Arsenicals, water treatment and water quality: can we leave out one?

ABSTRACT

Arsenic-associated human health complications are reported worldwide. Although inorganic arsenic has long been known to be toxic to humans, little is known about its metabolite, dimethylarsinic acid and its toxicity. We investigated the hepatic toxicity of dimethylarsinic acid and its interaction with iron and lipopolysaccharide in drinking water. Rats were given drinking water with dimethylarsinic acid with or without iron for three weeks. Dimethylarsinic acid alone, iron alone, and dimethylarsinic acid-plus-iron treatment did not cause hepatic damage. A single dose of lipopolysaccharide increase hepatic damage in dimethylarsinic acid-puls-iron-treated rats. We hypothesize that exposure to lipopolysaccharide increases hepatic damage in dimethylarsinic-acid-plus-iron-treated rats