CGPH FACULTY: Allan H. Smith
DATE OF PUBLICATION: April 2014
REGION: Asia
REFERENCE: Kalman DA, Dills RL, Steinmaus C, Yunus M, Khan AF, Prodhan MM, Yuan Y, Smith AH. Occurrence of trivalent monomethyl arsenic and other urinary arsenic species in a highly exposed juvenile population in Bangladesh. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2014 Mar-Apr;24(2):113-20. doi: 10.1038/jes.2013.14. Epub 2013 Apr 3,
SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Following reports of high cytotoxicity and mutagenicity of monomethyl arsonous acid (MMA(III)) and early reports of urinary MMA(III) in arsenic-exposed individuals, MMA(III) has often been included in population studies. Use of urinary MMA(III) as an indicator of exposure and/or health risk is challenged by inconsistent results from field studies and stability studies, which indicate potential artifacts. We measured urinary arsenic species in children chronically exposed to arsenic in drinking water, using collection, storage, and analysis methods shown to conserve MMA(III). The low urinary concentrations in highly exposed individuals and known difficulties in preserving sample oxidation state indicate that urinary MMA(III) is not suitable for use as an epidemiological biomarker.
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