Abstract
The subject of the study was the ecological and human health consequences of environmental pollution from emissions arising from burning local coal with an arsenic content ranging from 900 to 1,500 g/tonne of dry substance. The first indication of environmental pollution by arsenic-containing emissions was the mass extinction of honeybee colonies. The neurotoxic and carcinogenic aspects of arsenic exposure were followed. On using a group diagnostics approach, significant hearing losses were detected in exposed children in both air and bone conduction audiometry at high frequency range (4,000 and 8,000 Hz, respectively). Exposure assessment of the local population of the Prievidza district, Central Slovakia, was based on biological monitoring. The criterion of higher exposure was arsenic content in hair exceeding concentrations of 3 μg/g of hair. In a 7.5-km radius of the exposed region, live about two-tenths of the district population who were considered as “exposed” and rest of the district served as the “reference” population. The subject of our analysis was a database of 1,503 non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) cases (756 in men and 747 in women) collected from 1977 to 1996 in the Prievidza district, Central Slovakia (population ~125,000). The age standardized incidence of NMSC (each confirmed by histological examination) in non-occupational settings ranged from 45.9 to 93.9 in men and from 34.6 to 81.4 in women. Analysis of our data demonstrates a positive correlation between human cumulative exposure to arsenic and incidence of NMSC.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ATSDR. (2000). Toxicological profile for arsenic (update) (p. 428). USA: Department of Health & Human Services.
Bencko, V. (1995). Use of human hair as a biomarker in the assessment of exposure to pollutants in occupational and environmental settings. Toxicology, 101, 29–39. doi:10.1016/0300-483X(95)03018-B.
Bencko, V. (1997). Health aspects of burning coal with a high arsenic content: the Central Slovakia experience. In C. O. Abernathy, R. L. Calderon & W. R. Chappell (Eds.), Arsenic, exposure and health effects (pp. 84–92). New York: Chapman and Hall.
Bencko, V., Fabiánová, E., Franěk, P., Götzl, M., & Rameš, J. (2005). Non-melanoma skin and lung cancer incidence in relation to arsenic exposure—20 years of observation. In L. Edler & Ch. P. Kitsos (Eds.), Recent advances in quantitative methods in cancer and human health risk assessment (pp. 383–394). Chichester, England: Wiley.
Bencko, V., Symon, K., Chládek, V., & Pihrt, J. (1977). Health aspects of burning coal with a high arsenic content. II. Hearing changes in exposed children. Environmental Research, 13, 386–395. doi:10.1016/0013-9351(77)90019-6.
Buchancová, J., Klimentová, G., Knižková, M., Meško, D., Gáliková, E., Kubík, J., et al. (1998). A health status of workers of a thermal power station exposed for prolonged periods to arsenic and other elements from fuel. Central European Journal of Public Health, 6, 29–36.
Fabiánová, E., Hettychová, L., Hrubá, F., Koppová, K., Marko, M., Maroni, M., et al. (2000). Health risk assessment for inhalation exposure to arsenic. Central European Journal of Public Health, 8(1), 28–32.
Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Rautiu, R., Ranft, U., et al. (2001). Exposure to arsenic and cancer risk in central and east Europe. Final Report, Project EXPASCAN IC 15 CT98 0325. Brussels, Belgium: European Union, 31 March 2001.
Pesch, B., Ranft, U., Jakubis, P., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Hergemoller, A., Unfried, K., et al. (2002). Environmental arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant as a potential risk factor for non-melanoma skin carcinoma: Results from a case-control study in the district of Prievidza, Slovakia. American Journal of Epidemiology, 155(9), 798–809.
Pleško, I., Severi, G., Obšitníková, A., & Boyle, P. (2000). Trends in the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer in Slovakia, 1978–95. Neoplasma, 47(3), 137–142.
Rossman, T. G. (1999). Arsenic genotoxicity may be mediated by interference with DNA damage-inducible signaling. In C. O. Abernathy, R. L. Calderon & W. R. Chappell (Eds.), Arsenic exposure and health effects (pp. 233–241). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Seidl, H., Kreimer-Erlacher, H., Back, B., Soyer, H. P., Hofler, G., Kerl, H., et al. (2001). Ultraviolet exposure as the main initiator of p53 mutations in basal cell carcinomas from psoralen and ultraviolet A-treated patients with psoriasis. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 117(2), 365–370.
Thornton, I., & Farago, M. (1997). The geochemistry of arsenic. In C. O. Abernathy, R. L. Calderon & W. R. Chappell (Eds.), Arsenic, exposure and health effects (pp. 1–16). New York: Chapman and Hall.
WHO. (2000). Arsenic. In Air quality guidelines for Europe (2nd ed.). Geneva: WHO Regional Publications, European Series No. 91, p. 273.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by EC INCO COPERNICUS EXPASCAN grant ERBBIC 15 CT98-0325. Statistical analysis was made in collaboration with EuroMISE Centre Cardio, supported by project LN00B107 Ministry of Education of the Czech Republic.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bencko, V., Rameš, J., Fabiánová, E. et al. Ecological and human health risk aspects of burning arsenic-rich coal. Environ Geochem Health 31 (Suppl 1), 239–243 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9224-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-008-9224-3