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Case-Control Study of Arsenic in Drinking Water and Lung Cancer in California and Nevada

Author

Listed:
  • David C. Dauphiné

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Allan H. Smith

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Yan Yuan

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • John R. Balmes

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
    Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA)

  • Michael N. Bates

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Craig Steinmaus

    (School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
    Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA 94612, USA)

Abstract

Millions of people are exposed to arsenic in drinking water, which at high concentrations is known to cause lung cancer in humans. At lower concentrations, the risks are unknown. We enrolled 196 lung cancer cases and 359 controls matched on age and gender from western Nevada and Kings County, California in 2002–2005. After adjusting for age, sex, education, smoking and occupational exposures, odds ratios for arsenic concentrations ≥85 µg/L (median = 110 µg/L, mean = 173 µg/L, maximum = 1,460 µg/L) more than 40 years before enrollment were 1.39 (95% CI = 0.55–3.53) in all subjects and 1.61 (95% CI = 0.59–4.38) in smokers. Although odds ratios were greater than 1.0, these increases may have been due to chance given the small number of subjects exposed more than 40 years before enrollment. This study, designed before research in Chile suggested arsenic-related cancer latencies of 40 years or more, illustrates the enormous sample sizes needed to identify arsenic-related health effects in low-exposure countries with mobile populations like the U.S. Nonetheless, our findings suggest that concentrations near 100 µg/L are not associated with markedly high relative risks.

Suggested Citation

  • David C. Dauphiné & Allan H. Smith & Yan Yuan & John R. Balmes & Michael N. Bates & Craig Steinmaus, 2013. "Case-Control Study of Arsenic in Drinking Water and Lung Cancer in California and Nevada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-15, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:8:p:3310-3324:d:27722
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Steven H. Lamm & Isabella J. Boroje & Hamid Ferdosi & Jaeil Ahn, 2018. "Lung Cancer Risk and Low (≤50 μg/L) Drinking Water Arsenic Levels for US Counties (2009–2013)—A Negative Association," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-21, June.
    2. Fabrizio Minichilli & Fabrizio Bianchi & Anna Maria Ronchi & Francesca Gorini & Elisa Bustaffa, 2018. "Urinary Arsenic in Human Samples from Areas Characterized by Natural or Anthropogenic Pollution in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-19, February.
    3. Steven H. Lamm & Hamid Ferdosi & Elisabeth K. Dissen & Ji Li & Jaeil Ahn, 2015. "A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis of Lung Cancer Risk and Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-18, December.
    4. Giuseppina Folesani & Maricla Galetti & Pier Giorgio Petronini & Paola Mozzoni & Silvia La Monica & Delia Cavallo & Massimo Corradi, 2023. "Interaction between Occupational and Non-Occupational Arsenic Exposure and Tobacco Smoke on Lung Cancerogenesis: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-24, February.

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