Risk assessment of arsenic-induced internal cancer at long-term low dose exposure
Journal
Journal of Hazardous Materials
Journal Volume
165
Journal Issue
1-3
Pages
652-663
Date Issued
2009
Author(s)
Abstract
Previous epidemiological studies have indicated that ingested inorganic arsenic is strongly associated with a wide spectrum of internal cancers. Little is conducted, however, to assess health effects at long-term low dose exposures by linking biologically based mechanistic models and arsenic epidemiological data. We present an integrated approach by linking the Weibull dose-response function and a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to estimate reference arsenic guideline. The proposed epidemiological data are based on an 8 years follow-up study of 10,138 residents in arseniasis-endemic areas in southwestern and northeastern Taiwan. The 0.01% and 1% excess lifetime cancer risk based point-of-departure analysis were adopted to quantify the internal cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water. Positive relationships between arsenic exposures and cumulative incidence ratios of bladder, lung, and urinary-related cancers were found using Weibull dose-response model r2 = 0.58-0.89). The result shows that the reference arsenic guideline is recommended to be 3.4 μg L-1 based on male bladder cancer with an excess risk of 10-4 for a 75-year lifetime exposure. The likelihood of reference arsenic guideline and excess lifetime cancer risk estimates range from 1.9-10.2 μg L-1 and 2.84 × 10-5 to 1.96 × 10-4, respectively, based on the drinking water uptake rates of 1.08-6.52 L d-1. This study implicates that the Weibull model-based arsenic epidemiological and the PBPK framework can provide a scientific basis to quantify internal cancer risks from arsenic in drinking water and to further recommend the reference drinking water arsenic guideline. ? 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Subjects
Arsenic; Cancer; Dose-response model; Drinking water; Risk assessment
SDGs
Other Subjects
Arsenic exposures; Bladder cancers; Cancer; Cancer risks; Dose response; Dose-response model; Drinking water; Epidemiological studies; Follow-up studies; Health effects; Inorganic arsenics; Integrated approaches; Low-dose exposures; Mechanistic models; Northeastern taiwan; Weibull; Weibull models; Wide spectrums; Arsenic; Health risks; Nonmetals; Physiological models; Potable water; Risk analysis; Risk management; Risk perception; Water analysis; Weibull distribution; Risk assessment; arsenic; drinking water; arsenic; cancer; dose-response relationship; drinking water; health impact; health risk; modeling; pollution effect; pollution exposure; risk assessment; adult; aged; article; bladder cancer; cancer incidence; cancer risk; controlled study; human; intestine cancer; kidney cancer; liver cancer; lung cancer; major clinical study; male; risk assessment; Taiwan; urinary tract cancer; Arsenic; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Male; Neoplasms; Pharmacokinetics; Risk Assessment; Taiwan; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Asia; Eurasia; Far East; Taiwan
Type
journal article