Survey results of residents in a drinking water-borne endemic arsenism area in Togtoh County Inner Mongolia / 中华地方病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of residents in a drinking water-borne endemic arsenism area in Togtoh County Inner Mongolia.Methods:In a drinking water-borne endemic arsenism area (Togtoh County of Inner Mongolia), eighty-five permanent residents (residence time ≥20 years) of Hedgehog Valley were selected as exposure group. In the same period, 58 people from a non-arsenism area (Lanjiayao of Helingeer County) were selected as the control group. The general situation of the respondents was investigated, and water arsenic, urine arsenic, blood glucose, blood lipids, blood pressure, liver function, renal function, electrocardiogram and abdominal B-ultrasound were analyzed in both groups. The exposure group was divided into the disease group and the non-disease group according to whether arsenic poisoning skin lesions occurred, and the general conditions and blood pressure changes in the two groups were analyzed.Results:In the exposure group and control group, there were no significant differences among the indicators such as sex, age, smoking, drinking and taking vitamin or calcium tablet ( P > 0.05). Arsenic concentration [Median (interquartile range)] in drinking water of the exposure group was 163.34 (35.34) μg/L, and in urine was 269.72 (152.54) μg/L. Arsenic concentration in drinking water of the control group was 2.96 (5.62) μg/L, and in urine was 24.21 (28.63) μg/L. There were no statistical differences in blood glucose, blood lipids between the exposure group and control group (χ 2 = 0.865, 0.886, P > 0.05); but liver function, renal function, sinus arrhythmia and fatty liver were significantly different statistically (χ 2 = 4.654, 4.355, 4.725, 12.423, P < 0.05); the detection rate of abnormal blood pressure in control group was higher than that of the exposure group (χ 2 = 16.289, P < 0.01). Skin lesions occurred in 24 patients (28.24%) in the exposure group and no skin lesions in 61 patients (71.76%). In disease group, 14 cases (58.33%, 14/24) smoked, the proportion of smoking was higher than that of cases in non-disease group(31.15%, 19/61, χ 2 = 5.360, P < 0.05); and the prevalence of hypertension (50.00%, 12/24) in cases of disease group was higher than that of cases in non-disease group (26.23%, 16/61, χ 2 = 4.406, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Long-term exposure to arsenic might injure liver function and renal function, and enhance the risk of arrhythmia and fatty liver. Smoking may be a risk factor for skin lesions in residents of drinking water-borne endemic arsenism area.