Exposure to arsenic is believed to be a risk factor for skin, lung, bladder and kidney cancers, as well as long-term cardiovascular disease.
Arsenic in drinking water can have a long-term carcinogenic effect, according to results of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. By tracking death rates for people exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water in a region of Chile, researchers are showing signs of increased lung cancer, from bladder and the kidney even 40 years after exposure to arsenic.
Inorganic arsenic is naturally present at high levels in groundwater in many countries, creating a significant public health problem, affecting millions of people. Studies have shown that drinking water contaminated with arsenic causes cancer of the skin, lungs, bladder and kidneys, as well as cardiovascular illnesses.
The water source in Antofagasta, a town in northern Chile, experienced a sudden surge in arsenic concentrations in 1958, followed by a significant reduction in exposure when an arsenic removal plant shut down. was installed in 1970. The inhabitants were confronted with high concentrations of arsenic.
Arsenic, a danger 40 years later
This study revealed a clear relationship between arsenic exposure and cancer death rates. The increase in lung, bladder and kidney cancer began to increase about 10 years after the onset of high arsenic exposures. They do not reach their peak until 20 years after the start of the reduction in exposure. In both men and women, death rates for these types of cancers remained high for up to 40 years after the highest exposure was stopped.
Arsenic-related illness is likely to remain very high for many years after exposure to this toxicant has ceased. “Possible long-term interventions to reduce mortality and morbidity after high exposures include screening for disease, reducing significant co-exposures, planning treatment and health resources, and raising public awareness of the effects of the drug. ‘arsenic on health,’ explain the study’s authors.
Although the researchers plan to continue studying this population, they can already conclude that the delay between exposure to arsenic and the development of related cancers could be one of the longest of all human carcinogens.