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The relationship of hair arsenic concetration and different drinking water arsenic levels in eastern Croatia - pilot study

Ground water in eastern Croatia has been found to contain high concentration of arsenic. Contamination is caused by arsenic from natural geological sources. The present technology for drinking water production could not remove enough arsenic and its content in drinking water in some areas of eastern Croatia is above the maximal permissible level. Croatian legislative and World Health Organizatition give maximal permissible limit of 50 micrograms per litre (ppb), but USEPA has decreased this limit to 10 ppb. It considers that levels above 10 ppb are levels of concern to human health. We selected three areas with 45, 180 and 600 ppb of arsenic in drinking water and a control area with < 1ppb arsenic level and recruited about ten participants from each area. Analyses were performed using hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The quality of analysis was checked by coanalysis of the reference material. The hair samples were previouski washed (acetone and water), dried and finally digested in a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid and peroxide. We performed prereduction procedure of drinking water samples and measured total inorganic arsenic (As III and As V) with the same technique. The aim of this study was to investigate a long-term exposure and to see if there is any relationship between different arsenic levels in drinking water and hair concentration, as there is in otther areas in the world. The preliminary arsenic concentrations in hair were positively correlated with the arsenic concentrations in drinking water (there were significant differences of total arsenic hair concentrations between exposed groups and a control group). Hair arsenic concentration in the control area was < 0.1 ppm. In the exposed area with 45 ppb of arsenic in drinking water, hair concentration was 0.1-0.5 ppm, with 180 ppb from 1 to 2 ppm, and with 600 ppb from 1.5 to 5 ppm. These preliminarry data in exposed areas show a high risk of arsenic toxicity (results above 1 ppm) what must be confirmed by additional analyses.

arsenic; drinking water; hair

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