A Concurrent Exposure to Arsenic and Fluoride from Drinking Water in Chihuahua, Mexico

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Carmen González-Horta²  Lourdes Ballinas-Casarrubias²  Blanca Sánchez-Ramírez²  Mar໚ C. Ishida²  Angel Barrera-Hernández³  Daniela Gutiérrez-Torres²  Olga L. Zacarias²  R. Jesse Saunders⁴  Zuzana Drobná⁴  Michelle A. Mendez⁴  Gonzalo Garc໚-Vargas⁶  Dana Loomis¹  Miroslav St࿛lo⁴  Luz M. Del Razo³  Ravi Naidu⁵ 

[1] IARC Monographs Section, IARC/WHO, Lyon Cedex 69372, France; E-Mail:;Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31125, Mexico; E-Mails:;Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (Cinvestav-IPN), México D. F. 07360, Mexico; E-Mail:;Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461, USA; E-Mails:Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31125, Mexico;;Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango (UJED), Gómez Palacio, Durango 35050, Mexico; E-Mail:

关键词: adults;    arsenic;    drinking water;    fluoride;    groundwater;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph120504587

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Inorganic arsenic (iAs) and fluoride (F⁻) are naturally occurring drinking water contaminants. However, co-exposure to these contaminants and its effects on human health are understudied. The goal of this study was examined exposures to iAs and F⁻ in Chihuahua, Mexico, where exposure to iAs in drinking water has been associated with adverse health effects. All 1119 eligible Chihuahua residents (>18 years) provided a sample of drinking water and spot urine samples. iAs and F⁻ concentrations in water samples ranged from 0.1 to 419.8 µg As/L and from 0.05 to 11.8 mg F⁻/L. Urinary arsenic (U-tAs) and urinary F⁻ (U-F⁻) levels ranged from 0.5 to 467.9 ng As/mL and from 0.1 to 14.4 µg F⁻/mL. A strong positive correlation was found between iAs and F⁻ concentrations in drinking water (r_s = 0.741). Similarly, U-tAs levels correlated positively with U-F⁻ concentrations (r_s = 0.633). These results show that Chihuahua residents exposed to high iAs concentrations in drinking water are also exposed to high levels of F⁻, raising questions about possible contribution of F⁻ exposure to the adverse effects that have so far been attributed only to iAs exposure. Thus, investigation of possible interactions between iAs and F⁻ exposures and its related health risks deserves immediate attention.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.