Association of Arsenic-contaminated Drinking-water with Prevalence of Skin Cancer in Wisconsin's Fox River Valley
Loading...
Files
Date
Advisor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
icddr,b
Abstract
Description
During July 2000-January 2002, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health
conducted a study in 19 rural townships. A high percentage of private
drinking-water wells in these townships contained traces of arsenic.
Residents were asked to collect well-water samples and complete a
questionnaire regarding residential history, consumption of
drinking-water, and family health. In total, 2,233 household wells were
tested, and 6,669 residents, aged less than one year to 100 years,
provided information on water consumption and health. The well-water
arsenic levels ranged from less than 1.0 to 3,100 μg/L. The median
arsenic level was 2.0 μg/L. The arsenic levels were below the
federal drinking-water standard of 10 μg/L in 80% of the wells,
while 11% had an arsenic level of above 20 μg/L. Of residents aged
over 35 years, those who had consumed arsenic-contaminated water for at
least 10 years were significantly more likely to report a history of
skin cancer than others. Tobacco use was also associated with higher
rates of skin cancer and appeared to synergize the effect of arsenic on
the development of skin cancer.
Keywords
Arsenic, Skin neoplasms, Tobacco, Cross-sectional studies, United
States
Citation
ISSN
Related Outputs
Items in TSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.