Study Highlights Association Between Arsenic in Drinking Water and Kidney Cancer Risk - Video
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Overview
New research findings from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health indicate that exposure to even low levels of arsenic poses significant health risks, including an increased risk of kidney cancer.
Their findings, published in Environmental Pollution, examined the relationship between kidney cancer rates and arsenic levels in drinking water across 240 Texas counties. The team analyzed cancer data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results on 28,896 cases of cancer among adults in Texas aged 20 and older, alongside water testing data from the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Water Development Board.
The analysis found that exposure to between 1 and 5 parts per billion raised kidney cancer risk by 6 percent, and exposure above 5 parts per billion raised the risk by 22 percent. In addition, the risk of cancer increased by 4 percent with each doubling of water arsenic levels.
“This suggests that even low-level arsenic exposure in drinking water may be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, which aligns with previous research indicating an association between this exposure and lung, bladder, and skin cancers,” Taehyun Roh, with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics said.
Researchers noted that their study design can indicate associations between factors but not causality and recommended that future studies focus on individual-level and biometric data — rather than the county-level data used here — to better assess the effects of factors such as lifestyle, family history of kidney cancer and other possible sources of arsenic exposure.
Speakers
Dr. Bhumika Maikhuri
BDS, MDS
Dr Bhumika Maikhuri is a Consultant Orthodontist at Sanjeevan Hospital, Delhi. She is also working as a Correspondent and a Medical Writer at Medical Dialogues. She completed her BDS from Dr D Y patil dental college and MDS from Kalinga institute of dental sciences. Apart from dentistry, she has a strong research and scientific writing acumen. At Medical Dialogues, She focusses on medical news, dental news, dental FAQ and medical writing etc.
