Superfund Research Program

July 2024

Hot Publication

Scientists at the Columbia University SRP Center reported a link between arsenic in drinking water and type 2 diabetes. According to the authors, the findings underscore the need for considering type 2 diabetes as an adverse health outcome when developing arsenic standards for drinking water.

Arsenic is a highly toxic, naturally occurring element commonly found in contaminated drinking water. Previous research by the Columbia SRP Center reported that Tribal and Hispanic communities across the U.S. are disproportionately exposed to high arsenic concentrations in their drinking water. These communities also have a high prevalence of diabetes.

Researchers recruited participants from the Strong Heart Family Study, a cohort of American Indians, and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which includes racially and ethnically diverse urban U.S. communities. Strong Heart Study and MESA participants primarily receive their drinking water from private wells and community water systems, respectively.

The team identified participants’ exposure to arsenic based on zip codes and state-reported water-arsenic levels. They measured participants’ glucose and insulin levels — biological markers of diabetes — over five years or used self-reported physicians’ diagnoses to determine type 2 diabetes occurrence. Next, they conducted statistical analyses to determine the link between arsenic in drinking water and risk of developing diabetes.

Their analysis revealed that, for both research cohorts, exposure to arsenic at levels below current federal drinking water regulatory standards was associated with type 2 diabetes incidence. The researchers also found a significant association between arsenic in drinking water and diabetes in participants with a low body mass index. According to the scientists, this finding might indicate that individuals with a low body mass index might be at high risk of experiencing adverse health outcomes from arsenic exposure.

These results highlight disparities in type 2 diabetes risk in communities with high levels of arsenic contamination, which often face additional challenges, including racial and socioeconomic inequities, said the authors. Water-arsenic standards should be reassessed given that type 2 diabetes was associated with arsenic levels below the current standard, they added.

To learn more, please refer to the following sources:

  • Spaur M, Galvez-Fernandez M, Chen Q, Lombard M, Bostick BC, Factor-Litvak P, Fretts A, Shea S, Navas-Acien A, Nigra AE. 2024. Association of water arsenic with incident diabetes in U.S. adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and the Strong Heart Study. Diabetes Care doi:10.2337/dc23-2231 PMID:38656975