Prevalence and demographic predictors of low-level arsenic exposure in Uruguayan school children

摘要

Arsenic exposure is a global health problem but little is known about the prevalence, predictors and effects of low-level exposure, particularly in children. We measured water arsenic and urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic metabolites in 6-8 years old children from Montevideo, Uruguay. Water As in this group was 0.46 ± 0.28 μg L~(-1), whereas the sum of inorganic arsenic species in urine was 14.4 ± 11.9 μg L~(-1). Water arsenic did not predict urinary arsenic levels. Several demographic predictors were identified, including measures of socioeconomic status, sex, and family consumption of bottled water, but these require further investigation. Other sources and health effects of this low-level exposure need to be investigated.