maiko; Ogawa, Masanori; Fujitani, Noboru; Endo, Ginji

    2007-05-01

    The toxicity and carcinogenicity of arsenic depend on its species. Individuals living in Japan consume much seafood that contains high levels of organoarsenics. Speciation analysis of urinary arsenic is required to clarify the health risks of arsenic intake. There has been no report of urinary arsenic analysis in Japan using high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS). We performed speciation analysis of urinary arsenic for 210 Japanese male subjects without occupational exposure using HPLC-ICP-MS. The median values of urinary arsenics were as follows: sodium arsenite (AsIII), 3.5; sodium arsenate (AsV), 0.1; monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), 3.1; dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), 42.6; arsenobetaine (AsBe), 61.3; arsenocholine, trimethylarsine oxide, and unidentified arsenics (others), 5.2; and total arsenic (total As), 141.3 microgAs/l. The median creatinine-adjusted values were as follows: AsIII, 3.0; AsV, 0.1; MMA, 2.6; DMA, 35.9; AsBe, 52.1; others 3.5; and total As, 114.9 microgAs/g creatinine. Our findings indicate that DMA and AsBe levels in Japan are much higher than those found in Italian and American studies. It appears that the high levels of DMA and AsBe observed in Japan may be due in part to seafood intake. ACGIH and DFG set the BEI and BAT values for occupational arsenic exposure as 35 microgAs/l and 50 microgAs/l, respectively, using the sum of inorganic arsenic (iAs), MMA, and DMA. In the general Japanese population, the sums of these were above 50 microgAs/l in 115 (55%) samples. We therefore recommend excluding DMA concentration in monitoring of iAs exposure.

  14. Differences in Urinary Arsenic Metabolites between Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Subjects in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamie Nakajima

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Ingestion of inorganic arsenic (iAs is considered to be related to the development of diabetes mellitus. In order to clarify the possible differences in the metabolism in diabetics, we measured urinary iAs metabolites in diabetic cases and non-diabetic control subjects in Faridpur, an arsenic-contaminated area in Bangladesh. Physician-diagnosed type 2 diabetic cases (140 persons and non-diabetic controls (180 persons were recruited. Drinking water and spot urine samples were collected. Mean concentrations of total arsenic in drinking water did not differ between cases (85.1 μg/L and controls (85.8 μg/L. The percentage of urinary iAs (iAs% was significantly lower in cases (8.6% than in controls (10.4%, while that of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA% was higher in cases (82.6% than in controls (79.9%. This may have been due to the higher secondary methylation index (SMI in the former (11.6 rather than the latter (10.0. Adjusting for matching factors (sex and unions, and the additional other covariates (age and water arsenic significantly attenuated the differences in iAs%, SMI, and DMA%, respectively, though the difference in monomethylarsonic acid% was newly significant in the latter adjustment. Our study did not suggest any significant differences in urinary arsenic metabolites between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

  15. Urinary arsenic species, toenail arsenic, and arsenic intake estimates in a Michigan population with low levels of arsenic in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivera-Núñez, Zorimar; Meliker, Jaymie R; Meeker, John D; Slotnick, Melissa J; Nriagu, Jerome O

    2012-01-01

    The large disparity between arsenic concentrations in drinking water and urine remains unexplained. This study aims to evaluate predictors of urinary arsenic in a population exposed to low concentrations (≤50 μg/l) of arsenic in drinking water. Urine and drinking water samples were collected from a subsample (n=343) of a population enrolled in a bladder cancer case-control study in southeastern Michigan. Total arsenic in water and arsenic species in urine were determined using ICP-MS: arsenobetaine (AsB), arsenite (As[III]), arsenate (As[V]), methylarsenic acid (MMA[V]), and dimethylarsenic acid (DMA[V]). The sum of As[III], As[V], MMA[V], and DMA[V] was denoted as SumAs. Dietary information was obtained through a self-reported food intake questionnaire. Log(10)-transformed drinking water arsenic concentration at home was a significant (Pwater were removed and further improved when analyses were applied to individuals who consumed amounts of home drinking water above the median volume (R(2)=0.40, Pwater was 0.42. Results show that arsenic exposure from drinking water consumption is an important determinant of urinary arsenic concentrations, even in a population exposed to relatively low levels of arsenic in drinking water, and suggest that seafood intake may influence urinary DMA[V] concentrations.

  16. Unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling regulates arsenic trioxide-mediated macrophage innate immune function disruption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Srivastava, Ritesh K.; Li, Changzhao; Chaudhary, Sandeep C.; Ballestas, Mary E.; Elmets, Craig A.; Robbins, David J.; Matalon, Sadis; Deshane, Jessy S.; Afaq, Farrukh; Bickers, David R.; Athar, Mohammad

    2013-01-01

    Arsenic exposure is known to disrupt innate immune functions in humans and in experimental animals. In this study, we provide a mechanism by which arsenic trioxide (ATO) disrupts macrophage functions. ATO treatment of murine macrophage cells diminished internalization of FITC-labeled latex beads, impaired clearance of phagocytosed fluorescent bacteria and reduced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These impairments in macrophage functions are associated with ATO-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathway characterized by the enhancement in proteins such as GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4 and CHOP. The expression of these proteins is altered both at transcriptional and translational levels. Pretreatment with chemical chaperon, 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) attenuated the ATO-induced activation in UPR signaling and afforded protection against ATO-induced disruption of macrophage functions. This treatment also reduced ATO-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Interestingly, treatment with antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prior to ATO exposure, not only reduced ROS production and UPR signaling but also improved macrophage functions. These data demonstrate that UPR signaling and ROS generation are interdependent and are involved in the arsenic-induced pathobiology of macrophage. These data also provide a novel strategy to block the ATO-dependent impairment in innate immune responses. - Highlights: • Inorganic arsenic to humans and experimental animals disrupt innate immune responses. • The mechanism underlying arsenic impaired macrophage functions involves UPR signaling. • Chemical chaperon attenuates arsenic-mediated macrophage function impairment. • Antioxidant, NAC blocks impairment in arsenic-treated macrophage functions

  17. Unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling regulates arsenic trioxide-mediated macrophage innate immune function disruption

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Srivastava, Ritesh K.; Li, Changzhao; Chaudhary, Sandeep C. [Department of Dermatology and Skin Diseases Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States); Ballestas, Mary E. [Department of Pediatrics Infectious Disease, Children' s of Alabama, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL (United States); Elmets, Craig A. [Department of Dermatology and Skin Diseases Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States); Robbins, David J. [Department of Surgery, Molecular Oncology Program, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami (United States); Matalon, Sadis [Department of Anesthesiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States); Deshane, Jessy S. [Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States); Afaq, Farrukh [Department of Dermatology and Skin Diseases Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States); Bickers, David R. [Department of Dermatology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York (United States); Athar, Mohammad, E-mail: mathar@uab.edu [Department of Dermatology and Skin Diseases Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Arsenic exposure is known to disrupt innate immune functions in humans and in experimental animals. In this study, we provide a mechanism by which arsenic trioxide (ATO) disrupts macrophage functions. ATO treatment of murine macrophage cells diminished internalization of FITC-labeled latex beads, impaired clearance of phagocytosed fluorescent bacteria and reduced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. These impairments in macrophage functions are associated with ATO-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathway characterized by the enhancement in proteins such as GRP78, p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4 and CHOP. The expression of these proteins is altered both at transcriptional and translational levels. Pretreatment with chemical chaperon, 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA) attenuated the ATO-induced activation in UPR signaling and afforded protection against ATO-induced disruption of macrophage functions. This treatment also reduced ATO-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Interestingly, treatment with antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prior to ATO exposure, not only reduced ROS production and UPR signaling but also improved macrophage functions. These data demonstrate that UPR signaling and ROS generation are interdependent and are involved in the arsenic-induced pathobiology of macrophage. These data also provide a novel strategy to block the ATO-dependent impairment in innate immune responses. - Highlights: • Inorganic arsenic to humans and experimental animals disrupt innate immune responses. • The mechanism underlying arsenic impaired macrophage functions involves UPR signaling. • Chemical chaperon attenuates arsenic-mediated macrophage function impairment. • Antioxidant, NAC blocks impairment in arsenic-treated macrophage functions.

  18. Probabilistic health risk assessment for ingestion of seafood farmed in arsenic contaminated groundwater in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Ching-Ping; Jang, Cheng-Shin; Chen, Jui-Sheng; Wang, Sheng-Wei; Lee, Jin-Jing; Liu, Chen-Wuing

    2013-08-01

    Seafood farmed in arsenic (As)-contaminated areas is a major exposure pathway for the ingestion of inorganic As by individuals in the southwestern part of Taiwan. This study presents a probabilistic risk assessment using limited data for inorganic As intake through the consumption of the seafood by local residents in these areas. The As content and the consumption rate are both treated as probability distributions, taking into account the variability of the amount in the seafood and individual consumption habits. The Monte Carlo simulation technique is utilized to conduct an assessment of exposure due to the daily intake of inorganic As from As-contaminated seafood. Exposure is evaluated according to the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) established by the FAO/WHO and the target risk based on the US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The assessment results show that inorganic As intake from five types of fish (excluding mullet) and shellfish fall below the PTWI threshold values for the 95th percentiles, but exceed the target cancer risk of 10(-6). The predicted 95th percentile for inorganic As intake and lifetime cancer risks obtained in the study are both markedly higher than those obtained in previous studies in which the consumption rate of seafood considered is a deterministic value. This study demonstrates the importance of the individual variability of seafood consumption when evaluating a high exposure sub-group of the population who eat higher amounts of fish and shellfish than the average Taiwanese.

  19. Atmospheric deposition of trace elements around point sources and human health risk assessment. II: Uptake of arsenic and chromium by vegetables grown near a wood preservation factory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Erik Huusfeldt; Moseholm, Lars; Nielsen, Margot M.

    1992-01-01

    Kale, lettuce, carrots and potatoes were grown in 20 experimental plots surrounding a wood preservation factory, to investigate the amount and pathways for plant uptake of arsenic and chromium. Arsenate used in the wood preservation process is converted to the more toxic arsenite by incineration...... of waste wood and is emitted into the atmosphere. Elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic and chromium were found both in the test plants and in the soil around the factory. Multivariate statistical analysis of the results indicated that the dominating pathway of arsenic and chromium from the factory...

  20. Arsenic and Antimony Transporters in Eukaryotes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Maciaszczyk-Dziubinska

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic and antimony are toxic metalloids, naturally present in the environment and all organisms have developed pathways for their detoxification. The most effective metalloid tolerance systems in eukaryotes include downregulation of metalloid uptake, efflux out of the cell, and complexation with phytochelatin or glutathione followed by sequestration into the vacuole. Understanding of arsenic and antimony transport system is of high importance due to the increasing usage of arsenic-based drugs in the treatment of certain types of cancer and diseases caused by protozoan parasites as well as for the development of bio- and phytoremediation strategies for metalloid polluted areas. However, in contrast to prokaryotes, the knowledge about specific transporters of arsenic and antimony and the mechanisms of metalloid transport in eukaryotes has been very limited for a long time. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding of arsenic and antimony transport pathways in eukaryotes, including a dual role of aquaglyceroporins in uptake and efflux of metalloids, elucidation of arsenic transport mechanism by the yeast Acr3 transporter and its role in arsenic hyperaccumulation in ferns, identification of vacuolar transporters of arsenic-phytochelatin complexes in plants and forms of arsenic substrates recognized by mammalian ABC transporters.

  1. Arsenic and Antimony Transporters in Eukaryotes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maciaszczyk-Dziubinska, Ewa; Wawrzycka, Donata; Wysocki, Robert

    2012-01-01

    Arsenic and antimony are toxic metalloids, naturally present in the environment and all organisms have developed pathways for their detoxification. The most effective metalloid tolerance systems in eukaryotes include downregulation of metalloid uptake, efflux out of the cell, and complexation with phytochelatin or glutathione followed by sequestration into the vacuole. Understanding of arsenic and antimony transport system is of high importance due to the increasing usage of arsenic-based drugs in the treatment of certain types of cancer and diseases caused by protozoan parasites as well as for the development of bio- and phytoremediation strategies for metalloid polluted areas. However, in contrast to prokaryotes, the knowledge about specific transporters of arsenic and antimony and the mechanisms of metalloid transport in eukaryotes has been very limited for a long time. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding of arsenic and antimony transport pathways in eukaryotes, including a dual role of aquaglyceroporins in uptake and efflux of metalloids, elucidation of arsenic transport mechanism by the yeast Acr3 transporter and its role in arsenic hyperaccumulation in ferns, identification of vacuolar transporters of arsenic-phytochelatin complexes in plants and forms of arsenic substrates recognized by mammalian ABC transporters. PMID:22489166

  2. Rethinking Rice Preparation for Highly Efficient Removal of Inorganic Arsenic Using Percolating Cooking Water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Manus; Jiujin, Xiao; Gomes Farias, Júlia; Meharg, Andrew A

    2015-01-01

    A novel way of cooking rice to maximize the removal of the carcinogen inorganic arsenic (Asi) is presented here. In conventional rice cooking water and grain are in continuous contact, and it is known that the larger the water:rice cooking ratio, the more Asi removed by cooking, suggesting that the Asi in the grain is mobile in water. Experiments were designed where rice is cooked in a continual stream of percolating near boiling water, either low in Asi, or Asi free. This has the advantage of not only exposing grain to large volumes of cooking water, but also physically removes any Asi leached from the grain into the water receiving vessel. The relationship between cooking water volume and Asi removal in conventional rice cooking was demonstrated for the rice types under study. At a water-to-rice cooking ratio of 12:1, 57±5% of Asi could be removed, average of 6 wholegrain and 6 polished rice samples. Two types of percolating technology were tested, one where the cooking water was recycled through condensing boiling water steam and passing the freshly distilled hot water through the grain in a laboratory setting, and one where tap water was used to cook the rice held in an off-the-shelf coffee percolator in a domestic setting. Both approaches proved highly effective in removing Asi from the cooking rice, with up to 85% of Asi removed from individual rice types. For the recycled water experiment 59±8% and 69±10% of Asi was removed, on average, compared to uncooked rice for polished (n=27) and wholegrain (n=13) rice, respectively. For coffee percolation there was no difference between wholegrain and polished rice, and the effectiveness of Asi removal was 49±7% across 6 wholegrain and 6 polished rice samples. The manuscript explores the potential applications and further optimization of this percolating cooking water, high Asi removal, discovery.

  3. Oxidative DNA damage and repair in children exposed to low levels of arsenic in utero and during early childhood: Application of salivary and urinary biomarkers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hinhumpatch, Pantip; Navasumrit, Panida; Chaisatra, Krittinee; Promvijit, Jeerawan; Mahidol, Chulabhorn; Ruchirawat, Mathuros

    2013-01-01

    The present study aimed to assess arsenic exposure and its effect on oxidative DNA damage and repair in young children exposed in utero and continued to live in arsenic-contaminated areas. To address the need for biological specimens that can be acquired with minimal discomfort to children, we used non-invasive urinary and salivary-based assays for assessing arsenic exposure and early biological effects that have potentially serious health implications. Levels of arsenic in nails showed the greatest magnitude of difference between exposed and control groups, followed by arsenic concentrations in saliva and urine. Arsenic levels in saliva showed significant positive correlations with other biomarkers of arsenic exposure, including arsenic accumulation in nails (r = 0.56, P < 0.001) and arsenic concentration in urine (r = 0.50, P < 0.05). Exposed children had a significant reduction in arsenic methylation capacity indicated by decreased primary methylation index and secondary methylation index in both urine and saliva samples. Levels of salivary 8-OHdG in exposed children were significantly higher (∼ 4-fold, P < 0.01), whereas levels of urinary 8-OHdG excretion and salivary hOGG1 expression were significantly lower in exposed children (∼ 3-fold, P < 0.05), suggesting a defect in hOGG1 that resulted in ineffective cleavage of 8-OHdG. Multiple regression analysis results showed that levels of inorganic arsenic (iAs) in saliva and urine had a significant positive association with salivary 8-OHdG and a significant negative association with salivary hOGG1 expression. - Highlights: • The effects of arsenic exposure in utero and through early childhood were studied. • Arsenic-exposed children had a reduction in arsenic methylation capacity. • Exposed children had more DNA damage, observed as elevated salivary 8-OHdG. • Lower salivary hOGG1 in exposed children indicated impairment of 8-OHdG repair. • Salivary and urinary 8-OHdG levels were discordant

  4. Determination of total arsenic in soil and arsenic-resistant bacteria from selected ground water in Kandal Province, Cambodia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamzah, A.; Wong, K.K.; Hasan, F.N.; Mustafa, S.; Khoo, K.S.; Sarmani, S.B.

    2013-01-01

    Cambodia has geological environments conducive to generation of high-arsenic groundwater and people are at high risk of chronic arsenic exposure. The aims of this study are to investigate the concentration of total arsenic and to isolate and identify arsenic-resistant bacteria from selected locations in Kandal Province, Cambodia. The INAA technique was used to measure the concentration of total arsenic in soils. The arsenic concentrations in soils were above permissible 5 mg/kg, ranging from 5.34 to 27.81 mg/kg. Bacteria resistant to arsenic from two arsenic-contaminated wells in Preak Russey were isolated by enrichment method in nutrient broth (NB). Colonies isolated from NB was then grown on minimal salt media (MSM) added with arsenic at increasing concentrations of 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 and 250 ppm. Two isolates that can tolerate 750 ppm of arsenic were identified as Enterobacter agglomerans and Acinetobacter lwoffii based on a series of biochemical, physiological and morphological analysis. Optimum growth of both isolates ranged from pH 6.6 to 7.0 and 30-35 deg C. E. agglomerans and A. lwoffii were able to remove 66.4 and 64.1 % of arsenic, respectively at the initial concentration of 750 ppm, within 72 h of incubation. Using energy dispersive X-ray technique, the percentage of arsenic absorbed by E. agglomerans and A. lwoffii was 0.09 and 0.15 %, respectively. This study suggested that arsenic-resistant E. agglomerans and A. lwoffii removed arsenic from media due to their ability to absorb arsenic. (author)

  5. Perovskite-based solar cells with inorganic inverted hybrid planar heterojunction structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Chih Lai

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available We demonstrated the good performance of inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based solar cells (SCs with glass/ITO/NiOx/CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite/C60/ room temperature (RT-sputtered ZnO/Al structure. We adopted spin coating and RT sputtering for the deposition of NiOx and ZnO, respectively. The inorganic hole and electron transport layer of NiOx and RT-sputtered ZnO, respectively, could improve the open-circuit voltage (VOC, short-circuit current density (JSC, and power conversion efficiency (η% of the SCs. We obtained inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based SCs with a JSC of 21.96 A/cm2, a VOC of 1.02 V, a fill factor (FF% of 68.2%, and an η% of 15.3% despite the sputtering damage of the RT-sputtered ZnO deposition. Moreover, the RT-sputtered ZnO could function as a diffusion barrier for Al, moisture, and O2. The inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based SCs demonstrated improved storage reliability.

  6. Perovskite-based solar cells with inorganic inverted hybrid planar heterojunction structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Wei-Chih; Lin, Kun-Wei; Guo, Tzung-Fang; Chen, Peter; Liao, Yuan-Yu

    2018-01-01

    We demonstrated the good performance of inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based solar cells (SCs) with glass/ITO/NiOx/CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite/C60/ room temperature (RT)-sputtered ZnO/Al structure. We adopted spin coating and RT sputtering for the deposition of NiOx and ZnO, respectively. The inorganic hole and electron transport layer of NiOx and RT-sputtered ZnO, respectively, could improve the open-circuit voltage (VOC), short-circuit current density (JSC), and power conversion efficiency (η%) of the SCs. We obtained inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based SCs with a JSC of 21.96 A/cm2, a VOC of 1.02 V, a fill factor (FF%) of 68.2%, and an η% of 15.3% despite the sputtering damage of the RT-sputtered ZnO deposition. Moreover, the RT-sputtered ZnO could function as a diffusion barrier for Al, moisture, and O2. The inorganic inverted CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite-based SCs demonstrated improved storage reliability.

  7. Uric acid levels in plasma and urine in rats chronically exposed to inorganic As (III) and As(V).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jauge, P; Del-Razo, L M

    1985-07-01

    The effect of inorganic arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) on renal excretion and plasma levels of uric acid was examined in rats. Oral administration of 1200 micrograms As/kg/day for 6 weeks diminished uric acid levels in plasma by 67.1% and 26.5% of control after the administration of As(III) and As(V), respectively. Renal excretion of uric acid was significantly reduced during the first 3 weeks following As (III) administration, with a subsequent increase to approach control values at the end of the treatment. When As(V) was administered, the diminution in renal excretion was significant at 6 weeks.

  8. Carbon Nanotubes Technology for Removal of Arsenic from Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Naghizadeh

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Please cite this article as: Naghizadeh A, Yari AR, Tashauoei HR, Mahdavi M, Derakhshani E, Rahimi R, Bahmani P. Carbon nanotubes technology for removal of arsenic from water. Arch Hyg Sci 2012;1(1:6-11. Aims of the Study: This study was aimed to investigate the adsorption mechanism of the arsenic removal from water by using carbon nanotubes in continuous adsorption column. Materials & Methods: Independent variables including carbon nanotubes dosage, contact time and breakthrough point were carried out to determine the influence of these parameters on the adsorption capacity of the arsenic from water. Results: Adsorption capacities of single wall and multiwall carbon nanotubes were about 148 mg/g and 95 mg/g respectively. The experimental data were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models and equilibrium data indicate the best fit obtained with Langmuir isotherm model. Conclusions: Carbon nanotubes can be considered as a promising adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from large volume of aqueous solutions. References: 1. Lomaquahu ES, Smith AH. Feasibility of new epidemiology studies on arsenic exposures at low levels. AWWA Inorganic Contaminants Workshop. San Antonio; 1998. 2. Burkel RS, Stoll RC. Naturally occurring arsenic in sandstone aquifer water supply wells of North Eastern Wisconsin. Ground Water Monit Remediat 1999;19(2:114-21. 3. Mondal P, Majumder CB, Mohanty B. Laboratory based approaches for arsenic remediation from contaminated water: recent developments. J Hazard Mater 2006;137(1: 464-79. 4. Meenakshi RCM. Arsenic removal from water: a review. Asian J Water Environ Pollut 2006;3(1:133-9. 5. Wickramasinghe SR, Binbing H, Zimbron J, Shen Z, Karim MN. Arsenic removal by coagulation and filtration: comparison of ground waters from United States and Bangladesh. Desalination 2004;169:231-44. 6. Hossain MF. Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh-an overview. Agric Ecosyst Environ 2006;113(1-4:1-16. 7. USEPA, Arsenic. Final

  9. Estimating water supply arsenic levels in the New England bladder cancer study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuckols, John R.; Beane Freeman, Laura E.; Lubin, Jay H.; Airola, Matthew S.; Baris, Dalsu; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Taylor, Anne; Paulu, Chris; Karagas, Margaret R.; Colt, Joanne; Ward, Mary H.; Huang, An-Tsun; Bress, William; Cherala, Sai; Silverman, Debra T.; Cantor, Kenneth P.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Ingestion of inorganic arsenic in drinking water is recognized as a cause of bladder cancer when levels are relatively high (≥ 150 μg/L). The epidemiologic evidence is less clear at the low-to-moderate concentrations typically observed in the United States. Accurate retrospective exposure assessment over a long time period is a major challenge in conducting epidemiologic studies of environmental factors and diseases with long latency, such as cancer.

  10. Significantly increased risk of carotid atherosclerosis with arsenic exposure and polymorphisms in arsenic metabolism genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsieh, Yi-Chen; Lien, Li-Ming; Chung, Wen-Ting; Hsieh, Fang-I; Hsieh, Pei-Fan; Wu, Meei-Maan; Tseng, Hung-Pin; Chiou, Hung-Yi; Chen, Chien-Jen

    2011-01-01

    Individual susceptibility to arsenic-induced carotid atherosclerosis might be associated with genetic variations in arsenic metabolism. The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction effect on risk of carotid atherosclerosis between arsenic exposure and risk genotypes of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), arsenic (+3) methyltransferase (As3MT), and glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) and omega 2 (GSTO2). A community-based case-control study was conducted in northeastern Taiwan to investigate the arsenic metabolic-related genetic susceptibility to carotid atherosclerosis. In total, 863 subjects, who had been genotyped and for whom the severity of carotid atherosclerosis had been determined, were included in the present study. Individual well water was collected and arsenic concentration determined using hydride generation combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The result showed that a significant dose-response trend (P=0.04) of carotid atherosclerosis risk associated with increasing arsenic concentration. Non-significant association between genetic polymorphisms of PNP Gly51Ser, Pro57Pro, As3MT Met287Thr, GSTO1 Ala140Asp, and GSTO2 A-183G and the risk for development of carotid atherosclerosis were observed. However, the significant interaction effect on carotid atherosclerosis risk was found for arsenic exposure (>50 μg/l) and the haplotypes of PNP (p=0.0115). A marked elevated risk of carotid atherosclerosis was observed in subjects with arsenic exposure of >50 μg/l in drinking water and those who carried the PNP A-T haplotype and at least either of the As3MT risk polymorphism or GSTO risk haplotypes (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.79-23.19). In conclusion, arsenic metabolic genes, PNP, As3MT, and GSTO, may exacerbate the formation of atherosclerosis in individuals with high levels of arsenic concentration in well water (>50 μg/l). - Highlights: →Arsenic metabolic genes might be associated with carotid atherosclerosis. → A case

  11. Significantly increased risk of carotid atherosclerosis with arsenic exposure and polymorphisms in arsenic metabolism genes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hsieh, Yi-Chen [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wusing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan (China); Lien, Li-Ming [Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Neurology, Shin Kong WHS Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chung, Wen-Ting [Department of Neurology, Wanfang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsieh, Fang-I; Hsieh, Pei-Fan [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wusing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan (China); Wu, Meei-Maan [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wusing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Basic Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Tseng, Hung-Pin [Department of Neurology, Lotung Poh-Ai Hospital, I-Lan, Taiwan (China); Chiou, Hung-Yi, E-mail: hychiou@tmu.edu.tw [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wusing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan (China); Chen, Chien-Jen [Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2011-08-15

    Individual susceptibility to arsenic-induced carotid atherosclerosis might be associated with genetic variations in arsenic metabolism. The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction effect on risk of carotid atherosclerosis between arsenic exposure and risk genotypes of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), arsenic (+3) methyltransferase (As3MT), and glutathione S-transferase omega 1 (GSTO1) and omega 2 (GSTO2). A community-based case-control study was conducted in northeastern Taiwan to investigate the arsenic metabolic-related genetic susceptibility to carotid atherosclerosis. In total, 863 subjects, who had been genotyped and for whom the severity of carotid atherosclerosis had been determined, were included in the present study. Individual well water was collected and arsenic concentration determined using hydride generation combined with flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The result showed that a significant dose-response trend (P=0.04) of carotid atherosclerosis risk associated with increasing arsenic concentration. Non-significant association between genetic polymorphisms of PNP Gly51Ser, Pro57Pro, As3MT Met287Thr, GSTO1 Ala140Asp, and GSTO2 A-183G and the risk for development of carotid atherosclerosis were observed. However, the significant interaction effect on carotid atherosclerosis risk was found for arsenic exposure (>50 {mu}g/l) and the haplotypes of PNP (p=0.0115). A marked elevated risk of carotid atherosclerosis was observed in subjects with arsenic exposure of >50 {mu}g/l in drinking water and those who carried the PNP A-T haplotype and at least either of the As3MT risk polymorphism or GSTO risk haplotypes (OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 1.79-23.19). In conclusion, arsenic metabolic genes, PNP, As3MT, and GSTO, may exacerbate the formation of atherosclerosis in individuals with high levels of arsenic concentration in well water (>50 {mu}g/l). - Highlights: {yields}Arsenic metabolic genes might be associated with carotid atherosclerosis. {yields

  12. Arsenic responsive microRNAs in vivo and their potential involvement in arsenic-induced oxidative stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, Xuefeng; Gaile, Daniel P.; Gong, Zhihong; Qiu, Wenting; Ge, Yichen; Zhang, Chuanwu; Huang, Chenping; Yan, Hongtao; Olson, James R.; Kavanagh, Terrance J.; Wu, Hongmei

    2015-01-01

    Arsenic exposure is postulated to modify microRNA (miRNA) expression, leading to changes of gene expression and toxicities, but studies relating the responses of miRNAs to arsenic exposure are lacking, especially with respect to in vivo studies. We utilized high-throughput sequencing technology and generated miRNA expression profiles of liver tissues from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats exposed to various concentrations of sodium arsenite (0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mg/L) for 60 days. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of the miRNA expression profiles clustered the SD rats into different groups based on the arsenic exposure status, indicating a highly significant association between arsenic exposure and cluster membership (p-value of 0.0012). Multiple miRNA expressions were altered by arsenic in an exposure concentration-dependent manner. Among the identified arsenic-responsive miRNAs, several are predicted to target Nfe2l2-regulated antioxidant genes, including glutamate–cysteine ligase (GCL) catalytic subunit (GCLC) and modifier subunit (GCLM) which are involved in glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Exposure to low concentrations of arsenic increased mRNA expression for Gclc and Gclm, while high concentrations significantly reduced their expression, which were correlated to changes in hepatic GCL activity and GSH level. Moreover, our data suggested that other mechanisms, e.g., miRNAs, rather than Nfe2l2-signaling pathway, could be involved in the regulation of mRNA expression of Gclc and Gclm post-arsenic exposure in vivo. Together, our findings show that arsenic exposure disrupts the genome-wide expression of miRNAs in vivo, which could lead to the biological consequence, such as an altered balance of antioxidant defense and oxidative stress. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure induces changes of hepatic miRNA expression profiles. • Hepatic GCL activity and GSH level in rats are altered following arsenic exposure. • Arsenic induced GCL expression change is

  13. Arsenic responsive microRNAs in vivo and their potential involvement in arsenic-induced oxidative stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Xuefeng, E-mail: xuefengr@buffalo.edu [Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Gaile, Daniel P. [Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health and Health Professions, the State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Gong, Zhihong [Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Qiu, Wenting [School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035 (China); Ge, Yichen [Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Zhang, Chuanwu; Huang, Chenping; Yan, Hongtao [School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035 (China); Olson, James R. [Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214 (United States); Kavanagh, Terrance J. [Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Wu, Hongmei, E-mail: hongmeiwwu@hotmail.com [School of Public Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035 (China)

    2015-03-15

    Arsenic exposure is postulated to modify microRNA (miRNA) expression, leading to changes of gene expression and toxicities, but studies relating the responses of miRNAs to arsenic exposure are lacking, especially with respect to in vivo studies. We utilized high-throughput sequencing technology and generated miRNA expression profiles of liver tissues from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats exposed to various concentrations of sodium arsenite (0, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 mg/L) for 60 days. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis of the miRNA expression profiles clustered the SD rats into different groups based on the arsenic exposure status, indicating a highly significant association between arsenic exposure and cluster membership (p-value of 0.0012). Multiple miRNA expressions were altered by arsenic in an exposure concentration-dependent manner. Among the identified arsenic-responsive miRNAs, several are predicted to target Nfe2l2-regulated antioxidant genes, including glutamate–cysteine ligase (GCL) catalytic subunit (GCLC) and modifier subunit (GCLM) which are involved in glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Exposure to low concentrations of arsenic increased mRNA expression for Gclc and Gclm, while high concentrations significantly reduced their expression, which were correlated to changes in hepatic GCL activity and GSH level. Moreover, our data suggested that other mechanisms, e.g., miRNAs, rather than Nfe2l2-signaling pathway, could be involved in the regulation of mRNA expression of Gclc and Gclm post-arsenic exposure in vivo. Together, our findings show that arsenic exposure disrupts the genome-wide expression of miRNAs in vivo, which could lead to the biological consequence, such as an altered balance of antioxidant defense and oxidative stress. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure induces changes of hepatic miRNA expression profiles. • Hepatic GCL activity and GSH level in rats are altered following arsenic exposure. • Arsenic induced GCL expression change is

  14. A socio-economic study along with impact assessment for laterite based technology demonstration for arsenic mitigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mondal, Sourav; Roy, Anirban; Mukherjee, Raka; Mondal, Mrinmoy; Karmakar, Sankha; Chatterjee, Somak; Mukherjee, Munmun; Bhattacharjee, Saikat; De, Sirshendu

    2017-04-01

    Arsenic contamination mitigation technologies have been adsorption-based, but the most widely-used and traditionally available adsorbents suffered inherent limitations, including cost infeasibility and problems associated with regeneration and disposal of the spent adsorbent. The present technology is based on indigenously developed activated laterite prepared from the naturally and abundantly available material, and can hence easily be scaled up for community usage and large scale implementation. The total arsenic removal capacity is 32.5mg/g, which is the highest among all naturally occurring arsenic adsorbents. A major issue in earlier adsorbents was that during regeneration, the adsorbed arsenic would be released back into the environment (leaching), and would eventually contaminate the groundwater again. But the adsorbent in this filter does not require regeneration during its five-year lifespan and does not leach upon disposal. An attempt is made to test and demonstrate the practical implementation of the technology - its effectiveness and viability in three community (primary schools - one in Malda and two in north 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India) and 20 household filters, catering to over 5000 people in different areas of West Bengal exposed to high arsenic contamination of groundwater (ranging from 0.05 to 0.5mg/l). The work also focuses on the social impact of the real life technological solution on the lives on the affected people in the worst hit arsenic affected communities, perhaps the greatest public health risk emergency of the decade. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Evaluation of Biochemical Changes in Chronic Arsenic Poisoning among Bangladeshi Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laila N. Islam

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available An estimated 40 million people in Bangladesh have been suffering from arsenic toxicity-related diseases because of drinking water contamination with high levels of naturally occurring arsenic. To evaluate the biochemical changes in chronic arsenic exposure, a total of 115 exposed subjects diagnosed as arsenicosis patients were examined and interviewed, and 120 unexposed volunteers were enrolled in this study. Drinking water, urine and peripheral blood samples were collected from all participants and analyzed. The average levels of arsenic in the drinking water and spot urine samples of the arsenicosis patients were 218.18g/L and 234.68g/L, respectively, and duration of exposure was 7.6 ± 5.2 yrs that ranged from 1-25 yrs. Prevalence of diabetes mellitus among chronic arsenic-exposed subjects was about 2.8 times higher than the unexposed subjects. The activities of alkaline phosphatase were significantly elevated in the patients, 197 U/L compared to 149 U/L in the controls, but alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were mostly normal. The patients had significantly lower levels of serum creatinine, 0.97 mg/dL compared to 1.15 mg/dL in the controls; but had significantly elevated levels of total protein, 84 g/L and 77 g/L respectively. The mean level of inorganic phosphate in the serum of arsenicosis patients was 6.4 mg/dL compared to 4.6 mg/dL in the unexposed subjects and the level was significantly higher, indicating substitution of the pentavalent arsenate for the phosphate ion causing underutilization of the latter. Evaluation of the lipid profiles showed while the levels of triacylglycerol were not much different, the patients had significantly lower levels of cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol compared to the unexposed subjects. These findings suggest significant changes in biochemical parameters in human arsenic toxicity.

  16. Subsurface iron and arsenic removal: Low-cost technology for community-based water supply in Bangladesh

    KAUST Repository

    Van Halem, Doris; Heijman, Bas G J; Johnston, Richard Bart; Huq, Imamul M.; Ghosh, Sanchari K.; Verberk, Jasper Q J C; Amy, Gary L.; Van Dijk, Johannis C.

    2010-01-01

    The principle of subsurface or in situ iron and arsenic removal is that aerated water is periodically injected into an anoxic aquifer through a tube well, displacing groundwater containing Fe(II). An oxidation zone is created around the tube well where Fe(II) is oxidised. The freshly formed iron hydroxide surfaces provide new sorption sites for soluble Fe(II) andarsenic. The system's efficiency is determined based on the ratio between abstracted volume with reduced iron/arsenic concentrations (V) and the injected volume (Vi). In the field studypresented in this paper, the small-scale application of this technology was investigated in rural Bangladesh. It was found that at small injection volumes (>1m3) iron removal was successful and became more effective with every successive cycle. For arsenic, however, the system did not prove to be very effective yet. Arsenic retardation was only limited and breakthrough of 10mg/L (WHO guideline) was observed before V/Vi = 1, which corresponds to arrival of groundwater at the well. Possible explanations for insufficient arsenic adsorption are the short contact times within the oxidation zone, and the presence of competing anions, like phosphate. © IWA Publishing 2010.

  17. Subsurface iron and arsenic removal: Low-cost technology for community-based water supply in Bangladesh

    KAUST Repository

    Van Halem, Doris

    2010-12-01

    The principle of subsurface or in situ iron and arsenic removal is that aerated water is periodically injected into an anoxic aquifer through a tube well, displacing groundwater containing Fe(II). An oxidation zone is created around the tube well where Fe(II) is oxidised. The freshly formed iron hydroxide surfaces provide new sorption sites for soluble Fe(II) andarsenic. The system\\'s efficiency is determined based on the ratio between abstracted volume with reduced iron/arsenic concentrations (V) and the injected volume (Vi). In the field studypresented in this paper, the small-scale application of this technology was investigated in rural Bangladesh. It was found that at small injection volumes (>1m3) iron removal was successful and became more effective with every successive cycle. For arsenic, however, the system did not prove to be very effective yet. Arsenic retardation was only limited and breakthrough of 10mg/L (WHO guideline) was observed before V/Vi = 1, which corresponds to arrival of groundwater at the well. Possible explanations for insufficient arsenic adsorption are the short contact times within the oxidation zone, and the presence of competing anions, like phosphate. © IWA Publishing 2010.

  18. Arsenic in drinking water in the Los Altos de Jalisco region of Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurtado-Jiménez, Roberto; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L

    2006-10-01

    To establish the degree of contamination by arsenic in drinking water in the Los Altos de Jalisco (LAJ) region of west-central Mexico, and to estimate the levels of exposure that residents of the area face. Total arsenic concentration (the sum of all arsenic forms, organic and inorganic) was determined for 129 public water wells in 17 municipal capitals (cabeceras municipales) of the LAJ region, using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. For most of the wells, water samples were taken in both November 2002 and October 2003. The levels of exposure to arsenic were estimated for babies (10 kg), children (20 kg), and adults (70 kg). Mean concentrations of arsenic higher than the Mexican national guideline value of 25 micro g/L were found in 44 (34%) of the 129 wells. The mean concentration of total arsenic for the 129 wells ranged from 14.7 micro g/L to 101.9 micro g/L. The highest concentrations were found in well water samples collected in the cities of Mexticacán (262.9 micro g/L), Teocaltiche (157.7 micro g/L), and San Juan de los Lagos (113.8 micro g/L). Considering the global mean concentration for all the wells in each of the 17 cities, the mean concentration of arsenic exceeded the Mexican guideline value in 7 of the cities. However, the global mean concentration in all 17 cities was higher than the World Health Organization guideline value of 10 micro g/L for arsenic. The range of the estimated exposure doses to arsenic in drinking water was 1.1-7.6 micro g/kg/d for babies, 0.7-5.1 micro g/kg/d for children, and 0.4-2.7 micro g/kg/d for adults. At the exposure doses estimated in the LAJ region, the potential health effects from chronic arsenic ingestion include skin diseases, gastrointestinal effects, neurological damage, cardiovascular problems, and hematological effects. While all the residents may not be affected, an important fraction of the total population of the LAJ region is under potential health risk due to the ingestion of high

  19. Association between arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant and urinary arsenic concentrations in Prievidza District, Slovakia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ranft, U.; Miskovic, P.; Pesch, B.; Jakubis, P.; Fabianova, E.; Keegan, T.; Hergemoller, A.; Jakubis, M.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M.J. [University of Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf (Germany)

    2003-06-01

    To assess the arsenic exposure of a population living in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high arsenic emission in the Prievidza District, Slovakia, 548 spot urine samples were speciated for inorganic As (As-inorg), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and their sum (As-sum). The urine samples were collected from the population of a case-control study on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 411 samples with complete As speciations and sufficient urine quality and without fish consumption were used for statistical analysis. Although current environmental As exposure and urinary As concentrations were low (median As in soil within 5 km distance to the power plant, 41 {mu}g/g; median urinary As-sum, 5.8 {mu}g/L), there was a significant but weak association between As in soil and urinary As-sum (r = 0.21, p {lt} 0.01). We performed a multivariate regression analysis to calculate adjusted regression coefficients for environmental As exposure and other determinants of urinary As. Persons living in the vicinity of the plant had 27% higher As-sum values (p {lt} 0.01), based on elevated concentrations of the methylated species. A 32% increase of MMA occurred among subjects who consumed homegrown food (p {lt} 0.001). NMSC cases had significantly higher levels of As-sum, DMA, and As-inorg. The methylation index As-inorg/(MMA + DMA) was about 20% lower among cases (p {lt} 0.05) and in men (p {lt} 0.05) compared with controls and females, respectively.

  20. A cluster-based randomized controlled trial promoting community participation in arsenic mitigation efforts in Bangladesh

    OpenAIRE

    George, Christine Marie; van Geen, Alexander; Slavkovich, Vesna; Singha, Ashit; Levy, Diane; Islam, Tariqul; Ahmed, Kazi Matin; Moon-Howard, Joyce; Tarozzi, Alessandro; Liu, Xinhua; Factor-Litvak, Pam; Graziano, Joseph

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Objective To reduce arsenic (As) exposure, we evaluated the effectiveness of training community members to perform water arsenic (WAs) testing and provide As education compared to sending representatives from outside communities to conduct these tasks. Methods We conducted a cluster based randomized controlled trial of 20 villages in Singair, Bangladesh. Fifty eligible respondents were randomly selected in each village. In 10 villages, a community member provided As education and WAs...

  1. Voltammetric Detection of Damage to DNA by Arsenic Compounds at a DNA Biosensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Wennrich

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available DNA biosensor can serve as a powerfull tool for simple in vitro tests of chemicaltoxicity. In this paper, damage to DNA attached to the surface of screen-printed carbonelectrode by arsenic compounds in solution is described. Using the Co(III complex with1,10-phenanthroline, [Co(phen3]3+ , as an electrochemical DNA marker and the Ru(IIcomplex with bipyridyne, [Ru(bipy3]2+ , as a DNA oxidation catalyst, the portion of originaldsDNA which survives an incubation of the biosensor in the cleavage medium was evaluated.The model cleavage mixture was composed of an arsenic compound at 10-3 mol/Lconcentration corresponding to real contaminated water, 2x10-4 mol/L Fe(II or Cu(II ions asthe redox catalyst, and 1.5x10-2 mol/L hydrogen peroxide. DNA damage by arsenite,dimethylarsinic acid as the metabolic product of inorganic arsenic and widely used herbicide,as well as phenylarsonic acid and p-arsanilic acid as the representatives of feed additives wasfound in difference to arsenate.

  2. A Phytoremediation Strategy for Arsenic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meagher, Richard B.

    2005-06-01

    A Phytoremediation Strategy for Arsenic Progress Report May, 2005 Richard B. Meagher Principal Investigator Arsenic pollution affects the health of several hundred millions of people world wide, and an estimated 10 million Americans have unsafe levels of arsenic in their drinking water. However, few environmentally sound remedies for cleaning up arsenic contaminated soil and water have been proposed. Phytoremediation, the use of plants to extract and sequester environmental pollutants, is one new technology that offers an ecologically sound solution to a devastating problem. We propose that it is less disruptive to the environment to harvest and dispose of several thousand pounds per acre of contaminated aboveground plant material, than to excavate and dispose of 1 to 5 million pounds of contaminated soil per acre (assumes contamination runs 3 ft deep). Our objective is to develop a genetics-based phytoremediation strategy for arsenic removal that can be used in any plant species. This strategy requires the enhanced expression of several transgenes from diverse sources. Our working hypothesis is that organ-specific expression of several genes controlling the transport, electrochemical state, and binding of arsenic will result in the efficient extraction and hyperaccumulation of arsenic into aboveground plant tissues. This hypothesis is supported by theoretical arguments and strong preliminary data. We proposed six Specific Aims focused on testing and developing this arsenic phytoremediation strategy. During the first 18 months of the grant we made significant progress on five Specific Aims and began work on the sixth as summarized below. Specific Aim 1: Enhance plant arsenic resistance and greatly expand sinks for arsenite by expressing elevated levels of thiol-rich, arsenic-binding peptides. Hyperaccumulation of arsenic depends upon making plants that are both highly tolerant to arsenic and that have the capacity to store large amounts of arsenic aboveground

  3. A review of recent developments in the speciation and location of arsenic and selenium in rice grain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carey, Anne-Marie; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A. [University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Aberdeen (United Kingdom); Lombi, Enzo; Donner, Erica [University of South Australia, Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, Mawson Lakes, South Australia (Australia); Jonge, Martin D. de [Australian Synchrotron, X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Punshon, Tracy; Jackson, Brian P.; Guerinot, Mary Lou [Dartmouth College, Department of Biological Sciences, Hanover, NH (United States)

    2012-04-15

    Rice is a staple food yet is a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic, a class 1, nonthreshold carcinogen. Establishing the location and speciation of arsenic within the edible rice grain is essential for understanding the risk and for developing effective strategies to reduce grain arsenic concentrations. Conversely, selenium is an essential micronutrient and up to 1 billion people worldwide are selenium-deficient. Several studies have suggested that selenium supplementation can reduce the risk of some cancers, generating substantial interest in biofortifying rice. Knowledge of selenium location and speciation is important, because the anti-cancer effects of selenium depend on its speciation. Germanic acid is an arsenite/silicic acid analogue, and location of germanium may help elucidate the mechanisms of arsenite transport into grain. This review summarises recent discoveries in the location and speciation of arsenic, germanium, and selenium in rice grain using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and synchrotron techniques, and illustrates both the importance of high-sensitivity and high-resolution techniques and the advantages of combining techniques in an integrated quantitative and spatial approach. (orig.)

  4. A review of recent developments in the speciation and location of arsenic and selenium in rice grain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Anne-Marie; Lombi, Enzo; Donner, Erica; de Jonge, Martin D.; Punshon, Tracy; Jackson, Brian P.; Guerinot, Mary Lou; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A.

    2014-01-01

    Rice is a staple food yet is a significant dietary source of inorganic arsenic, a class 1, nonthreshold carcinogen. Establishing the location and speciation of arsenic within the edible rice grain is essential for understanding the risk and for developing effective strategies to reduce grain arsenic concentrations. Conversely, selenium is an essential micronutrient and up to 1 billion people worldwide are selenium-deficient. Several studies have suggested that selenium supplementation can reduce the risk of some cancers, generating substantial interest in biofortifying rice. Knowledge of selenium location and speciation is important, because the anti-cancer effects of selenium depend on its speciation. Germanic acid is an arsenite/silicic acid analogue, and location of germanium may help elucidate the mechanisms of arsenite transport into grain. This review summarises recent discoveries in the location and speciation of arsenic, germanium, and selenium in rice grain using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and synchrotron techniques, and illustrates both the importance of high-sensitivity and high-resolution techniques and the advantages of combining techniques in an integrated quantitative and spatial approach. PMID:22159463

  5. Genetic polymorphisms of PPAR gamma, arsenic methylation capacity and breast cancer risk in Mexican women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pineda-Belmontes, Cristina P; Hernández-Ramírez, Raúl U; Hernández-Alcaraz, César; Cebrián, Mariano E; López-Carrillo, Lizbeth

    2016-04-01

    To evaluate whether the presence of polymorphisms of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma PPARγ (Pro 1 2Ala) and PPARGC1B (Ala203Pro) modifies the association between the inorganic arsenic (iAs) methylation capacity and breast cancer (BC). Mexican women were interviewed, and blood and urine samples were collected from them (cases/controls= 197/220). The concentration of urinary arsenic species and the polymorphisms of interest were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICP-MS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. In women with a high %MMA (urinary monomethyl arsenic) and high primary methylation ratio (PM = MMA/iAs), the risk of BC was increased (odds ratio [OR]%MMA T3 vs.T1= 3.60: 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.02-6.41, ORPMI T3 vs.T1= 3.47: 95%CI 1.95-6.17), which was maintained after adjusting for polymorphisms. No significant interactions were observed between the polymorphisms and the arsenic variables on the risk of BC. Pro 12Ala and Ala203Pro polymorphisms did not modify the association between the iAs methylation capacity and BC.

  6. Redox-responsive theranostic nanoplatforms based on inorganic nanomaterials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Lu; Zhang, Xiao-Yong; Wang, Yu-Long; Li, Xi; Yang, Xiao-Hong; Huang, Min; Hu, Kun; Li, Lu-Hai; Wei, Yen

    2017-08-10

    Spurred on by advances in materials chemistry and nanotechnology, scientists have developed many novel nanopreparations for cancer diagnosis and therapy. To treat complex malignant tumors effectively, multifunctional nanomedicines with targeting ability, imaging properties and controlled drug release behavior should be designed and exploited. The therapeutic efficiency of loaded drugs can be dramatically improved using redox-responsive nanoplatforms which can sense the differences in the redox status of tumor tissues and healthy ones. Redox-sensitive nanocarriers can be constructed from both organic and inorganic nanomaterials; however, at present, drug delivery nanovectors progressively lean towards inorganic nanomaterials because of their facile synthesis/modification and their unique physicochemical properties. In this review, we focus specifically on the preparation and application of redox-sensitive nanosystems based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), carbon nanomaterials, magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanomaterials and other inorganic nanomaterials. We discuss relevant examples of redox-sensitive nanosystems in each category. Finally, we discuss current challenges and future strategies from the aspect of material design and practical application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Determination of arsenic species in human urine using HPLC with on-line photooxidation or microwave-assisted oxidation combined with flow-injection HG-AAS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sur, R.; Begerow, J.; Dunemann, L. [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Medizinisches Institut fuer Umwelthygiene, Duesseldorf (Germany)

    1999-03-01

    An improved analytical procedure is presented for the separation and simultaneous determination of hydride-forming (toxic) and not hydride-forming (non-toxic) arsenic species in human urine. Separation was performed by cation-exchange chromatography using a new solid phase type based on the continuous bed chromatography (CBC) technology. This column permits by a factor of 4 higher flow rates than conventional columns resulting in a drastical reduction of retention times without any loss of resolution. Using this type of column, arsenobetaine (AsBet), arsenocholine (AsChol), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were separated from the more toxic arsenic species arsenous acid (As(III)), arsenic acid (As(V)), and methylarsonic acid (MA) within only 4 min. The HPLC system was coupled via a flow injection system and either a UV or a microwave (MW) reactor to the HG-AAS instrument. UV photolysis and MW digestion were used to transform AsBet and AsChol to hydride-forming species and to make them accessible to HG-AAS. UV photolysis turned out to be more suitable for this application than MW digestion, because the latter technique led to peak broadening and poorer performance. The described procedure was applied to the determination of arsenic species in urine samples of non-occupationally exposed persons before and 12 h after seafood consumption. Detection limits were about 1 {mu}g/L for each arsenic species. After consumption, the AsBet and DMA excretion increased by at least a factor of 150 for AsBet and by a factor of 6 for DMA, respectively, while the excretion of the other species did not increase significantly. This invalidates the use of total urinary arsenic as well as total hydride-forming arsenic as an indicator for exposure to inorganic arsenic. (orig.) With 4 figs., 2 tabs., 13 refs.

  8. Nanospherical inorganic α-Fe core-organic shell necklaces for the removal of arsenic(V) and chromium(VI) from aqueous solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzam, Ahmed M.; Shenashen, Mohamed A.; Selim, Mahmoud M.; Yamaguchi, Hitoshi; El-Sewify, Islam M.; Kawada, Satoshi; Alhamid, Abdulaziz A.; El-Safty, Sherif A.

    2017-10-01

    Mesoporous nanospherical necklaces (NSN) of inorganic α-Fe core-organic shell and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) were fabricated. The necklaces were 1 μm in length and 50 nm in thickness, with massive nanospherical particles connecting and overlapping in a neat micro-/nano-necklace archery cage for capturing/trapping of As(V) and Cr(VI) species from water sources. The α-Fe core and the dressing shell of EDTA provided numerous active sites for adsorption, which led to 100% adsorption uptake of these toxic ions. The adsorption isotherms revealed that NSN adsorbent with mesoporous caves and organic-decorated surfaces was promising and effective for the spontaneous and endothermic removal of both ions from contaminated water. The NSN structure exhibited long-term stability. The adsorption efficiency and uptake of the deleterious arsenic and chromium species were achieved after multi-particulate processing of reuse cycles. The pH-dependent removal of As(V) and Cr(VI) species is an emerging topic in selective adsorption assays among competitive ions. Furthermore, the ion-selective conditions at pH 5 for As(V) and pH 7 for Cr(VI) significantly affected the adsorption capacity and affinity of 306.7 and 406.5 mg g-1 into NSN cages, respectively. The obtained results could be used as a basis to provide effective and low-cost products for the purification of wastewater resources from toxic metals.

  9. Arsenic removal for ceramic water filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mishant Kumar

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Arsenic in drinking water is a hazard to human health and is a known carcinogen (Mass 1992. Resource Development International – Cambodia (RDIC has researched, developed, and manufactured simple ceramic water fi lters (CWF which have proved to be extremely effective in removing pathogens from water. These fi lters however, do not remove arsenic from water, which exists in the source water at levels above the World Health Organisation (WHO guideline of 10μg/L. The aims of this literature based study were to investigate conventional and non-conventional arsenic removal processes, and to discuss the options for applying an arsenic removal technology to the CWFs produced by RDIC. It was found that conventional arsenic removal technologies are diffi cult to implement in the context of household water treatment in a developing country. This study suggested that non-conventional arsenic removal technologies shall be more effective and that field studies must be undertaken to verify the success of such methods.

  10. Paper-Based Microfluidic Device with a Gold Nanosensor to Detect Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater in Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mosfera A. Chowdury

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we present a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD with a gold nanosensor functionalized with α-lipoic acid and thioguanine (Au–TA–TG to detect whether the arsenic level of groundwater from hand tubewells in Bangladesh is above or below the World Health Organization (WHO guideline level of 10 μg/L. We analyzed the naturally occurring metals present in Bangladesh groundwater and assessed the interference with the gold nanosensor. A method was developed to prevent interference from alkaline metals found in Bangladesh groundwater (Ca, Mg, K and Na by increasing the pH level on the μPADs to 12.1. Most of the heavy metals present in the groundwater (Ni, Mn, Cd, Pb, and Fe II did not interfere with the μPAD arsenic tests; however, Fe III was found to interfere, which was also prevented by increasing the pH level on the μPADs to 12.1. The μPAD arsenic tests were tested with 24 groundwater samples collected from hand tubewells in three different districts in Bangladesh: Shirajganj, Manikganj, and Munshiganj, and the predictions for whether the arsenic levels were above or below the WHO guideline level agreed with the results obtained from laboratory testing. The μPAD arsenic test is the first paper-based test validated using Bangladesh groundwater samples and capable of detecting whether the arsenic level in groundwater is above or below the WHO guideline level of 10 μg/L, which is a step towards enabling the villagers who collect and consume the groundwater to test their own sources and make decisions about where to obtain the safest water.

  11. Arsenic in solution, colloidal and particulate phases of East-Hainan estuaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balzer, Wolfgang; Boehler, Esther; Tang, Xiaoliang; Ren, Jingling; Zhang, Jing; Wang, Daoru

    2013-04-01

    During two nominal dry seasons (December 2006, March 2009) and two wet seasons (July 2007, July/August 2008) the estuarine distribution and size speciation of arsenic was studied in the Wanquan river and the Wenchang/Wenjiao river estuaries, located in tropical East-Hainan (China). Arsenic in solution and in colloidal fractions was analyzed by anodic stripping voltammetry after oxidative UV digestion thereby including inorganic As(III) and As(V) as well as organic As forms. Particulate As was determined by high-resolution ICP-MS after a microwave assisted total decomposition protocol. Taking the two relatively similar estuaries and the two expeditions for each season together, the average concentrations of total dissolved As (aquaculture ponds and piles of excavated soil. The separation of colloidal fractions revealed that on average 82% of td-As remains in solution (aquaculture ponds, the two estuaries might be considered uncontaminated with respect to As.

  12. Relationship between long-term exposure to low-level arsenic in drinking water and the prevalence of abnormal blood pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chuanwu; Mao, Guangyun; He, Suxia; Yang, Zuopeng; Yang, Wei; Zhang, Xiaojing; Qiu, Wenting; Ta, Na; Cao, Li; Yang, Hui; Guo, Xiaojuan

    2013-11-15

    Arsenic increases the risk and incidence of cardiovascular disease. To explore the impact of long-term exposure to low-level arsenic in drinking water on blood pressure including pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 in which the blood pressure of 405 villagers was measured, who had been drinking water with an inorganic arsenic content 30-50 years of arsenic exposure and a 2.95-fold (95%CI: 1.31-6.67) increase in the group with >50 years exposure. Furthermore, the odds ratio for prevalence of abnormal PP and MAP were 1.06 (95%CI: 0.24-4.66) and 0.87 (95%CI: 0.36-2.14) in the group with >30-50 years of exposure, and were 2.46 (95%CI: 0.87-6.97) and 3.75 (95%CI: 1.61-8.71) for the group with >50 years exposure, compared to the group with arsenic exposure ≤ 30 years respectively. Significant trends for Hypertension (p<0.0001), PP (p<0.0001) and MAP (p=0.0016) were found. The prevalence of hypertension and abnormal PP as well as MAP is marked among a low-level arsenic exposure population, and significantly increases with the duration of arsenic exposure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Determination of arsenic speciation in sulfidic waters by Ion Chromatography Hydride-Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (IC-HG-AFS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Nicole S; Stefánsson, Andri; Sigfússon, Bergur

    2014-10-01

    A method for the analysis of arsenic species in aqueous sulfide samples is presented. The method uses an ion chromatography system connected with a Hydride-Generation Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometer (IC-HG-AFS). With this method inorganic As(III) and As(V) species in water samples can be analyzed, including arsenite (HnAs(III)O3(n-3)), thioarsenite (HnAs(III)S3(n-3)), arsenate (HnAs(V)O4(n-3)), monothioarsenate (HnAs(V)SO3(n-3)), dithioarsenate (HnAs(V)S2O2(n-3)), trithioarsenate (HnAs(V)S3O(n-3)) and tetrathioarsenate (HnAs(V)S4(n-3)). The peak identification and retention times were determined based on standard analysis of the various arsenic compounds. The analytical detection limit was ~1-3 µg L(-1) (LOD), depending on the quality of the baseline. This low detection limit makes this method also applicable to discriminate between waters meeting the drinking water standard of max. 10 µg L(-1) As, and waters that do not meet this standard. The new method was successfully applied for on-site determination of arsenic species in natural sulfidic waters, in which seven species were unambiguously identified. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Differential DNA methylation profile of key genes in malignant prostate epithelial cells transformed by inorganic arsenic or cadmium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pelch, Katherine E; Tokar, Erik J; Merrick, B Alex; Waalkes, Michael P

    2015-08-01

    Previous work shows altered methylation patterns in inorganic arsenic (iAs)- or cadmium (Cd)-transformed epithelial cells. Here, the methylation status near the transcriptional start site was assessed in the normal human prostate epithelial cell line (RWPE-1) that was malignantly transformed by 10μM Cd for 11weeks (CTPE) or 5μM iAs for 29weeks (CAsE-PE), at which time cells showed multiple markers of acquired cancer phenotype. Next generation sequencing of the transcriptome of CAsE-PE cells identified multiple dysregulated genes. Of the most highly dysregulated genes, five genes that can be relevant to the carcinogenic process (S100P, HYAL1, NTM, NES, ALDH1A1) were chosen for an in-depth analysis of the DNA methylation profile. DNA was isolated, bisulfite converted, and combined bisulfite restriction analysis was used to identify differentially methylated CpG sites, which was confirmed with bisulfite sequencing. Four of the five genes showed differential methylation in transformants relative to control cells that was inversely related to altered gene expression. Increased expression of HYAL1 (>25-fold) and S100P (>40-fold) in transformants was correlated with hypomethylation near the transcriptional start site. Decreased expression of NES (>15-fold) and NTM (>1000-fold) in transformants was correlated with hypermethylation near the transcriptional start site. ALDH1A1 expression was differentially expressed in transformed cells but was not differentially methylated relative to control. In conclusion, altered gene expression observed in Cd and iAs transformed cells may result from altered DNA methylation status. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  15. Arsenic biotransformation and release by bacteria indigenous to arsenic contaminated groundwater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Dhiraj; Kazy, Sufia K; Banerjee, Tirtha Das; Gupta, Ashok K; Pal, Taraknath; Sar, Pinaki

    2015-01-01

    Arsenic (As) biotransformation and release by indigenous bacteria from As rich groundwater was investigated. Metabolic landscape of 173 bacterial isolates indicated broad catabolic repertoire including abundance of As(5+) reductase activity and abilities in utilizing wide ranges of organic and inorganic respiratory substrates. Abundance of As homeostasis genes and utilization of hydrocarbon as carbon/electron donor and As(5+) as electron acceptor were noted within the isolates. Sediment microcosm study (for 300 days) showed a pivotal role of metal reducing facultative anaerobic bacteria in toxic As(3+) release in aqueous phase. Inhabitant bacteria catalyze As transformation and facilitate its release through a cascade of reactions including mineral bioweathering and As(5+) and/or Fe(3+) reduction activities. Compared to anaerobic incubation with As(5+) reducing strains, oxic state and/or incubation with As(3+) oxidizing bacteria resulted in reduced As release, thus indicating a strong role of such condition or biocatalytic mechanism in controlling in situ As contamination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated soil by arsenic accumulators: a three year study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raj, Anshita; Singh, Nandita

    2015-03-01

    To investigate whether phytoremediation can remove arsenic from the contaminated area, a study was conducted for three consecutive years to determine the efficiency of Pteris vittata, Adiantum capillus veneris, Christella dentata and Phragmites karka, on arsenic removal from the arsenic contaminated soil. Arsenic concentrations in the soil samples were analysed after harvesting in 2009, 2010 and 2011 at an interval of 6 months. Frond arsenic concentrations were also estimated in all the successive harvests. Fronds resulted in the greatest amount of arsenic removal. Root arsenic concentrations were analysed in the last harvest. Approximately 70 % of arsenic was removed by P. vittata which was recorded as the highest among the four plant species. However, 60 % of arsenic was removed by A. capillus veneris, 55.1 % by C. dentata and 56.1 % by P. karka of arsenic was removed from the contaminated soil in 3 years.

  17. Effects of sulfur in flooded paddy soils: Implications for iron chemistry and arsenic mobilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avancha, S.; Boye, K.

    2013-12-01

    In the Mekong delta in Cambodia, naturally occurring arsenic (amplified by erosion in the Himalaya Mountains) in paddy soils is mobilized during the seasonal flooding. As a consequence, rice grown on the flooded soils may take up arsenic and expose people eating the rice to this carcinogenic substance. Iron and sulfur both interact strongly with arsenic in paddy soils: iron oxides are strong adsorbents for arsenic in oxic conditions, and sulfur (in the form of sulfide) is a strong adsorbent under anoxic conditions. In the process of reductive dissolution of iron oxides, arsenic, which had been adsorbed to the iron oxides, is released. Therefore, higher levels of reduced iron (ferrous iron) will likely correlate with higher levels of mobilized arsenic. However, the mobilized arsenic may then co-precipitate with or adsorb to iron sulfides, which form under sulfate-reducing conditions and with the aid of certain microbes already present in the soil. In a batch experiment, we investigated how these processes correlate and which has the greatest influence on arsenic mobilization and potential plant availability. The experiment was designed to measure the effects of various sources of sulfur (dried rice straw, charred rice straw, and gypsum) on the iron and arsenic release in an arsenic-contaminated paddy soil from Cambodia under flooded conditions. The two types of rice straw were designed to introduce the same amount of organic sulfur (7.7 μg/g of soil), but different levels of available carbon, since carbon stimulates microbial activity in the soil. In comparison, two different levels of gypsum (calcium sulfate) were used, 7.7 and 34.65 μg/g of soil, to test the effect of directly available inorganic sulfate without carbon addition. The soil was flooded with a buffer solution at pH 7.07 in airtight serum vials and kept as a slurry on a shaker at 25 °C. We measured pH, alkalinity, ferrous iron, ferric iron, sulfide, sulfate, total iron, sulfur, and arsenic in the

  18. ARSENIC CONTAMINATION IN GROUNDWATER: A STATISTICAL MODELING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palas Roy

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available High arsenic in natural groundwater in most of the tubewells of the Purbasthali- Block II area of Burdwan district (W.B, India has recently been focused as a serious environmental concern. This paper is intending to illustrate the statistical modeling of the arsenic contaminated groundwater to identify the interrelation of that arsenic contain with other participating groundwater parameters so that the arsenic contamination level can easily be predicted by analyzing only such parameters. Multivariate data analysis was done with the collected groundwater samples from the 132 tubewells of this contaminated region shows that three variable parameters are significantly related with the arsenic. Based on these relationships, a multiple linear regression model has been developed that estimated the arsenic contamination by measuring such three predictor parameters of the groundwater variables in the contaminated aquifer. This model could also be a suggestive tool while designing the arsenic removal scheme for any affected groundwater.

  19. Improvement of bioreporter bacteria-based test systems for the analysis of arsenic in drinking water and the rhizosphere

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuppardt, Anke

    2010-02-05

    Contamination of drinking water with arsenic can be measured in laboratories with atom absorption spectrometry (AAS), mass spectrometry with inductive coupled plasma (ICP-MS) or atom fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) at the relevant concentrations below 50 {mu}g/L. Field test kits which easily and reliably measure arsenic concentrations are not yet available. Test systems on the basis of bioreporter bacteria offer an alternative. Based on the natural resistance mechanism of bacteria against arsenic compounds toxic for humans, bioreporter bacteria can be constructed that display arsenic concentrations with light emission (luminescence or fluorescence) or colour reactions. This is achieved by coupling the gene for the ArsR-protein and arsenic regulated promoters with suitable reporter genes. The resulting bioreporter bacteria report bioavailable arsenic in a dose dependent manner at the toxicologically relevant level of 2 to 80 {mu}g/L and are therewith suitable both for the guideline levels of the WHO of 10 {mu}g/L and for the national standards in South East Asia of 50 {mu}g/L. This alternative method has the advantage of being independent from sophisticated apparatus as by eye detection is feasible and offers the possibility of measuring directly the bioavailable fraction. Bioreporter bacteria are also suitable for in situ research. Yet, in order to apply such bioreporter bacteria as a low-cost analytical tool in a regular manner, open questions exist regarding the preservation of the specific activity, the vitality of bioreporter bacteria and the improvement of bioreporter test systems for layman. The aim of this thesis hence was to optimize and improve bioreporter based test systems to allow easy conservation, storage and transport, and also an application without the need of a sophisticated infrastructure. For that purpose it was intended (i) to develop and validate a method that allows arsenic detection without external calibration (chapter 2) and (ii) to

  20. Improvement of bioreporter bacteria-based test systems for the analysis of arsenic in drinking water and the rhizosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuppardt, Anke

    2010-01-01

    Contamination of drinking water with arsenic can be measured in laboratories with atom absorption spectrometry (AAS), mass spectrometry with inductive coupled plasma (ICP-MS) or atom fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) at the relevant concentrations below 50 μg/L. Field test kits which easily and reliably measure arsenic concentrations are not yet available. Test systems on the basis of bioreporter bacteria offer an alternative. Based on the natural resistance mechanism of bacteria against arsenic compounds toxic for humans, bioreporter bacteria can be constructed that display arsenic concentrations with light emission (luminescence or fluorescence) or colour reactions. This is achieved by coupling the gene for the ArsR-protein and arsenic regulated promoters with suitable reporter genes. The resulting bioreporter bacteria report bioavailable arsenic in a dose dependent manner at the toxicologically relevant level of 2 to 80 μg/L and are therewith suitable both for the guideline levels of the WHO of 10 μg/L and for the national standards in South East Asia of 50 μg/L. This alternative method has the advantage of being independent from sophisticated apparatus as by eye detection is feasible and offers the possibility of measuring directly the bioavailable fraction. Bioreporter bacteria are also suitable for in situ research. Yet, in order to apply such bioreporter bacteria as a low-cost analytical tool in a regular manner, open questions exist regarding the preservation of the specific activity, the vitality of bioreporter bacteria and the improvement of bioreporter test systems for layman. The aim of this thesis hence was to optimize and improve bioreporter based test systems to allow easy conservation, storage and transport, and also an application without the need of a sophisticated infrastructure. For that purpose it was intended (i) to develop and validate a method that allows arsenic detection without external calibration (chapter 2) and (ii) to improve the

  1. Bioaccessibility and arsenic speciation in carrots, beets and quinoa from a contaminated area of Chile

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pizarro, Isabel [Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Antofagasta, 02800 Antofagasta (Chile); Gómez-Gómez, Milagros [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain); León, Jennifer; Román, Domingo [Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad de Antofagasta, 02800 Antofagasta (Chile); Palacios, M. Antonia, E-mail: palacor@ucm.es [Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2016-09-15

    Consumption of vegetables grown in arsenic (As)-contaminated soils is an important exposure route to the element for humans. The present study is focused on locally-grown, frequently-consumed vegetables, such as carrots (Daucus carota), beets (Beta vulgaris) and quinoa (Chenopodium) from the As-polluted Chiu Chiu area in Northern Chile. The latter region is affected both by As discharge from copper mining activity and natural As contamination, leading to a high As content in local food and water. For the selected vegetables, the following aspects were investigated: i) Their total As, Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn content; ii) Arsenic speciation in the edible part of the vegetables by liquid chromatography inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS) analysis; iii) Arsenic bioaccessibility in the vegetables during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion; iv) Arsenic species present in the extracts obtained from in vitro gastrointestinal digestion; and v) Arsenic dietary exposure estimates for the assessment of the risk posed by the vegetables consumption. A significant degree of As contamination was found in the vegetables under study, their metal content having been compared with that of similar Spanish uncontaminated products. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of the studied vegetables led to quantitative extraction of As from carrots and beets, whereas efficiency was about 40% for quinoa. For carrots, only As(III) and As(V) species were found, being their concentration levels similar. In the case of quinoa, around 85% of the element was present as As(V). For beets, inorganic As(V) and unknown overlapped As species (probably arsenosugars) were found. No significant transformation of the original As species was observed during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Arsenic dietary exposure values obtained for the three vegetables (0.017–0.021 μg As person{sup −1} day{sup −1}) were much lower than the JFCFA's safety limit of 50 μg As person{sup −1} day

  2. Bioaccessibility and arsenic speciation in carrots, beets and quinoa from a contaminated area of Chile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pizarro, Isabel; Gómez-Gómez, Milagros; León, Jennifer; Román, Domingo; Palacios, M. Antonia

    2016-01-01

    Consumption of vegetables grown in arsenic (As)-contaminated soils is an important exposure route to the element for humans. The present study is focused on locally-grown, frequently-consumed vegetables, such as carrots (Daucus carota), beets (Beta vulgaris) and quinoa (Chenopodium) from the As-polluted Chiu Chiu area in Northern Chile. The latter region is affected both by As discharge from copper mining activity and natural As contamination, leading to a high As content in local food and water. For the selected vegetables, the following aspects were investigated: i) Their total As, Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn content; ii) Arsenic speciation in the edible part of the vegetables by liquid chromatography inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LC-ICPMS) analysis; iii) Arsenic bioaccessibility in the vegetables during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion; iv) Arsenic species present in the extracts obtained from in vitro gastrointestinal digestion; and v) Arsenic dietary exposure estimates for the assessment of the risk posed by the vegetables consumption. A significant degree of As contamination was found in the vegetables under study, their metal content having been compared with that of similar Spanish uncontaminated products. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of the studied vegetables led to quantitative extraction of As from carrots and beets, whereas efficiency was about 40% for quinoa. For carrots, only As(III) and As(V) species were found, being their concentration levels similar. In the case of quinoa, around 85% of the element was present as As(V). For beets, inorganic As(V) and unknown overlapped As species (probably arsenosugars) were found. No significant transformation of the original As species was observed during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Arsenic dietary exposure values obtained for the three vegetables (0.017–0.021 μg As person"−"1 day"−"1) were much lower than the JFCFA's safety limit of 50 μg As person"−"1 day"−"1. Therefore

  3. Assessing multimedia/multipathway exposures to inorganic arsenic at population and individual level using MERLIN-Expo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Holderbeke, Mirja; Fierens, Tine; Standaert, Arnout; Cornelis, Christa; Brochot, Céline; Ciffroy, Philippe; Johansson, Erik; Bierkens, Johan

    2016-10-15

    In this study, we report on model simulations performed using the newly developed exposure tool, MERLIN-Expo, in order to assess inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure to adults resulting from past emissions by non-ferrous smelters in Belgium (Northern Campine area). Exposure scenarios were constructed to estimate external iAs exposure as well as the toxicologically relevant As (tAs, i.e., iAs, MMA and DMA) body burden in adults living in the vicinity of the former industrial sites as compared to adults living in adjacent areas and a reference area. Two scenarios are discussed: a first scenario studying exposure to iAs at the aggregated population level and a second scenario studying exposure at the individual level for a random sub-sample of subjects in each of the three different study areas. These two scenarios only differ in the type of human related input data (i.e., time-activity data, ingestion rates and consumption patterns) that were used, namely averages (incl. probability density functions, PDFs) in the simulation at population level and subject-specific values in the simulation at individual level. The model predictions are shown to be lower than the corresponding biomonitoring data from the monitoring campaign. Urinary tAs levels in adults, irrespective of the area they lived in, were under-predicted by MERLIN-Expo by 40% on average. The model predictions for individual adults, by contrast, under-predict the biomonitoring data by 7% on average, but with more important under-predictions for subjects at the upper end of exposure. Still, average predicted urinary tAs levels from the simulations at population level and at individual level overlap, and, at least for the current case, lead to similar conclusions. These results constitute a first and partial verification of the model performance of MERLIN-Expo when dealing with iAs in a complex site-specific exposure scenario, and demonstrate the robustness of the modelling tool for these situations. Copyright

  4. XRCC1 Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln polymorphisms and arsenic methylation capacity are associated with urothelial carcinoma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chiang, Chien-I [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Huang, Ya-Li [Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chen, Wei-Jen [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Shiue, Horng-Sheng [Department of Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan (China); Huang, Chao-Yuan; Pu, Yeong-Shiau [Department of Urology, National Taiwan University Hospital, College of Medicine National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Lin, Ying-Chin [Department of Family Medicine, Shung Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Health Examination, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Division of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Hsueh, Yu-Mei, E-mail: ymhsueh@tmu.edu.tw [School of Public Health, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China)

    2014-09-15

    The association between DNA repair gene polymorphisms and bladder cancer has been widely studied. However, few studies have examined the correlation between urothelial carcinoma (UC) and arsenic or its metabolites. The aim of this study was to examine the association between polymorphisms of the DNA repair genes, XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, and XPD Lys751Gln, with urinary arsenic profiles and UC. To this end, we conducted a hospital-based case–control study with 324 UC patients and 647 age- and gender-matched non-cancer controls. Genomic DNA was used to examine the genotype of XRCC1 Arg194Trp, XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met, and XPD Lys751Gln by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (PCR-RFLP). Urinary arsenic profiles were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) linked with hydride generator and atomic absorption spectrometry. The XRCC1 399 Gln/Gln and 194 Arg/Trp and Trp/Trp genotypes were significantly related to UC, and the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) were 1.68 (1.03–2.75) and 0.66 (0.48–0.90), respectively. Participants with higher total urinary arsenic levels, a higher percentage of inorganic arsenic (InAs%) and a lower percentage of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%) had a higher OR of UC. Participants carrying XRCC1 risk diplotypes G-C/G-C, A-C/A-C, and A-T/G-T, and who had higher total arsenic levels, higher InAs%, or lower DMA% compared to those with other XRCC1 diplotypes had a higher OR of UC. Our results suggest that the XRCC1 399 Gln/Gln and 194 Arg/Arg DNA repair genes play an important role in poor arsenic methylation capacity, thereby increasing the risk of UC in non-obvious arsenic exposure areas. - Highlights: • The XRCC1 399Gln/Gln genotype was significantly associated with increased OR of UC. • The XRCC1 194 Arg/Trp and Trp/Trp genotype had a significantly decreased OR of UC. • Combined effect of the XRCC1 genotypes and poor arsenic methylation capacity on

  5. Study of the determination of inorganic arsenic species by CE with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Nguyen, H. T. A.; Kubáň, Pavel; Pham, V. H.; Hauser, P.C.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 28, č. 19 (2007), s. 3500-3506 ISSN 0173-0835 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40310501 Keywords : capillary electrophoresis * arsenic speciation * contactless conductivity detection Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.609, year: 2007

  6. Qualitative tests for the determination of inorganic bases

    OpenAIRE

    Založnik, Urša

    2013-01-01

    The unit on acids, bases and salts is dealt with in primary and secondary schools and can be very interesting to students because they encounter these substances on an everyday basis. In my Diploma thesis I will focus on bases, especially on how the students could determine in the most interesting way whether a solution is acid or base and which solution (base) that actually is. My goal is to develop simple qualitative tests to determine inorganic bases in primary schools. In nature, ba...

  7. Biomarkers of cadmium and arsenic interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nordberg, G.F.; Jin, T.; Hong, F.; Zhang, A.; Buchet, J.P.; Bernard, A.

    2005-01-01

    Advances in proteomics have led to the identification of sensitive urinary biomarkers of renal dysfunction that are increasingly used in toxicology and epidemiology. Recent animal data show that combined exposure to inorganic arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) gives rise to more pronounced renal toxicity than exposure to each of the agents alone. In order to examine if similar interaction occurs in humans, renal dysfunction was studied in population groups (619 persons in total) residing in two metal contaminated areas in China: mainly a Cd contaminated area in Zhejiang province (Z-area) and mainly a As contaminated area in Guizhou province (G-area). Nearby control areas without excessive metal exposure were also included. Measurements of urinary β 2 -microglobulin (UB2MG), N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (UNAG), retinol binding protein (URBP) and albumin (UALB) were used as markers of renal dysfunction. Urinary Cd (UCd) and total As (UTAs) were analyzed by graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Urinary inorganic As and its mono- and di-methylated metabolites (UIAs) were determined by Hydride generation. Results. As expected, the highest UCd values occurred in Z-area (Geometric mean, GM 11.6 μg/g crea) while the highest UTAs values occurred in G-area (GM = 288 μg/g crea). Statistically significant increases compared to the respective control area were present both for UTAs, UCd and for UB2MG, UNAG and UALB in Z-area as well as in G-area. UIAs was determined only in Z area. In G-area, there was a clear dose-response pattern both in relation to UTAs and UCd for each of the biomarkers of renal dysfunction. An interaction effect between As and Cd was demonstrated at higher levels of a combined exposure to As and Cd enhancing the effect on the kidney. In Z-area an increased prevalence of B2MG-uria, NAG-uria and ALB-uria was found in relation to UCd, but no relationship to UTAs was found. A statistically significant relationship between UIAs and UB2MG was found among

  8. In silico analysis of bacterial arsenic islands reveals remarkable synteny and functional relatedness between arsenate and phosphate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Hang; Li, Mingshun; Huang, Yinyan

    2013-01-01

    In order to construct a more universal model for understanding the genetic requirements for bacterial AsIII oxidation, an in silico examination of the available sequences in the GenBank was assessed and revealed 21 conserved 5-71 kb arsenic islands within phylogenetically diverse bacterial genomes....... The arsenic islands included the AsIII oxidase structural genes aioBA, ars operons (e.g., arsRCB) which code for arsenic resistance, and pho, pst, and phn genes known to be part of the classical phosphate stress response and that encode functions associated with regulating and acquiring organic and inorganic...... phosphorus. The regulatory genes aioXSR were also an island component, but only in Proteobacteria and orientated differently depending on whether they were in a-Proteobacteria or β-/γ-Proteobacteria. Curiously though, while these regulatory genes have been shown to be essential to AsIII oxidation...

  9. Arsenic speciation by X-ray spectroscopy using resonant Raman Scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez, H.J.; Leani, J.J. [Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Cba (Argentina); Perez, C.A. [Laboratorio Nacional de Luz Sincrotron (LNLS), Campinas, SP (Brazil)

    2012-07-01

    Full text: The toxicity of arsenic species is widely known. A realistic evaluation of the risk posed by As depends on accurate determination of As speciation, because its toxicity and mobility varies with oxidation state and chemical environment. The most toxic species are inorganic As (III) and As (V) called respectively arsenite or trivalent arsenic, and arsenate or pentavalent arsenic. Recently, x-ray Resonant Raman Scattering spectroscopy has been successfully employed to determine the oxidation state of metals. In this work we use RRS spectroscopy to perform arsenic speciation. The measurements were carried out in XRF station of the D09B-XRF beamline at the Brazilian synchrotron facility (LNLS, Campinas). Mineral samples of As in different oxidation states (As(III) and AS(V)), and two biological forms of arsenic (monomethylarsonic acid (MMA(V) and dimethylarsinic acid DMA(V)) were analysed. The samples were diluted, deposited on silicon wafers and allowed to dry. The amount of liquid deposited on the reflector before evaporation was 20 microliters for all the specimens. These samples were irradiated with monochromatic photons of 11816 eV, i.e., below the K-edge of arsenic in order to inspect the Raman emissions. The measuring lifetime was 3600 sec for each sample. Spectra were analysed with specific programs for spectrum analysis using non-conventional functions for data fitting, i.e., modified Voight functions (for Compton peaks), Gaussian functions for fluorescent and for low intensity peaks (such as escape peaks and other contributions), and polynomial functions for the background. Raman peaks were fitted using specific functions. In this work we have shown that resonant Raman scattering spectroscopy can be used to analyse arsenic species. The method is very simple and reliable. The most important feature of this method relies in the possibility of using the same spectrometer of XRF analysis or TXRF analysis. In this way, practically in the same experiment

  10. Chronic arsenic poisoning from burning high-arsenic-containing coal in Guizhou, China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, J.; Zheng, B.S.; Aposhian, H.V.; Zhou, Y.S.; Chen, M.L.; Zhang, A.H.; Waalkes, M.P. [NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC (USA)

    2002-07-01

    Arsenic is an environmental hazard and the reduction of drinking water arsenic levels is under consideration. People are exposed to arsenic not only through drinking water but also through arsenic-contaminated air and food. Here the health effects of arsenic exposure from burning high arsenic-containing coal in Guizhou, China was investigated. Coal is burned inside the home in open pits for daily cooking and crop drying, producing a high concentration of arsenic in indoor air. Arsenic in the air coats and permeates food being dried producing high concentrations in food; however, arsenic concentrations in the drinking water are in the normal range. The estimated sources of total arsenic exposure in this area are from arsenic-contaminated food (50-80%), air (10-20%), water (1-5%), and direct contact in coal-mining workers (1%). At least 3,000 patients with arsenic poisoning were found in the Southwest Prefecture of Guizhou, and approximately 200,000 people are at risk for such over exposures. Skin lesions are common, including keratosis of the hands and feet, pigmentation on the trunk, skin ulceration, and skin cancers. Toxicities to internal organs, including lung dysfunction, neuropathy, and nephrotoxicity, are clinically evident. The prevalence of hepatomegaly was 20%, and cirrhosis, ascites, and liver cancer are the most serious outcomes of arsenic poisoning. The Chinese government and international organizations are attempting to improve the house conditions and the coal source, and thereby protect human health in this area.

  11. Arsenic transport in irrigation water across rice-field soils in Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polizzotto, Matthew L.; Lineberger, Ethan M.; Matteson, Audrey R.; Neumann, Rebecca B.; Badruzzaman, A. Borhan M.; Ashraf Ali, M.

    2013-01-01

    Experiments were conducted to analyze processes impacting arsenic transport in irrigation water flowing over bare rice-field soils in Bangladesh. Dissolved concentrations of As, Fe, P, and Si varied over space and time, according to whether irrigation water was flowing or static. Initially, under flowing conditions, arsenic concentrations in irrigation water were below well-water levels and showed little spatial variability across fields. As flowing-water levels rose, arsenic concentrations were elevated at field inlets and decreased with distance across fields, but under subsequent static conditions, concentrations dropped and were less variable. Laboratory experiments revealed that over half of the initial well-water arsenic was removed from solution by oxidative interaction with other water-column components. Introduction of small quantities of soil further decreased arsenic concentrations in solution. At higher soil-solution ratios, however, soil contributed arsenic to solution via abiotic and biotic desorption. Collectively, these results suggest careful design is required for land-based arsenic-removal schemes. -- Highlights: •We analyzed the processes impacting arsenic transport in flowing irrigation water. •Arsenic in Bangladesh rice-field irrigation water varied over space and time. •Arsenic was correlated with Fe, P, and Si in flowing and static water. •Oxidation, adsorption and desorption reactions controlled arsenic concentrations. •Land-based arsenic removal from water will be impacted by hydraulic conditions. -- Arsenic concentrations in flowing and static irrigation water in Bangladesh varied over space and time, suggesting careful design is required for land-based pre-treatment schemes that aim to remove As from solution

  12. Absorption of foliar-applied arsenic by the arsenic hyperaccumulating fern (Pteris vittata L.)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bondada, Bhaskar R.; Tu, Shuxin; Ma, Lena Q

    2004-10-01

    The fact that heavy metals can enter various domains of the plant system through foliar pathways spurred us to explore if the fronds of the Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.), a hyperaccumulator of arsenic, a carcinogenic metalloid, was proficient in absorbing arsenic in the form of sprays. The specific objective of this study was to investigate the impact of frond age, form of arsenic, and time of application on the absorption of foliar-applied arsenic by the brake fern; also examined were the effects of foliar sprays on surface ultrastructure and arsenic speciation in the frond following absorption. Foliar sprays of different arsenic concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm) were applied to young and fertile fronds. A positive linear relationship existed between arsenic concentration and absorption; the arsenic concentration of fronds increased from 50 to 200 ppm. Time-course analysis with excised pinnae indicated an initial linear increase followed by a plateau at 48 h. The young fronds with immature sori absorbed more arsenic (3100 ppm) than the fertile mature fronds (890 ppm). In the frond, the arsenic absorption was greatest in the lamina of the pinnae followed by the sori and the rachis. Applying arsenic during night (20:00-22:00 h) or afternoon (12:00-14:00 h) resulted in greater absorption of arsenic than the application in the morning (08:00-10:00 h). The arsenic absorption was greater through abaxial surfaces than through adaxial surfaces. The brake fern absorbed more arsenic when it was applied in the form of arsenite. Regardless of the form of arsenic and the surface it was applied to, arsenic occurred as arsenite, the reduced and the most toxic form of arsenic, after having been absorbed by the fronds. Scanning electron microscopy revealed no surface morphological alterations following all arsenic sprays. The study unequivocally illustrated that the Chinese brake fern absorbed foliar-applied arsenic with great efficiency. Consequently, the

  13. Absorption of foliar-applied arsenic by the arsenic hyperaccumulating fern (Pteris vittata L.)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bondada, Bhaskar R.; Tu, Shuxin; Ma, Lena Q.

    2004-01-01

    The fact that heavy metals can enter various domains of the plant system through foliar pathways spurred us to explore if the fronds of the Chinese brake fern (Pteris vittata L.), a hyperaccumulator of arsenic, a carcinogenic metalloid, was proficient in absorbing arsenic in the form of sprays. The specific objective of this study was to investigate the impact of frond age, form of arsenic, and time of application on the absorption of foliar-applied arsenic by the brake fern; also examined were the effects of foliar sprays on surface ultrastructure and arsenic speciation in the frond following absorption. Foliar sprays of different arsenic concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 ppm) were applied to young and fertile fronds. A positive linear relationship existed between arsenic concentration and absorption; the arsenic concentration of fronds increased from 50 to 200 ppm. Time-course analysis with excised pinnae indicated an initial linear increase followed by a plateau at 48 h. The young fronds with immature sori absorbed more arsenic (3100 ppm) than the fertile mature fronds (890 ppm). In the frond, the arsenic absorption was greatest in the lamina of the pinnae followed by the sori and the rachis. Applying arsenic during night (20:00-22:00 h) or afternoon (12:00-14:00 h) resulted in greater absorption of arsenic than the application in the morning (08:00-10:00 h). The arsenic absorption was greater through abaxial surfaces than through adaxial surfaces. The brake fern absorbed more arsenic when it was applied in the form of arsenite. Regardless of the form of arsenic and the surface it was applied to, arsenic occurred as arsenite, the reduced and the most toxic form of arsenic, after having been absorbed by the fronds. Scanning electron microscopy revealed no surface morphological alterations following all arsenic sprays. The study unequivocally illustrated that the Chinese brake fern absorbed foliar-applied arsenic with great efficiency. Consequently, the

  14. Sulfate and glutathione enhanced arsenic accumulation by arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata L

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei Shuhe; Ma, Lena Q.; Saha, Uttam; Mathews, Shiny; Sundaram, Sabarinath; Rathinasabapathi, Bala; Zhou Qixing

    2010-01-01

    This experiment examined the effects of sulfate (S) and reduced glutathione (GSH) on arsenic uptake by arsenic hyperaccumulator Pteris vittata after exposing to arsenate (0, 15 or 30 mg As L -1 ) with sulfate (6.4, 12.8 or 25.6 mg S L -1 ) or GSH (0, 0.4 or 0.8 mM) for 2-wk. Total arsenic, S and GSH concentrations in plant biomass and arsenic speciation in the growth media and plant biomass were determined. While both S (18-85%) and GSH (77-89%) significantly increased arsenic uptake in P. vittata, GSH also increased arsenic translocation by 61-85% at 0.4 mM (p < 0.05). Sulfate and GSH did not impact plant biomass or arsenic speciation in the media and biomass. The S-induced arsenic accumulation by P. vittata was partially attributed to increased plant GSH (21-31%), an important non-enzymatic antioxidant countering oxidative stress. This experiment demonstrated that S and GSH can effectively enhance arsenic uptake and translocation by P. vittata. - Sulfate and glutathione increased arsenic uptake and translocation in Pteris vittata.

  15. Bacteria, hypertolerant to arsenic in the rocks of an ancient gold mine, and their potential role in dissemination of arsenic pollution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drewniak, Lukasz; Styczek, Aleksandra; Majder-Lopatka, Malgorzata; Sklodowska, Aleksandra

    2008-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to find out if bacteria present in ancient gold mine could transform immobilized arsenic into its mobile form and increase its dissemination in the environment. Twenty-two arsenic-hypertolerant cultivable bacterial strains were isolated. No chemolithoautotrophs, which could use arsenite as an electron donor as well as arsenate as an electron acceptor, were identified. Five isolates exhibited hypertolerance to arsenic: up to 500 mM of arsenate. A correlation between the presence of siderophores and high resistance to arsenic was found. The results of this study show that detoxification processes based on arsenate reductase activity might be significant in dissemination of arsenic pollution. It was concluded that the activity of the described heterotrophic bacteria contributes to the mobilization of arsenic in the more toxic As(III) form and a new mechanism of arsenic mobilization from a scorodite was proposed. - The activity of the described heterotrophic bacteria leads to mobilization of arsenic and in this way contributes to the dissemination of arsenic pollution

  16. X-ray absorption spectroscopy as a tool investigating arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) sorption by an aluminum-based drinking-water treatment residual.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makris, Konstantinos C; Sarkar, Dibyendu; Parsons, Jason G; Datta, Rupali; Gardea-Torresdey, Jorge L

    2009-11-15

    Historic applications of arsenical pesticides to agricultural land have resulted in accumulation of residual arsenic (As) in such soils. In situ immobilization represents a cost-effective and least ecological disrupting treatment technology for soil As. Earlier work in our laboratory showed that drinking-water treatment residuals (WTRs), a low-cost, waste by-product of the drinking-water treatment process exhibit a high affinity for As. Wet chemical experiments (sorption kinetics and desorption) were coupled with X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements to elucidate the bonding strength and type of As(V) and As(III) sorption by an aluminum-based WTR. A fast (1h), followed by a slower sorption stage resulted in As(V) and As(III) sorption capacities of 96% and 77%, respectively. Arsenic desorption with a 5mM oxalate from the WTR was minimal, being always absorption spectroscopy data showed inner-sphere complexation between As and surface hydroxyls. Reaction time (up to 48h) had no effect on the initial As oxidation state for sorbed As(V) and As(III). A combination of inner-sphere bonding types occurred between As and Al on the WTR surface because mixed surface geometries and interatomic distances were observed.

  17. Arsenic tolerant Trichoderma sp. reduces arsenic induced stress in chickpea (Cicer arietinum).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tripathi, Pratibha; Singh, Poonam C; Mishra, Aradhana; Srivastava, Suchi; Chauhan, Reshu; Awasthi, Surabhi; Mishra, Seema; Dwivedi, Sanjay; Tripathi, Preeti; Kalra, Alok; Tripathi, Rudra D; Nautiyal, Chandra S

    2017-04-01

    Toxic metalloids including arsenic (As) can neither be eliminated nor destroyed from environment; however, they can be converted from toxic to less/non-toxic forms. The form of As species and their concentration determines its toxicity in plants. Therefore, the microbe mediated biotransformation of As is crucial for its plant uptake and toxicity. In the present study the role of As tolerant Trichoderma in modulating As toxicity in chickpea plants was explored. Chickpea plants grown in arsenate spiked soil under green house conditions were inoculated with two plant growth promoting Trichoderma strains, M-35 (As tolerant) and PPLF-28 (As sensitive). Total As concentration in chickpea tissue was comparable in both the Trichoderma treatments, however, differences in levels of organic and inorganic As (iAs) species were observed. The shift in iAs to organic As species ratio in tolerant Trichoderma treatment correlated with enhanced plant growth and nutrient content. Arsenic stress amelioration in tolerant Trichoderma treatment was also evident through rhizospheric microbial community and anatomical studies of the stem morphology. Down regulation of abiotic stress responsive genes (MIPS, PGIP, CGG) in tolerant Trichoderma + As treatment as compared to As alone and sensitive Trichoderma + As treatment also revealed that tolerant strain enhanced the plant's potential to cope with As stress as compared to sensitive one. Considering the bioremediation and plant growth promotion potential, the tolerant Trichoderma may appear promising for its utilization in As affected fields for enhancing agricultural productivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Comparative oxidation state specific analysis of arsenic species by high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled-mass spectrometry and hydride generation-cryotrapping-atomic absorption spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    The formation of methylarsonous acid (MAsIII) and dimethylarsinous acid (DMAsIII) in the course of inorganic arsenic (iAs) metabolism plays an important role in the adverse effects of chronic exposure to iAs. High-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma-mass ...

  19. Thorium coprecipitation method for spectrophotometric determination of arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) in groundwaters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamari, Yuzo; Yamamoto, Nobuki; Tsuji, Haruo; Kusaka, Yuzuru

    1989-01-01

    A new coprecipitation method for the spectrophotometry of arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) in groundwater has been developed. Arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) were coprecipitated with thorium (IV) hydroxide from 1000ml of groundwater at pH9. The precipitate was centrifuged and then dissolved with hydrochloric acid. Arsenic (III) was spectrophotometrically determined by the usual silver diethylditiocarbamate (Ag-DDTC) method after generating the arsenic to arsine with sodium tetrahydroborate under masking the thorium with EDTA-NaF at pH6. From another portion of the same groundwater, both arsenic (III) and arsenic (V) were determined by the Ag-DDTC method after reducing all the arsenic to arsine with sodium tetrahydroborate at pH less than 1 in the presence of the EDTA-NaF. The concentration of arsenic (V) was obtained by subtracting that of arsenic (III) from the total for arsenic. (author)

  20. Arsenic and ultraviolet radiation exposure: melanoma in a New Mexico non-Hispanic white population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yager, Janice W; Erdei, Esther; Myers, Orrin; Siegel, Malcolm; Berwick, Marianne

    2016-06-01

    Cases of cutaneous melanoma and controls were enrolled in a New Mexico population-based study; subjects were administered questionnaires concerning ultraviolet (UV) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure. Historical iAs exposure was estimated. UV exposure estimates were also derived using geospatial methods. Drinking water samples were collected for iAs analysis. Blood samples were collected for DNA repair (Comet) and DNA repair gene polymorphism assays. Arsenic concentrations were determined in urine and toenail samples. UV exposures during the previous 90 days did not vary significantly between cases and controls. Mean (±SD) current home iAs drinking water was not significantly different for cases and controls [3.98 μg/L (±3.67) vs. 3.47 μg/L (±2.40)]. iAs exposure showed no effect on DNA repair or association with melanoma. Results did not corroborate a previously reported association between toenail As and melanoma risk. Arsenic biomarkers in urine and toenail were highly significantly correlated with iAs in drinking water. A UV-DNA repair interaction for UV exposure over the previous 7-90 days was shown; cases had higher DNA damage than controls at low UV values. This novel finding suggests that melanoma cases may be more sensitive to low-level UV exposure than are controls. A UV-APEX1 interaction was shown. Subjects with the homozygous rare APEX1 DNA repair gene allele had a higher risk of early melanoma diagnosis at low UV exposure compared with those with the homozygous wild type or the heterozygote. Notably, a UV-arsenic interaction on inhibition of DNA repair was not observed at iAs drinking water concentrations below 10 ppb (μg/L).