According to new research from Texas A&M University School of Public Health, exposure to low levels of arsenic can have significant effects on health. This includes an increased risk of developing kidney cancer.
Between 2011 and 2019, the incidence of kidney carcinoma in the United States increased by an average 1.2 percent per year. It is now the 7th most common type of cancer. Smoking, a known risk factor for developing kidney cancer, has declined. Researchers began to look at other factors that could be contributing, such as arsenic. This is a well-known cancer cause and occurs naturally in the groundwater of Texas, among other places. The Texas A&M research focused, unlike previous studies, on the low levels of exposure to arsenic (below 10 parts per trillion, the threshold for regulation) both in public water systems regulated by government agencies and private well systems that are unregulated. Taehyun roh, from the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics said
“Some public water systems are poorly managed and could expose customers to arsenic, but the 40 million people in the United States who rely on private wells are particularly vulnerable,” . Other participants in the study included Daikwon Hans, Xiaohui Xu and Nishat Hasan (then a doctoral student), with the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Garett Sansom was also involved, from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Grants from Houston Methodist Research Institute and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences supported the project. The findings of the study, which were published in Environmental Pollution (19459008),examined the correlation between rates of kidney cancer and levels arsenic in water in 240 Texas counties. They compared cancer statistics from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, which included 28,896 cancer cases among Texas adults aged 20 and over, with water test data provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Water Development Board.
The team used a statistical modeling that accounted for geographical location, and adapted the model to account for cancer risk factors like obesity, diabetes and smoking. The researchers also used covariates such as pesticide concentration, socio-economic factors, income levels, rurality and rates of hospitalization for cardiovascular diseases. The study found that between 1-5 parts per trillion, exposure increased kidney cancer by 6 percent. Exposure above 5 parts/billion raised risk by 22. The risk of developing cancer also increased with every doubled level of arsenic in water. Roh stated. Hasan pointed out that the study’s design could indicate relationships between factors, but not causality. He recommended future studies to focus on biometric and individual-level data rather than county-level data in order to better assess factors like lifestyle, family histories of kidney cancer and possible sources of exposure. Hasan stated.
