In the largest study of arsenic and birth outcomes to date, researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and collaborating institutions estimated arsenic levels in private well water in the U.S. They found a correlation between arsenic concentration and birth weight.
Efforts to reduce arsenic in private wells could help more babies be born at healthy weights in rural areas.
Arsenic is a toxic element that can be found in water used for drinking, food preparation or crop irrigation. In the U.S., all public water systems are required to monitor arsenic levels, but private wells are not. There isn't a lot of data on the extent of arsenic contamination in the US.
The lack of data on arsenic exposure from private wells has left some US communities vulnerable to adverse health events. The first step in understanding the true exposure risk for all people living in the U.S. was the development of a method to estimate these exposure risks.
The researchers used machine learning to estimate the probability of arsenic concentration in almost all of the United States.
A hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey is one of the co- authors of the study. We can estimate arsenic in areas where there is no data. The models were developed as a result of a collaboration between hydrologists and epidemiologists.
Private well usage data was linked to live birth certificates. The models were compared to data on birth outcomes which are tracked by public health departments
There was an inverse association with birthweight even at moderate levels.
According to the model, counties with a higher probability of private well arsenic concentrations were associated with a lower birth weight. Compared to average, counties with a higher probability of private well arsenic concentrations exceeding 10 micrograms per liter were associated with a reduction in birth weight.
The researchers said the association is limited because the analysis was based on estimates of exposures rather than individual-level measured exposures, but the limitations of their model may be underestimated.
"Birth outcomes are an indicator of health and chronic disease risk throughout the lifespan, and the results of our study offer evidence that building awareness of exposure and expanding testing resources in communities that rely on private wells should be a public health priority."
There are additional co-authors of "Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States" The National Institute of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of North Carolina and the University of Alabama are collaborating.
More information: Catherine M. Bulka et al, Arsenic in private well water and birth outcomes in the United States, Environment International (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107176 Journal information: Environment International
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