The health effects of exposure to arsenic-contaminated drinking water: a review by global geographical distribution

Abstract

Chronic arsenic exposure through drinking water has been a vigorously studied and debated subject. However, the existing literature does not allow for a thorough examination of the potential regional discrepancies that may arise among arsenic-related health outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide an updated review of the literature on arsenic exposure and commonly discussed health effects according to global geographical distribution. This geographically segmented approach helps uncover the discrepancies in the health effects of arsenic. For instance, women are more susceptible than men to a few types of cancer in Taiwan, but not in other countries. Although skin cancer and arsenic exposure correlations have been discovered in Chile, Argentina, the United States, and Taiwan, no evident association was found in mainland China. We then propose several globally applicable recommendations to prevent and treat the further spread of arsenic poisoning and suggestions of future study designs and decision-making.

Keywords:

• arsenic
• drinking water
• epidemiology
• health

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Chinese Natural Science Foundation [grant number 41271014&41171411] and Jiangsu Science and Technology Supporting Project [grant number BE2013720].