Assessing the impact of arsenic in groundwater on public health

Abstract

The determination of As in groundwater is fundamental to assess its impact on public health. Here, we measured As concentration of groundwaters in 722 sites covering all 6 major provincial areas of Korea. Groundwater was measured As concentration in two occasions (summer and winter) employing highly sensitive ICP-MS. Among targeted 722 sites, seasonal variation of As concentration in groundwater was minimal, while geographical difference, prominent. The concentrations of As in groundwaters ranged from 0.1 to 48.4 μg/L and the majority displayed lower than 10 μg/L. However, some area exceeded 10.0 μg/L (2–3%) and most remarkably, the urinary excretion of As in the population around 3 groundwaters with high arsenic levels was measured to be markedly higher with all stratified analysis yielding higher As levels compared to non-contaminated area (< 5 μg/L). Especially, urinary As excretion of non-smokers was significantly higher in the contaminated area, suggesting the possible contribution of As-contaminated groundwaters to low-dose arsenic exposure. © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London.