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. 2023 Mar 27;20(7):5269.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20075269.

Biomonitoring California Protocol for Following up on Elevated Levels of Urinary Arsenic

Shoba Iyer  1   2 , Duyen Kauffman  3 , Craig Steinmaus  1   4 , Sara Hoover  1
Affiliations

Biomonitoring California Protocol for Following up on Elevated Levels of Urinary Arsenic

Shoba Iyer et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: to develop and implement a follow-up protocol for Biomonitoring California study participants with elevated levels of urinary arsenic, particularly inorganic forms.

Methods: We selected 20 μg/L as the level of concern for urinary inorganic arsenic; samples with total arsenic ≥20 μg/L were speciated. Participants with elevated inorganic arsenic were notified of their level and invited to participate in a telephone survey to help determine possible exposure sources. We illustrate the protocol in four Biomonitoring California studies, which collected samples from 2010-2013 in locations across the state.

Results: 48 participants in the four studies had elevated urinary inorganic arsenic levels. Consumption of rice and rice-based products was the most commonly identified potential source of inorganic arsenic exposure.

Conclusions: Of 48 participants with elevated inorganic arsenic, 27 would have been missed if we had used the previously published threshold of 50 µg/L total arsenic to identify urine samples for speciation. This protocol fills a gap in the clinical literature by providing a more health-protective approach to identify individuals with elevated urinary inorganic arsenic and help determine potentially significant exposure sources.

Keywords: arsenic; biomonitoring.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of protocol for evaluating and following up on urinary arsenic levels.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Urinary inorganic arsenic levels (µg/L) are plotted against total urinary arsenic (µg/L) for EBEST participants with elevated inorganic arsenic levels (n = 30). The filled circles represent participants’ urine samples with total urinary arsenic <50 µg/L and inorganic arsenic ≥20 µg/L. The unfilled squares represent participants’ urine samples with total urinary arsenic ≥50 µg/L and inorganic arsenic ≥20 µg/L.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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