Superfund Research Program

Exposomics and Arsenic Epidemiology

Project Leader: Craig Murray Steinmaus
Co-Investigators: Martyn T. Smith, Allan H. Smith
Grant Number: P42ES004705
Funding Period: 1995-2022

Project-Specific Links

Final Progress Reports

Year:   2016  2010  2005 

Investigators from the Superfund Research Program at Berkeley have contributed greatly to the understanding of the many diseases and disorders caused by arsenic. They were the first to discover that exposure to arsenic in childhood causes disease later in life, an example of a critical window for exposure. Dr. Allan Smith and his colleagues have also worked tirelessly to acquaint public health and governmental officials with the importance of taking actions to control arsenic in drinking water around the world, giving many presentations every year and serving on expert committees. Arsenic contaminates groundwater in many countries, including parts of the U.S.

Overall goals

Investigators are conducting epidemiological studies in several countries around the world and using advanced methods, including biological markers of human exposure (such as arsenic metabolites in the urine) in order to:

1. Learn more about what diseases are caused or worsened by arsenic exposure;
2. Better understand the critical windows of exposure to arsenic during early life and childhood and the concentrations or doses of arsenic that cause disease;
3. Find out how arsenic acts in the body to cause disease.

Important discoveries so far

1. Early life exposure to arsenic, even at relatively low levels, causes disease in adulthood more than 30 years later. This finding was first reported by Superfund researchers at Berkeley.
2. Arsenic exposure contributes to susceptibility to tuberculosis. This finding was first reported by Superfund researchers at Berkeley.

Highlight for last year

The most important thing the researchers discovered over the last year was that death from tuberculosis is more likely following arsenic exposure. This is a novel finding. A paper on this is in press at the American Journal of Epidemiology.

What the researchers plan to do next

Investigators will continue their studies in Chile and Bangladesh to find out how early life exposure to arsenic causes disease during adulthood.

In Chile, investigators are looking at people who were exposed to arsenic in drinking water during childhood to see whether they are more likely to develop lung cancer as adults. This “case-control” study is collecting data on arsenic exposure, occupational history, smoking status and diet for people who have the disease (cases) and others who are matched by age and gender (controls).

In Chile, investigators are also starting to study lung function, using a technique called “spirometry.” This study will determine whether those with early life exposure to arsenic have reduced lung function many years later.

In Bangladesh, investigators have already collected data for their study of lung function in children who were exposed to arsenic. Their earlier studies in West Bengal, India, showed major lung function deficits in adults with evidence of high arsenic exposure. In this new study, they are now investigating whether these lung function deficits also occur in children. The next thing they will do is to analyze their data.

In another line of research, investigators are considering how arsenic causes adverse effects and why these may be different for different people. Some people appear to be more susceptible to arsenic. Past research suggests that this greater susceptibility to arsenic may be related to how well people metabolize or methylate arsenic. In both the Chile and Bangladesh studies, they are investigating susceptibility related to methylated forms of arsenic in urine samples with their collaborators at the University of Washington.