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Dietary Exposure to Arsenic as an Anthropogenic Factor: Beyond the Recommended Diet

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Environmental Deterioration and Human Health

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Abstract

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a public health problem. In Mexico, the problem of arsenicosis is increasing due to overexploitation of aquifers and lack of regulations governing water extraction from new wells. Arsenic causes serious health damages, such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, in addition to being considered an endocrine disruptor. Food plays an important role, especially traditional Mexican food, which is high in soluble fiber, antioxidants, and inorganic nutrients. Furthermore, cooking practices are key to identifying risks of arsenic pollution due to human manipulation. Monroy-Torres et al. Rev Méd UV 9:10–13, 2009, found that dietary intake was the main route of exposure to arsenic, due to contamination of the drinking water used in food preparation. Obesity and malnutrition have been found to coexist in several Mexican communities studied by the author. These diseases, together with anemia and chronic degenerative illnesses that disrupt metabolic balance so as to increase arsenic absorption, promote greater arsenic concentrations, leading to the aforementioned metabolic alterations and carcinogenicity. As mentioned, contamination and dietary exposure are the most common arsenic sources. We propose an analysis of their anthropogenic causes in order to generate ideas and proposals for action towards reducing this hazard.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Observatorio Universitario de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional del Estado de Guanajuato (OUSANEG) for the support in preparation of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cuerpo Academico de Toxicologia of the Medicine and Nutrition Department, Health Sciences Department, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, NC, Mexico

    Rebeca Monroy-Torres

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  1. Rebeca Monroy-Torres
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Correspondence to Rebeca Monroy-Torres .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Microbiology Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

    Abdul Malik

  2. Department of Biology II Microbiology, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

    Elisabeth Grohmann

  3. International Institute of Health Manage (IIHMR), New Delhi, India

    Rais Akhtar

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Monroy-Torres, R. (2014). Dietary Exposure to Arsenic as an Anthropogenic Factor: Beyond the Recommended Diet. In: Malik, A., Grohmann, E., Akhtar, R. (eds) Environmental Deterioration and Human Health. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7890-0_17

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