Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Assessing the risk of coal-burning arsenic-induced liver damage: a population-based study on hair arsenic and cumulative arsenic

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Exposure to arsenic-contaminated air and food caused by the burning of coal in unventilated indoor stoves is a major environmental public health concern in Guizhou Province, China. The liver is one of the main target organs for coal-fired arsenic exposure; however, there is little information about the risk assessment between cumulative arsenic exposure and the prevalence of liver damage. This study first evaluated the chronic daily intake (CDI) for two exposure pathways (inhalation and ingestion) and five environmental media (i.e., indoor and outdoor air, drinking water, rice, corn, and chili peppers) in 1998, 2006, 2014, and 2017. Then, the dose-effect and dose-response relationship between hair arsenic (HA) and cumulative arsenic (CA) levels and liver damage was analyzed. The results clearly show that the CDI in 1998 was 34.9 μg·kg−1·d−1, 22.9 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2006, 11.7 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2014, and 6.7 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2017 in the arsenic exposure area. All of these values were higher than the daily baseline level of 3.0 μg·kg−1·d−1 as recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the increased HA and CA can increase the risk of coal-fired arsenic-induced liver damage. In addition, we analyzed the possible maximum acceptable CA exposure level for coal-fired arsenic-induced liver damage using the Bayesian benchmark dose. The recommended maximum acceptable CA exposure level for liver damage caused by coal-burning arsenic is 7120 mg. This study provides scientific insight into understanding the dose-response relationship of liver damage caused by coal-burning arsenic exposure and the monitoring and prevention of arsenic poisoning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • An D, Li D, Liang Y, Jing Z (2007) Unventilated indoor coal-fired stoves in Guizhou province, China: reduction of arsenic exposure through behavior changes resulting from mitigation and health education in populations with arsenicosis. Environ Health Perspect 115:659–662

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlin DJ, Naujokas MF, Bradham KD, Cowden J, Heacock M, Henry HF, Lee JS, Thomas DJ, Thompson C, Tokar EJ, Waalkes MP, Birnbaum LS, Suk WA (2016) Arsenic and Environmental Health: State of the Science and Future Research Opportunities. Environ Health Perspect 124:890–899

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson-Lynch H, Beck BD, Boardman PD (1994) Arsenic risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 102:354–356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Committee ES et al (2017) Update: use of the benchmark dose approach in risk assessment. EFSA J 15:e04658

    Google Scholar 

  • Doerge DR, Twaddle NC, Churchwell MI, Beland FA (2020) Reduction by, ligand exchange among, and covalent binding to glutathione and cellular thiols link metabolism and disposition of dietary arsenic species with toxicity. Environ Int 144:106086

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Finkelman RB, Belkin HE, Zheng B (1999) Health impacts of domestic coal use in China. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96:3427–3431

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frediani JK, Naioti EA, Vos MB, Figueroa J, Marsit CJ, Welsh JA (2018) Arsenic exposure and risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among U.S. adolescents and adults: an association modified by race/ethnicity, NHANES 2005-2014. Environ Health 17:6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghosh A (2013) Evaluation of chronic arsenic poisoning due to consumption of contaminated ground water in West Bengal, India. Int J Prev Med 4:976–979

    Google Scholar 

  • Guha Mazumder DN (2001) Arsenic and liver disease. J Indian Med Assoc 99(311):314-5–318-20

    Google Scholar 

  • Guha Mazumder DN, Chakraborty AK, Ghose A, Gupta JD, Chakraborty DP, Dey SB, Chattopadhyay N (1988) Chronic arsenic toxicity from drinking tubewell water in rural West Bengal. Bull World Health Organ 66:499–506

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hsu LI, Wang YH, Hsieh FI, Yang TY, Wen-Juei Jeng R, Liu CT, Chen CL, Hsu KH, Chiou HY, Wu MM, Chen CJ (2016) Effects of arsenic in drinking water on risk of hepatitis or cirrhosis in persons with and without chronic viral hepatitis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 14(1347-1355):e4

    Google Scholar 

  • Islam K, Haque A, Karim R, Fajol A, Hossain E, Salam KA, Ali N, Saud ZA, Rahman M, Rahman M, Karim R, Sultana P, Hossain M, Akhand AA, Mandal A, Miyataka H, Himeno S, Hossain K (2011) Dose-response relationship between arsenic exposure and the serum enzymes for liver function tests in the individuals exposed to arsenic: a cross sectional study in Bangladesh. Environ Health 10:64

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph T, Dubey B, McBean EA (2015) Human health risk assessment from arsenic exposures in Bangladesh. Sci Total Environ 527-528:552–560

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kang Y, Liu G, Chou CL, Wong MH, Zheng L, Ding R (2011) Arsenic in Chinese coals: distribution, modes of occurrence, and environmental effects. Sci Total Environ 412-413:1–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Korish MA, Attia YA (2020) Evaluation of heavy metal content in feed, litter, meat, meat products, liver, and table eggs of chickens. Animals (Basel) 10:727

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kullar SS, Shao K, Surette C, Foucher D, Mergler D, Cormier P, Bellinger DC, Barbeau B, Sauve S, Bouchard MF (2019) A benchmark concentration analysis for manganese in drinking water and IQ deficits in children. Environ Int 130:104889

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li D, An D, Zhou Y, Liu J, Waalkes MP (2006) Current status and prevention strategy for coal-arsenic poisoning in Guizhou, China. J Health Popul Nutr 24:273–276

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Waalkes MP (2008) Liver is a target of arsenic carcinogenesis. Toxicol Sci 105:24–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu J, Zheng B, Aposhian HV, Zhou Y, Chen ML, Zhang A, Waalkes MP (2002) Chronic arsenic poisoning from burning high-arsenic-containing coal in Guizhou, China. Environ Health Perspect 110:119–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Zheng B, Fu Q, Meng W, Wang Y (2009) Risk assessment and management of arsenic in source water in China. J Hazard Mater 170:729–734

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazumder DN (2005) Effect of chronic intake of arsenic-contaminated water on liver. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 206:169–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phan K, Phan S, Heng S, Huoy L, Kim KW (2014) Assessing arsenic intake from groundwater and rice by residents in Prey Veng province, Cambodia. Environ Pollut 185:84–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Podgorski J, Berg M (2020) Global threat of arsenic in groundwater. Science 368:845–850

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez-Lado L, Sun G, Berg M, Zhang Q, Xue H, Zheng Q, Johnson CA (2013) Groundwater arsenic contamination throughout China. Science 341:866–868

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruangwises S, Saipan P, Ruangwises N (2014) Chapter 30 - Inorganic Arsenic in Rice and Rice Bran: Health Implications. In: Watson RR, Preedy VR, Zibadi S (eds) Wheat and Rice in Disease Prevention and Health. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 393–399

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Santra A, Das Gupta J, De BK, Roy B, Guha Mazumder DN (1999) Hepatic manifestations in chronic arsenic toxicity. Indian J Gastroenterol 18:152–155

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarkar A, Paul B (2016) The global menace of arsenic and its conventional remediation - a critical review. Chemosphere 158:37–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shang Q, Ren X, Li J (2002) Estimation of arsenic accumulative intake and residents’ health effects in an air pollution area--relationship between arsenic accumulative intake level and arsenicism prevalence. Wei Sheng Yan Jiu 31:349–351

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shao K, Shapiro AJ (2018) A web-based system for Bayesian benchmark dose estimation. Environ Health Perspect 126:017002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shraim A, Cui X, Li S, Ng JC, Wang J, Jin Y, Liu Y, Guo L, Li D, Wang S, Zhang R, Hirano S (2003) Arsenic speciation in the urine and hair of individuals exposed to airborne arsenic through coal-burning in Guizhou, PR China. Toxicol Lett 137:35–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun G, Xu Y, Li X, Jin Y, Li B, Sun X (2007) Urinary arsenic metabolites in children and adults exposed to arsenic in drinking water in Inner Mongolia, China. Environ Health Perspect 115:648–652

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tsuji JS, Garry MR, Perez V, Chang ET (2015) Low-level arsenic exposure and developmental neurotoxicity in children: a systematic review and risk assessment. Toxicology 337:91–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang D, Luo P, Zou Z, Wang Q, Yao M, Yu C, Wei S, Sun B, Zhu K, Zeng Q, Li J, Liang B, Zhang A (2019) Alterations of arsenic levels in arsenicosis residents and awareness of its risk factors: A population-based 20-year follow-up study in a unique coal-borne arsenicosis County in Guizhou, China. Environ Int 129:18–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Wang Q, Zou Z, Zheng F, Zhang A (2020a) Human arsenic exposure and lung function impairment in coal-burning areas in Guizhou, China. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 190:110174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Zheng F, Lin C, Zhang A (2020b) Changes in energy metabolism and macrophage polarization: potential mechanisms of arsenic-induced lung injury. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 204:110948

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia S, Sun Q, Zou Z, Liu Y, Fang X, Sun B, Wei S, Wang D, Zhang A, Liu Q (2020) Ginkgo biloba extract attenuates the disruption of pro-and anti-inflammatory T cell balance in peripheral blood of arsenicosis patients. Int J Biol Sci 16:483–494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu YY, Zeng QB, Yao ML, Yu C, Li J, Zhang AH (2016) A possible new mechanism and drug intervention for kidney damage due to arsenic poisoning in rats. Toxicol Res (Camb) 5:511–518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Y, Huang H, Zeng Q, Yu C, Yao M, Hong F, Luo P, Pan X, Zhang A (2017) The effect of elemental content on the risk of dental fluorosis and the exposure of the environment and population to fluoride produced by coal-burning. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 56:329–339

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Y, Zou Z, Liu Y, Wang Q, Sun B, Zeng Q, Liu Q, Zhang A (2020) miR-191 is involved in renal dysfunction in arsenic-exposed populations by regulating inflammatory response caused by arsenic from burning arsenic-contaminated coal. Hum Exp Toxicol 39:37–46

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yusa V, Perez R, Sanchez A, Pardo O, Roca M (2018) Exposure and risk assessment to arsenic species in Spanish children using biomonitoring. Sci Total Environ 628-629:302–309

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Q, Zhang A (2020) Assessing potential mechanisms of arsenic-induced skin lesions and cancers: human and in vitro evidence. Environ Pollut 260:113919

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Q, Zou Z, Wang Q, Sun B, Liu Y, Liang B, Liu Q, Zhang A (2019) Association and risk of five miRNAs with arsenic-induced multiorgan damage. Sci Total Environ 680:1–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang A, Feng H, Yang G, Pan X, Jiang X, Huang X, Dong X, Yang D, Xie Y, Peng L, Jun L, Hu C, Jian L, Wang X (2007) Unventilated indoor coal-fired stoves in Guizhou province, China: cellular and genetic damage in villagers exposed to arsenic in food and air. Environ Health Perspect 115:653–658

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang W, Sun Q, Yang X (2018) Thermal effects on arsenic emissions during coal combustion process. Sci Total Environ 612:582–589

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant no. 81430077, U1812403, 81730089).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Maolin Yao and Qibing Zeng contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, 550025, China

    Maolin Yao, Qibing Zeng, Peng Luo, Baofei Sun, Bing Liang, Shaofeng Wei, Yuyan Xu, Qingling Wang & Aihua Zhang

  2. The Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, Jiangsu, China

    Qizhan Liu

Authors
  1. Maolin Yao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qibing Zeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peng Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Baofei Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Bing Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Shaofeng Wei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Yuyan Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Qingling Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Qizhan Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Aihua Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Maolin Yao, Qibing Zeng, Peng Luo, Baofei Sun, Bing Liang, Shaofeng Wei, Yuyan Xu, Qingling Wang, and Aihua Zhang. This work was supported by the project of Aihua Zhang and Qizhan Liu. The first draft was written by Qibing Zeng and all authors commented on the paper. All authors read and approved the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aihua Zhang.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The proposal for this population-based study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Guizhou Medical University (No 201403001).

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Lotfi Aleya

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

Fig. S1

The change trend curve of arsenic concentration in the external environmental media in the arsenic-exposed area and reference area. Based on four systematic and comprehensive epidemiological surveys in the past 20 years (in 1998, 2006, 2014 and 2017), using cubic polynomial interpolation, the arsenic content of different environmental media (including coal, outdoor and indoor air, water, rice, corn and chili pepper) was estimated between 1976 and 2017. (JPG 3241 kb)

ESM 2

(DOCX 15 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yao, M., Zeng, Q., Luo, P. et al. Assessing the risk of coal-burning arsenic-induced liver damage: a population-based study on hair arsenic and cumulative arsenic. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 50489–50499 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14273-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14273-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation