Study on the effect of toxicity under highly arsenic prone zone in Nadia district of West Bengal in India (original) (raw)
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Toxicology and Industrial Health, 2010
Arsenic contamination of ground water in West Bengal, India, is a great concern for both human and livestock populations. Our study investigated and correlated the arsenic concentration in the drinking water, urinary excretion and deposition of total arsenic in hair of cattle at an arsenic contaminated zone in West Bengal. The results of our study indicated that the average concentration of arsenic in tube well water in contaminated villages ranged from 0.042 to 0.251 ppm and a statistical significant (p < 0.01) difference was seen when compared to samples from a non-contaminated zone. The arsenic concentration in urine and hair of cattle ranged between 0.245-0.691 ppm and 0.461-0.984 ppm, respectively. A close relationship was found between the total arsenic in drinking water urinary excretion (r 2 ¼ 0.03664, p < 0.05) and the arsenic concentration in hair (r 2 ¼ 0.03668, p < 0.05). Our findings indicate that quantification of arsenic concentration in cattle urine and hair can serve as biomarkers for both present and past exposure in cattle population.
Science of The Total Environment, 2010
Thirty Milch cattle were selected randomly from a village of Nadia district of West Bengal, India containing high arsenic in water and soil samples. Milk, feces and hair samples were collected to analyze arsenic status in animals. Water and straw samples were also estimated for arsenic. Milk products prepared from milk of cattle rearing in arsenic prone village were also collected to quantify total arsenic and speciation of arsenic in milk and feces samples were also carried out. It was observed that high amount of arsenic was present in milk, feces, hair of cattle and water and straw samples in arsenic prone village. Milk product also contained significant amount of arsenic than that of milk product of control village. Speciation study revealed arsenite fraction was mainly eliminated through milk, whereas organoarsenic species were mainly excreted through feces.
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2012
Thirty goats were selected randomly from a village of Nadia district, West Bengal according to the previous reports of human being suffering from chronic arsenicosis. Environmental samples viz. drinking water, rice plants and grass used for goat and biological samples viz. blood, urine, faeces, hair and meat were collected to evaluate the arsenic status. It was found that arsenic concentration in both environmental and biological samples was significantly (p < 0.01) higher rather than respective samples on control zone. Bio-concentration factor (BCF) and bio-transfer factor (BTF) are indicated to evaluate the subclinical toxicity in goat as they do not exhibit clinical manifestation like human beings.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2007
The study reports the use of three biomarkers i.e. total arsenic in hair and nails, total arsenic in blood, and total arsenic in urine to identify or quantify arsenic exposure and concomitant health effects. The main source of arsenic was inorganic exposure through drinking water. The arsenic levels and the health effects were analyzed closely in a family having maximum symptoms of arsenic. Based on the result of this study it is reported that there exist a correlation between the clinically observable symptoms, the blood and urine arsenic level, and the arsenic intake through drinking water. An intensive study on the urinary arsenic levels was carried out in which the urine levels of arsenic and the urine sufficiency tests were performed. A composite picture of body burden of arsenic has been obtained by carrying out a complete biochemical analysis of a maximum affected family. This confirms pronounced chronic exposure of the arsenic to these people. A combined correlation study on the arsenic levels measured in whole blood, urine, hair, nails and age present a remarkable outcome. Accordingly, the arsenic levels in blood are negatively correlated with the urine arsenic levels, which indicate either the inadequacy of the renal system in cleaning the blood arsenic or a continuous recirculation of the accumulated arsenic. This is an important conclusion about arsenical metabolism in humans. The study also raises the issues of the prospects of complete elimination of the accumulated arsenic and the reversibility of the health effects. Based on the work in Kourikasa village we report that there are very remote chances of complete purging of arsenic and thus reversibility of the health effects owing to various factors. The paper also discusses the various issues concerning the chronic arsenic poisoning management in the affected locations.
Sources and impact of arsenic on livestock in India and its amelioration through dietary strategy
Indian Journal of Dairy Science, 2019
Arsenic is one of the major toxic minerals that is naturally present in the environment and have significant adverse effect on animal health. Inorganic arsenic present in ground water enters the food chain through irrigation and ultimately affects the animal and human health. The presence of arsenic in groundwater in India is the most serious health hazard. Lower Gangetic region which includes West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh are in serious threat to arsenic contamination because of its geographic location. Ground water is the major source of arsenic toxicity, though arsenic also enters the animal body through feeds and fodder. Arsenic toxicity is a serious health hazard because of its oxidative damage capacity. Apart from that, it has the properties of carcinogenicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Chronic arsenic toxicity in animals is more commonly seen than that of acute toxicity. Arsenic toxicity can be avoided by removing arsenic from ground water which is a very tough task. However, Government of India has taken some serious steps to reduce the arsenic load from ground water. Effects of arsenic toxicity, specifically, oxidative damage can be reduced in the animals by various dietary treatments such as Vitamin E, vitamin C, probiotics, minerals like Se, Zn, herbal drugs like turmeric, ginger etc. However, these treatments are reported to have very less effect on removing arsenic from body. Therefore, significant and continuous efforts are needed to develop new technologies to reduce the arsenic load from ground water as well as from animals.
Urinary Arsenic Species in Arsenic-Affected Area of West Bengal, India (Part II)
Journal of Health Science, 2003
Arsenic-contamination of groundwater has long been reported in Mushidabad district of West Bengal, India. We visited 19 arsenic-affected families and 4 non-arsenic-affected families in that area during 20-22 February 2001 and collected 10 tubewell waters used for drinking and cooking and 89 urines from those families. The arsenic concentrations in waters ranged from 0.64 to 75.5 ppb. The average of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine were 23.1, 59.0, 24.6 and 127.4 ng/ml urine, respectively. The average of total arsenic was 234.1 ng/ml urine. On comparison of the ratio of (MMA + DMA) to total arsenic, the average proportion of (MMA + DMA) was 75.7%, but the proportions were from 4.2 to 57.2% for 11 persons. This result suggests that they might be damaged due to the arsenic-methylating capacity. When selecting the members of A to L families because of using the two same tubewell waters except 5 persons due to the luck of enough arsenicmethylating capacity, there were the good relationships (p < 0.01) between As(III) and MMA, As(III) and DMA, MMA and DMA, and DMA and total arsenic. The relationship between the arsenic concentration in tubewell waters and the averages of the total arsenic obtained from each families was not in agreement (p > 0.05). The result suggests the possibility of the contribution of other sources like foodstuffs regarding to the excretion of arsenic species from the urines.
Experimental assessment of arsenic toxicity in garole sheep in India
Emerging Contaminants, 2016
Arsenic, a dangerous bio-accumulative poison, is a grave threat affecting a large number of people as well as animals throughout the World, particularly in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. It is also a matter of concern as continuously entering into food chain through biotic and abiotic products. The present study was conducted to evaluate the experimental effect of arsenic toxicosis on Garole sheep of West Bengal. One group was subjected to oral arsenic exposure @ 6.6 mg Kg À1 over 133 days when rests considered as negative control. Periodical arsenic estimation in wool, urine and feces along with hemato-biochemical alteration were checked thoroughly. It was evident from the study that long term arsenic exposure exerted a significant (p < 0.01) alteration compared to normal animal which were further supported by clinical abnormalities. Exposed animals showed histological changes throughout major internal organs like coagulative necrosis of liver, tubular nephritis of kidney and acanthosis of skin etc. The bioaccumulative and excretion pattern of arsenic inside body were also well understood by the arsenic estimation study of wool, urine and feces which may be helpful for discussion regarding arsenic entry into food chain via animals.
Chronic arsenic toxicity: Studies in West Bengal, India
The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences, 2011
Chronic arsenic toxicity (arsenicosis) as a result of drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater is a major environmental health hazard throughout the world, including India. A lot of research on health effects, including genotoxic effect of chronic arsenic toxicity in humans, have been carried out in West Bengal during the last 2 decades. A review of literature including information available from West Bengal has been made to characterize the problem. Scientific journals, monographs, and proceedings of conferences with regard to human health effects, including genotoxicity, of chronic arsenic toxicity have been reviewed. Pigmentation and keratosis are the specific skin diseases characteristic of chronic arsenic toxicity. However, in West Bengal, it was found to produce various systemic manifestations, such as chronic lung disease, characterized by chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive and/or restrictive pulmonary disease, and bronchiectasis; liver diseases, such as non cirrhotic portal fibrosis; polyneuropathy; peripheral vascular disease; hypertension; nonpitting edema of feet/hands; conjunctival congestion; weakness; and anemia. High concentrations of arsenic, greater than or equal to 200 mg/L, during pregnancy were found to be associated with a sixfold increased risk for stillbirth. Cancers of skin, lung, and urinary bladder are the important cancers associated with this toxicity. Of the various genotoxic effects of arsenic in humans, chromosomal aberration and increased frequency of micronuclei in different cell types have been found to be significant. Various probable mechanisms have been incriminated to cause DNA damage because of chronic arsenic toxicity. The results of the study in West Bengal suggest that deficiency in DNA repair capacity, perturbation of methylation of promoter region of p53 and p16 genes, and genomic methylation alteration may be involved in arsenic-induced disease manifestation in humans. P53 polymorphism has been found to be associated with increased occurrence of arsenicinduced keratosis. Of the various genes involved in the regulation of arsenic metabolism, single-nucleotide polymorphisms of purine nucleoside phosphorylase, in one study, showed increased occurrence of arsenicosis.
Urinary arsenic species in an arsenic-affected area of West Bengal, India
Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2002
Arsenic contamination of groundwater and associated medical problems have long been reported in the Mushidabad district, one of nine arsenic-affected districts in West Bengal, India. In order to estimate people's total exposure to arsenic, we visited 12 arsenic-affected families in that area during 4±7 December 2000 and collected seven tubewell waters used for drinking, cooking and other household purposes and 51 urine samples from those families. The arsenic concentrations in drinking water ranged from 2.7 to 170 ppb. Those families designated A±E, G±I and J took in arsenic concentrations of 72.6 ppb, 154 ppb and 170 ppb respectively. The concentrations of arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) in urine (corrected for creatinine level in the urine), obtained from 51 persons, ranged from 0 to 796.9 ppb (mg creatinine/ml urine) À1 , from 0 to 1635.2 ppb (mg creatinine/ml urine) À1 , from 2.1 to 411.0 ppb (mg creatinine/ml urine) À1 and from 8.3 to 2017.5 ppb (mg creatinine/ml urine) À1 respectively. The average concentration of total arsenic was 59.2 ppb (mg creatinine/ml urine) À1. On comparison of the ratios of (MMA DMA) to total arsenic, the average proportion of (MMA DMA) was 83.2%, but the proportions were 27.3% and 16.5% for two of the children (2 years old and 13 years old respectively). This result suggested that they might be damaged due to the methylating capacity. When estimating arsenic species in urine obtained from families A±E, G±I and J, these family members normally metabolized the inorganic arsenic to MMA and DMA and eliminated these as such in comparison with an intake of inorganic arsenic from the tubewell water. The arsenic species in urine from people having the same food and life habits showed the same profile in both men and women. There was a good correlation (p < 0.05) between the ages of 19 persons in families A±E and the values of (MMA DMA) or total arsenic in urine.