Estimating previous exposure to arsenic for populations living in parts of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

Arsenic Health Risk Assessment and Molecular Epidemiology (ASHRAM) is a large EU-funded case-control study looking at risk of cancer (bladder, kidney and skin) due to arsenic in drinking water. The ASHRAM project is specifically concerned with populations residing in parts of Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. In these districts, many incidences of exposure to arsenic (As) have occurred in the recent past. However, some populations are continuing to experience exposure to relatively low-level arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. In order to calculate risk of cancer, it is necessary to estimate cumulative arsenic dose by reconstructing individual exposure histories due to water consumed both at home and in the workplace. In this study, data on water consumption was obtained using questionnaire tools. Concentrations of arsenic in water supplies were measured using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Measurements of total inorganic arsenic in the urine of the participants were made as a biomarker for current exposure. Preliminary results indicate that on average people are drinking 1.76 L/d from tap sources. Initial analysis suggests that the volume of water consumed by individuals has changed little with time, while the majority of people drink between 10 and 25% of their water at work. These estimates seem plausible and similar to other estimates.