Water Consumption as Source of Arsenic, Chromium, and Mercury in Children Living in Rural Yucatan, Mexico: Blood and Urine Levels

• Published in: Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology Vol. 99; no. 4; pp. 452 - 459
• Main Authors: Arcega-Cabrera, F., Fargher, L. F., Oceguera-Vargas, I., Noreña-Barroso, E., Yánez-Estrada, L., Alvarado, J., González, L., Moo-Puc, R., Pérez-Herrera, N., Quesadas-Rojas, M., Pérez-Medina, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Arsenic; Arsenic - blood; Arsenic - urine; Bioaccumulation; Blood levels; Child; Children; Chromium; Chromium - blood; Chromium - urine; Chronic exposure; Cooking; Correlation analysis; Detoxification; Developing countries; Drinking; Drinking water; Drinking Water - analysis; Drinking Water - standards; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Exposure - analysis; Environmental Health; Exposure; Factor analysis; Health risk assessment; Health risks; Humans; LDCs; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Mercury - blood; Mercury - urine; Metal concentrations; Mexico; Pollution; Rural areas; Rural Population; Soil Science & Conservation; Studies; Urine; Waste Water Technology; Water consumption; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - blood; Water Pollutants, Chemical - urine; Water Pollution Control; Yucatan Mexico; Water; Urine; Cultural patterns; Children; Metals; Blood
• ISSN: 0007-4861; 1432-0800
• DOI: 10.1007/s00128-017-2147-x

Studies investigating the correlation between metal content in water and metal levels in children are scarce worldwide, but especially in developing nations. Therefore, this study investigates the correlation between arsenic, chromium, and mercury concentrations in drinking and cooking water and in blood and urine samples collected from healthy and supposedly non-exposed children from a rural area in Yucatan, Mexico. Mercury in water shows concentrations above the recommended World Health Organization (WHO) value for drinking and cooking water. Also, 25% of the children show mercury in urine above the WHO recommended value. Multivariate analyses show a significant role for drinking and cooking water as a vector of exposure in children. Also, the factor analysis shows chronic exposure in the case of arsenic, as well as an ongoing detoxification process through urine in the case of mercury. Further studies should be done in order to determine other potential metal exposure pathways among children.