RESUMO
ObjectiveTo investigate the arsenic level in saliva and its relationship with arsenic in urine and drinking water in endemic arsenism area in Shanyin county of Shanxi province.MethodsSeventy individuals from four villages in endemic arsenicosis area in Shanyin county Shanxi provence were selected as research subjects.“The National Diagnosis Standard for Endemic Arsenism” (WS/T211-2001 ) was used to identify and categorize the cases of arsenicosis during the survey.Urine,saliva samples from all individuals and water samples from their families were collected.Total arsenic in saliva,urine and drinking water samples were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic fluorescence spectrometry-230 (AFS-230).ResnltsThe median of arsenic in drinking water samples was 127.22 μg/L,and 66.67％ (28/42) of samples' arsenic levels exceeded the drinking water standard,37 individuals had varying degrees of skin lesions among the 70 residents.There was a significant difference of the arsenic concentration in saliva and urine of the residents exposed to different levels of arsenic in drinking water (F =28.643,10.226,all P＜ 0.05).Arsenic levels were positively correlated significantly (r =0.674,0.686,all P＜ 0.05) between water and saliva,urinary.Saliva and urinary arsenic levels were highly correlated (r =0.794,P ＜ 0.05).In addition,arsenic in saliva and urine,water arsenic,skin symptoms were closely related, and the levels of arsenic were significantly different statistically between symptomatic group and asymptomatic group (t =- 3.194,- 4.167,- 4.938,all P ＜ 0.01).ConclusionsSalivary arsenic is significantly correlated with water arsenic and also with skin symptoms of patients with arsenic poisoning,which suggests that salivary arsenic is a potential useful biomarker for assessing human exposure to arsenic.