CGPH FACULTY: Allan H. Smith
DATE OF PUBLICATION: January 2014
REGION: South America
REFERENCE: Melak D, Ferreccio C, Kalman D, Parra R, Acevedo J, Pérez L, Cortés S, Smith AH, Yuan Y, Liaw J, Steinmaus C. Arsenic methylation and lung and bladder cancer in a case-control study in northern Chile. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2014 Jan 15;274(2):225-31. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2013.11.014. Epub 2013 Dec 1.
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: In humans, ingested inorganic arsenic is metabolized to monomethylarsenic (MMA) then to dimethylarsenic (DMA), although this process is not complete in most people. The trivalent form of MMA is highly toxic in vitro and previous studies have identified associations between the proportion of urinary arsenic as MMA (%MMA) and several arsenic-related diseases. To date, however, relatively little is known about its role in lung cancer, the most common cause of arsenic-related death, or about its impacts on people drinking water with lower arsenic concentrations (e.g., <200μg/L). Overall, these findings provide evidence that inter-individual differences in arsenic metabolism may be an important risk factor for arsenic-related lung cancer, and may play a role in cancer risks among people exposed to relatively low arsenic water concentrations.
ACCESS: Link to Pubmed