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 Printable version |
Is the soil an important exposure pathway for arsenic? |
Environnement, Risques & Santé. Volume 9, Number 2, 151-8, mars-avril 2010, Synthèse
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 Résumé
Article gratuit
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Author(s) : Clémence Fillol, Frédéric Dor, Isabelle Momas, Nathalie Seta |
Summary : Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous element ranked at the top of the priority list of hazardous substances established in 2007 in the United States. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as carcinogenic in humans, implicated in cancers of the bladder, skin and lungs. Overall exposure can be assessed by measuring the internal dose. Of the various biomarkers, urinary arsenic is measured most often. Few authors have reported the contribution of media other than water to arsenic exposure. The objective of this paper is to report the state of knowledge about the urinary exposure levels of populations without any occupational exposure and their possible associations with soil concentrations. The authors show that people living in contaminated zones have urinary arsenic concentrations higher than those residing in uncontaminated areas. Arsenic concentrations in soils vary widely from site to site (from 18,8 mg/kg to 333 mg/kg dry matter). The few available results do not allow us to reach a clear conclusion about the relationship between arsenic concentrations in soil and urine. However, a link is reported when the arsenic concentration in soil exceeds 100 mg/kg, and the soil appears to contribute to this exposure, although this contribution cannot be quantified easily. Although it is difficult to measure the health significance of urinary arsenic, the mean concentration of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites together is higher than the generally accepted levels of 10 μg/L or 10 μg/g creatinine in nearly all studies, but remains below the thresholds recommended in occupational populations. |
Keywords : arsenic, biomarkers, pharmacological, environmental exposure, urine, soil |
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