Factors Affecting Arsenic Methylation in Contaminated Italian Areas

Elisa Bustaffa, Francesca Gorini, Fabrizio Bianchi and Fabrizio Minichilli
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Elisa Bustaffa: Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56123 Pisa, Italy
Francesca Gorini: Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56123 Pisa, Italy
Fabrizio Bianchi: Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56123 Pisa, Italy
Fabrizio Minichilli: Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, 56123 Pisa, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: Chronic arsenic (As) exposure is a critical public health issue. The As metabolism can be influenced by many factors. The objective of this study is to verify if these factors influence As metabolism in four Italian areas affected by As pollution. Descriptive analyses were conducted on 271 subjects aged 20–49 in order to assess the effect of each factor considered on As methylation. Percentages of metabolites of As in urine, primary and secondary methylation indexes were calculated as indicators for metabolic capacity. The results indicate that women have a better methylation capacity (MC) than men, and drinking As-contaminated water from public aqueducts is associated with poorer MC, especially in areas with natural As pollution. In areas with anthropogenic As pollution occupational exposure is associated with a higher MC while smoking with a poorer MC. Dietary habits and genetic characteristics are probably implicated in As metabolism. BMI, alcohol consumption and polymorphism of the AS3MT gene seem not to influence As MC. Arsenic metabolism may be affected by various factors and in order to achieve a comprehensive risk assessment of As-associated disease, it is crucial to understand how these factors contribute to differences in As metabolism.

Keywords: arsenic pollution; arsenic metabolism; arsenic methylation capacity; human biomonitoring; questionnaire (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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