The groundbreaking investigation is significant for public health because researchers at NYU Langone Health, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago found that naturally occurring arsenic pollution of groundwater remains a major global problem. Over 100 million Americans get their drinking water from potentially contaminated groundwater sources, particularly private wells. One of the most prevalent chemical contaminants is arsenic.
We tracked the drinking water and health records of 10,977 men and women in Bangladesh from 2002 to 2022. The findings demonstrated that over the course of two decades, attempts to lower the amount of arsenic in drinking water resulted in a 70% reduction in the chemical’s levels, which in turn caused the amount of arsenic in study participants’ tested urine to drop by half.
Researchers compared study participants whose exposure to arsenic shifted from high to low to those whose exposure stayed high in a study published online on Nov. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). According to the findings, people whose levels of arsenic decreased had a 54% lower chance of dying from any chronic illness. Particularly, similar declines were noted for cancer (49%) and heart disease (57%).
“Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that lowering arsenic in drinking water can lower death rates from chronic disease,” stated study co-lead investigator Fen Wu, PhD, a senior research scientist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Elevated arsenic levels in drinking water remain a pervasive public health issue because arsenic naturally accumulates in groundwater and has no taste or odor, so people can unknowingly consume unsafe levels for years.”
“Our research supports switching to safer water sources as a strategy to improve long-term health around the world,” stated study senior investigator Yu Chen, PhD, MPH, a professor in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “Improved access to low-arsenic water, periodic testing, and clear signage to mark safer from higher-arsenic water are useful tools to accomplish this goal.”
Chen claims that earlier studies conducted in Taiwan and Chile in areas with high levels of arsenic (more than 600 micrograms per liter) linked declines in the mortality rates from cancer and heart disease to drops in drinking water arsenic levels. But by looking at each participant’s arsenic levels and death over a two-decade period and in an area with modest arsenic exposure (less than 200 micrograms per liter), she claims her team’s study is the first to provide concrete proof.
The study monitored more than 10,000 wells in and around the Bangladeshi district of Araihazar, where efforts to mitigate arsenic began in 2000. New wells with reduced arsenic concentrations are being drilled, community educators urge people to move to safer wells, and wells are labeled to show whether their levels are high or low.
To monitor variations in arsenic exposure over time, study participants agreed to have their urine tested six times during the examination. In the meantime, the researchers documented 1,401 chronic disease-related deaths among the study participants, including 256 from cancer and 730 from cardiovascular disease.
Arsenic-contaminated drinking water is one of the greatest problems facing Bangladesh as a whole. Bangladesh exposes over 50 million individuals to arsenic levels exceeding the WHO’s recommended threshold of 10 micrograms per liter.
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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
