Chronic Arsenic Exposure and Risk of Infant Mortality in Two Areas of Chile

Details

• Personal Author:
  Browning SR ; Ferreccio C ; Gibb H ; Hertz-Picciotto I ; Hopenhayn RC ; Peralta C
• Description:
  Chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with a range of neurologic, vascular, dermatologic, and carcinogenic effects. However, limited research has been directed at the association of arsenic exposure and human reproductive health outcomes. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the trends in infant mortality between two geographic locations in Chile: Antofagasta, which has a well-documented history of arsenic exposure from naturally contaminated water, and Valparaíso, a comparable low-exposure city. The arsenic concentration in Antofagasta's public drinking water supply rose substantially in 1958 with the introduction of a new water source, and remained elevated until 1970. We used a retrospective study design to examine time and location patterns in infant mortality between 1950 and 1996, using univariate statistics, graphical techniques, and Poisson regression analysis. Results of the study document the general declines in late fetal and infant mortality over the study period in both locations. The data also indicate an elevation of the late fetal, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality rates for Antofagasta, relative to Valparaíso, for specific time periods, which generally coincide with the period of highest arsenic concentration in the drinking water of Antofagasta. Poisson regression analysis yielded an elevated and significant association between arsenic exposure and late fetal mortality [rate ratio (RR) = 1.7; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-1.9], neonatal mortality (RR = 1.53; CI, 1.4-1.7), and postneonatal mortality (RR = 1.26; CI, 1.2-1.3) after adjustment for location and calendar time. The findings from this investigation may support a role for arsenic exposure in increasing the risk of late fetal and infant mortality. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Arsenic Dermatitis Drinking Water Education Environment Environmental Exposure Environmental Health Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Farmers Hazardous Substances Inorganic Chemicals Mortality Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Occupational Health Poisoning Safety Safety Management Skin Skin Diseases Urogenital Diseases Urogenital System Waste Management Water Purification

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-chemicals Agricultural-processes Agricultural-products Agricultural-workers Arsenic-compounds Arsenic-herbicides Arsenic-poisoning Children Contaminated-food Dermatology Dermatosis Drinking-water Environmental-contamination Environmental-control Environmental-exposure Environmental-factors Environmental-hazards Environmental-health Environmental-health-monitoring Environmental-pollution Environmental-protection Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Exposure-methods Hazardous-materials Hazards Humans Mortality-data Mortality-rates Mortality-surveys Neurological-diseases Neurological-reactions Neurological-system Neuromotor-activity Neuromotor-disorders Neuromotor-system Neuromotor-system-disorders Reproduction Reproductive-effects Reproductive-hazards Reproductive-system Reproductive-system-disorders Safety-climate Safety-education Safety-equipment Safety-measures Safety-monitoring Safety-personnel Safety-practices Safety-programs Safety-research Vasoactive-agents Vasomotor-system Vasomotor-system-disorders Waste-treatment Water-analysis Water-purification Water-sampling

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• ISSN:
  0091-6765
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  District of Columbia ; Kentucky ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  108
• Issue:
  7
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20034406
• Citation:
  Environ Health Perspect 2000 Jul; 108(7):667-673
• Contact Point Address:
  R. C. Hopenhayn, Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504
• CAS Registry Number:
  Arsenic (CAS RN 7440-38-2)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2000
• Performing Organization:
  University of Kentucky
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Health Perspectives
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1859781a55b929750a8fb64c1e6c7997cc08fea9c639a4eef65f618d2687bf7aa44b9137701f51efe3d50e9f1b4566a53fbc93574e8b90de2555b034d15a0a0c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189624/cdc_189624_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.73 MB ]