Arsenic in drinking water / Subcommittee on Arsenic in Drinking Water, Committee on Toxicology, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, Commission on Life Sciences, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

National Research Council (U.S.). Subcommittee on Arsenic in Drinking Water.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Drinking water--Contamination--United States.

Drinking water.

Drinking water--Arsenic content.

Arsenic--Toxicology--United States.

Arsenic.

Arsenic--Environmental aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (330 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, c1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been considering a more stringent regulation of arsenic in water. A significant reduction in the maximum contaminant level (MCL) could increase compliance costs for water utilities. This book discusses the adequacy of the current EPA MCL for protecting human health in the context of stated EPA policy and provides an unbiased scientific basis for deriving the arsenic standard for drinking water and surface water. Arsenic in Drinking Water evaluates epidemiological data on the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health effects of arsenic exposure of Taiwanese populations and compares those effects with the effects of arsenic exposure demonstrated in other countries--including the United States. The book also reviews data on toxicokinetics, metabolism, and mechanism and mode of action of arsenic to ascertain how these data could assist in assessing human health risks from arsenic exposures. This volume recommends specific changes to improve the toxicity analyses and risk characterization. The implications of the changes for EPA's current MCL for arsenic are also described.

Contents:

Arsenic in Drinking Water

Copyright

Other Reports of the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology

Preface

Contents

Executive Summary

THE CHARGE TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE

THE SUBCOMMITTEE'S APPROACH TO ITS CHARGE

THE SUBCOMMITTEE'S EVALUATION

Health Effects

Recommendations

Disposition (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion)

Mechanism or Mode of Action

Variation in Human Sensitivity

Other Considerations

RISK CHARACTERIZATION

1 Introduction

BACKGROUND

SCIENTIFIC CONTROVERSIES

ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT

REFERENCES

2 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 1988 Risk Assessment for Arsenic

OVERVIEW OF THE EPA 1988 SPECIAL REPORT

Hazard Identification

Dose-Response Assessment

Nutritional Essentiality

EPA'S 1988 RISK ASSESSMENT: 10 YEARS LATER

Data Limitations

Estimating Risk in the United States

SUMMARY

3 Chemistry and Analysis of Arsenic Species in Water, Food, Urine, Blood, Hair, and Nails

SUMMARY OF ARSENIC COMPOUNDS IN WATER AND FOOD

RELEVANT CHEMICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Is Arsenic Similar to Phosphorus?

Affinity Of Arsenic For Sulfur

Biomethylation of Arsenic

Some Geo-chemical Considerations: Absorption and Redox

Microbial Activity and Arsenic Mobilization

Free Radical and Peroxy Species

ANALYSIS OF ARSENIC COMPOUNDS

Hydride Generation with Speciation

Hidden Arsenic Species

Arsenic(III) Species

Chromatographic Separation of Involatile Arsenic Species

Mass Spectrometry for Arsenic Speciation

ARSENIC IN WATER

Arsenic in Groundwater

Arsenic in Fresh Surface Water

Arsenic in Estuarine Water

Practical Quantification Level for Arsenic in Drinking Water

ARSENIC IN FOOD.

Total-Arsenic Concentrations

Studies of Arsenic Speciation in Food

Higher-Level Speciation Studies of Food

The Nature of Arsenic in Plants

ARSENIC IN URINE, BLOOD, HAIR, AND NAILS

Arsenic in Urine

Total Arsenic in Urine

Arsenic Species in Urine

Collection and Storage of Urine Samples for Arsenic Speciation Analysis

Arsenic Species in Blood

Arsenic in Hair and Fingernails

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS

4 Health Effects of Arsenic

CANCER EFFECTS

Ecological Studies

Cohort Studies

Case-Control Studies

Occupational Studies

NONCANCER EFFECTS

Cutaneous Effects

Gastrointestinal Effects

Cardiovascular Effects

Hematological Effects

Pulmonary Effects

Immunological Effects

Neurological Effects

Endocrinological Effects

Reproductive and Developmental Effects

Epidemiological Associations

Animal Data

Placental Transfer

Pathogenesis and Possible Mechanisms of Teratogenesis

5 Disposition of Inorganic Arsenic

ABSORPTION

BIOTRANSFORMATION

Arsenate Reduction and Arsenite Methylation

Species Differences

Factors Influencing the Metabolism of Arsenic

TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION, AND ELIMINATION

Transportation in Blood

Tissue Distribution

Intracellular Distribution

Elimination

KINETIC MODEL

6 Biomarkers of Arsenic Exposure

ARSENIC IN URINE

ARSENIC IN BLOOD

ARSENIC IN HAIR AND NAILS

7 Mechanisms of Toxicity

Results from Bioassays

Inorganic Arsenic

Monomethylarsonic Acid (MMA)

Dimethylarsinic Acid (DMA)

Relevance of Findings of Bioassays to Humans

Mode of Action.

Genotoxic Effects Induced by Arsenic Compounds

Mutational Spectrum

Comutagenicity

DNA Methylation

Oxidative Stress

Cell Proliferation

Arsenic-Induced Carcinogenicity and the Shape of Dose-Response Curve-A Mode-of-Action Approach

Inhibitory Effects on Cellular Respiration

Alterations in the Heme and Porphyrin Biosynthetic Pathways

Alterations in Cellular Gene Expression-Stress Protein Induction

Arsenic Toxicity and Metallothionein

Arsine Gas Toxicity

Interactions Between Arsenic and Other Common Toxic Metals

8 Variation in Human Sensitivity

VARIATION IN ARSENIC METABOLISM

Methodological Aspects

Genetic Polymorphism

Age, Sex, and Recreational Habits

Effect of Dose

Interindividual Variation

NUTRITIONAL STATUS

Methyl Group Donors

Selenium

Zinc

Nutritional Status of Populations in Taiwan

9 Essentiality and Therapeutic Uses

DEFINITION OF ESSENTIALITY

EVIDENCE FOR ESSENTIALITY

Physiological Importance

Essentiality in Humans

Goats and Minipigs

Rats

Chicks

Data Consistency and Reproducibility

Biochemical Mechanism of Action

Dose Aspects

THERAPEUTIC USES OF ARSENIC

10 Statistical Issues

A REVIEW OF DOSE-RESPONSE MODELING AND RISK ASSESSMENT

THE EPA 1988 ANALYSIS

Sources of Uncertainty in the EPA 1988 Analysis

PROBLEMS WITH RISK ASSESSMENT BASED ON ECOLOGICAL DATA

INTERNAL-CANCER DATA FROM TAIWAN

OTHER ISSUES

DISCUSSION

11 Risk Characterization

Addendum to Chapter 9 Experimental Conditions for Nutritional Studies with Arsenic

RATS AND CHICKS.

Goats and Minipigs

Addendum to Chapter 10 Table A10-1 Internal Cancer Data From Arsenic-exposure Studies Conducted Taiwan Region Endemic To...

References.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9786610186259

9780309184014

0309184010

9781280186257

1280186259

9780309553674

0309553679

9780585057996

0585057990

OCLC:

42855252