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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Robin Lee, MPH, Division of Health Studies, CDC/ATSDR, 1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E-31, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-0605, rpl5@cdc.gov, Nicole Smith, National Center for Environmental Health, CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop A-32, Atlanta, GA 30333, Douglas T. Heitkemper, Forensic Chemistry Center, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 6751 Steger Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45237, Katie DeNicola, Forensic Chemistry Center, U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Oak Ridge Associated Universities Research Fellow, 6751 Steger Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45237, Abidul Haque, National Institute of Preventive and Social Medicine, Mohakhali, Dhaka1212, Bangladesh, and Alden K. Henderson, PhD, Division of Health Studies, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E31, Atlanta, GA 30333.

Many Bangladeshi suffer from arsenic-related health concerns. Most mitigation activities focus on identifying and reducing arsenic in contaminated well-water. Fewer mitigation activities have focused on ingestion of arsenic in food.

The objectives of this study were to measure total and inorganic arsenic in commonly consumed foods and estimate the average daily intake (ADI) of arsenic from food and water. Total and inorganic arsenic were measured in drinking water and cooked rice and vegetables from Bangladeshi households.

Preliminary results show total arsenic in water ranged from 200 to 500 µg/L. The mean total arsenic was 358µg/kg (range: 46 to 1,110µg/kg dry weight) in 46 rice samples and 333µg/kg (range: 19 to 2,334µg/kg dry weight) in 39 vegetable samples. Inorganic arsenic calculated as arsenite and arsenate contributed 87% of the total arsenic in rice, and 96% of the total arsenic in vegetables. Using individual, self-reported data on daily consumption of rice and drinking water the total arsenic ADI was 1,176 µg, 14% attributable to inorganic arsenic in rice. The ADI is a conservative estimate; vegetable arsenic was not included due to limitations in self-reported daily consumption amounts. These data show, on average, persons consumed more total arsenic then the World Health Organization provisional tolerable weekly intake of arsenic.

Given the arsenic levels measured in food and water and the consumption of these items, the data suggest that cooked rice and vegetables are substantial exposure pathways for inorganic arsenic. Arsenic mitigation should consider exposure to water and cooked food.

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