Arsenic in water is a hidden threat to kidney health

New research shows that exposure to even small amounts of arsenic can pose significant health risks, including an increased risk of kidney cancer. Statistics show that the incidence of kidney cancer in the United States increased by an average of 1.2% annually between 2011 and 2019, and this cancer has now become the seventh most common cancer in the country. This is despite the fact that smoking, as a known risk factor for kidney cancer, has decreased during this period.

This prompted researchers to investigate other possible contributing factors, including arsenic. Arsenic is a carcinogen that occurs naturally in groundwater in Texas and elsewhere. Unlike previous studies, the Texas A&M University research focused on low levels of arsenic (below the 10 parts per billion limit) in public water systems, which are monitored by government agencies, and private well systems, which are not monitored. .

“Some public water systems are poorly managed and may expose customers to arsenic, but the 40 million people in the United States who depend on private wells, especially are more vulnerable.” This study was conducted by a team of researchers, including Dr. Daiquon Han, Dr. Xiaohui Shu, PhD student Nishat Tasneem Hassan, and Dr. Garrett Sansom from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.

Research findings

The results of this research have examined the relationship between the rate of kidney cancer and the concentration of arsenic in drinking water in 240 counties in the state of Texas. Cancer data were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) system on 28,896 cancer cases among adults aged 20 years and older in Texas. These data were combined with water testing data from the Texas Department of Health Services and the Texas Water Development Board.

To analyze the data, the researchers used a Poisson regression statistical model that took geographic location into account and adjusted the model based on demographic and socioeconomic factors and cancer risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and diabetes. Also, correlated variables such as pesticide concentration, social vulnerability, income level, rural areas, hospitalization rate due to cardiovascular diseases and the prevalence of chronic kidney diseases were included in the analysis.

The results showed that exposure to arsenic in amounts of 1 to 5 parts per billion increases the risk of kidney cancer by 6%, and exposure to amounts greater than 5 parts per billion increases the risk by 22%. In addition, with every doubling of arsenic concentration in water, the risk of cancer increases by 4%.

“These findings suggest that exposure to even low levels of arsenic in drinking water may be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, which is consistent with previous research linking this exposure to lung, bladder and skin cancers,” said Dr Rowe. has.”

Nishat Tasnim Hassan, one of the members of the research team, noted that the design of this study can only show the relationship between factors and does not mean to determine the causal relationship. He suggested that future studies focus on individual and biometric data, rather than county-level data, to better investigate the effect of factors such as lifestyle, family history of kidney cancer, and other possible sources of arsenic. “However, our findings show that reducing arsenic exposure can reduce kidney cancer rates, and this can be achieved through stronger legal oversight and targeted public health interventions,” he said.