Arsenic exposure — including from drinking water — linked to kidney damage for US adults
Key takeaways:
- Adults with highest vs. lowest arsenic exposure had a 1.29-fold increase in kidney damage odds.
- The odds of albuminuria were 1.49 times higher among those with high urinary arsenic levels.
Higher urinary arsenic levels were associated with kidney damage among U.S. adults in a study that assessed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
“Chronic arsenic exposure is known to be associated with various diseases by inducing multiple organ dysfunctions,” Nishat Tasnim Hasan, DrPH, of the Texas A&M University School of Public Health department of epidemiology and biostatistics, wrote with colleagues. Despite a high prevalence of kidney disease worldwide, “population-level research on the link between inorganic arsenic and kidney damage remains limited,” they wrote.
Research indicates an inherent risk with drinking water, Taehyun Roh, PhD, of the university’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics, added in a press release: “This suggests that even low-level arsenic exposure in drinking water may be associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer, which aligns with previous research indicating an association between this exposure and lung, bladder and skin cancers.”
Researchers analyzed nutrition survey data from 9,057 U.S. residents aged 20 years and older in 2007 to 2018 and used a multi-marker approach to evaluate kidney damage based on total urinary arsenic levels. The assessment included albuminuria, low eGFR, hyperuricemia, elevated blood urea nitrogen and other biomarkers. The researchers also accounted for demographic and socioeconomic risk factors.
Adults in the highest urinary arsenic exposure quartile had a 1.29-fold increase (OR = 95%; CI, 1.01-1.64) in the odds of kidney damage compared with adults in the lowest quartile, according to the findings. This result was recorded after adjusting for covariates.
The odds of developing albuminuria were 1.49 times higher (OR = 95%; CI, 1.09-2.03) and the likelihood of hyperuricemia increased by 1.38 times (OR = 95%; CI, 1.01-1.88) among those with the highest arsenic levels.
Notably, for every 1-unit increase in the natural log of arsenic levels, and when considering arsenic levels in drinking water as a variable, researchers found significant correlations for overall kidney damage (OR = 1.10, 95%; CI, 1.01-1.20), albuminuria (OR = 1.15, 95%; CI, 1.03-1.29) and hyperuricemia (OR = 1.12, 95%; CI, 1.02-1.24).
“Still, our findings indicate that reducing arsenic exposure could reduce the incidence of kidney cancer, and this could be achieved through efforts such as enhanced regulatory oversight and targeted public health interventions,” Hasan said in the release.
Reference:
Study: Even low levels of arsenic in drinking water raise kidney cancer risk. https://today.tamu.edu/2024/12/02/study-even-low-levels-of-arsenic-in-drinking-water-raise-kidney-cancer-risk/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20suggests%20that%20even%20low,skin%20cancers%2C%E2%80%9D%20Roh%20said. Published Dec. 2, 2024. Accessed Jan. 9, 2025.