Water Arsenic Exposure and Childrens Intellectual Function in Araihazar, Bangladesh

By Wasserman, Gail A.

Book Id: WPLBN0000020198
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 0.2 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	Water Arsenic Exposure and Childrens Intellectual Function in Araihazar, Bangladesh
Author:	Wasserman, Gail A.
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Government publications, United Nations., United Nations. Office for Disarmament Affairs
Collections:	Government Library Collection, Disarmament Documents
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	United Nations- Office for Disarmament Affairs (Unoda)


Citation APA MLA Chicago Wasserman, G. A. (n.d.). Water Arsenic Exposure and Childrens Intellectual Function in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Retrieved from http://self.gutenberg.org/

Description
Government Reference Publication

Excerpt
Excerpt: Exposure to arsenic has long been known to have neurologic consequences in adults, but to date there are no well-controlled studies in children. We report results of a cross-sectional investigation of intellectual function in 201 children 10 years of age whose parents participate in our ongoing prospective cohort study examining health effects of As exposure in 12,000 residents of Araihazar, Bangladesh. Water As and manganese concentrations of tube wells at each childs home were obtained by surveying all wells in the study region. Children and mothers came to our field clinic, where children received a medical examination in which weight, height, and head circumference were measured. Children?s intellectual function on tests drawn from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, version III, was assessed by summing weighted items across domains to create Verbal, Performance, and Full-Scale raw scores. Children provided urine specimens for measuring urinary As and creatinine and were asked to provide blood samples for measuring blood lead and hemoglobin concentrations. Exposure to As from drinking water was associated with reduced intellectual function after adjustment for sociodemographic covariates and water Mn. Water As was associated with reduced intellectual function, in a dose?response manner, such that children with water As levels > 50 micrograms/L achieved significantly lower Performance and Full-Scale scores than did children with water As levels < 5.5 micrograms/L. The association was generally stronger for well-water As than for urinary As. Key words: arsenic, children, IQ. Environ Health Perspect 112:1329?1333 (2004). doi:10.1289/ehp.6964 [28 April 2004].