Title: Long-term health consequences of prenatal arsenic exposure: links to the genome and the epigenome.

Authors: Bailey, Kathryn; Fry, Rebecca C

Published In Rev Environ Health, (2014)

Abstract: Arsenic continues to poison the water of millions of individuals around the globe. Despite the potentially devastating effects of arsenic on worldwide human health, the impacts of such exposure on vulnerable populations including pregnant women and their unborn children are understudied. Data from human populations exposed early in life highlight the increased mortality risks related to both cancer and non-cancer endpoints. The molecular underpinnings for these effects are largely unknown. Here we highlight the current studies linking prenatal arsenic exposure and health effects, particularly those that examined associations between arsenic exposure and altered genomic and epigenetic signaling. Current needs in the field to increase our understanding of the molecular basis for adult disease are mentioned.

PubMed ID: 24552957

MeSH Terms: Arsenic/pharmacokinetics; Arsenic/toxicity*; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects*; Epigenesis, Genetic/drug effects; Female; Genome, Human/drug effects; Humans; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects*; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/genetics*; Transcription, Genetic/drug effects; Water Pollutants, Chemical/pharmacokinetics; Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity*