Superfund Research Program

December 2022

Paper of the Month or Year

Microbes in the human digestive system may complement a person’s ability to metabolize arsenic, particularly in the first few weeks of life, according to a Dartmouth College study funded partly by SRP. The association appears to be stronger for infants delivered by caesarean, the team found.

The researchers leveraged data on 222 infants who participated in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, which was established to investigate the effects of environmental exposures on pregnant women and their children.

Overall, the results indicated that certain bacterial genes complement human metabolism of arsenic, highlighting a potential therapeutic approach for babies at risk of exposure, according to the authors.

Read more in the NIEHS Environmental factor newsletter.