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Urinary Arsenic Speciation and its Correlation with 8-OHdG in Chinese Residents Exposed to Arsenic Through Coal Burning

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Abstract

In contrast to arsenicosis caused by consumption of water contaminated by naturally occurring inorganic arsenic, human exposure to this metalloid through coal burning has been rarely reported. In this study, arsenic speciation and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in urine were determined in the Chinese residents exposed to arsenic through coal burning in Guizhou, China, an epidemic area of chronic arsenic poisoning caused by coal burning. The urinary concentrations of inorganic arsenic (iAs), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and total arsenic (tAs) of high-arsenic exposed subjects were significantly higher than those of low-arsenic exposed residents. A biomarker of oxidative DNA damage, urinary 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in high-arsenic exposed subjects than that of low exposed. Significant positive correlations were found between 8-OHdG levels and concentrations of iAs, MMA, DMA and tAs, respectively. In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between 8-OHdG levels and the secondary methylation ratio (DMA/(MMA + DMA)). The results suggest that chronic arsenic exposure through burning coal rich in arsenic is associated with oxidative DNA damages, and that secondary methylation capacity is potentially related to the susceptibility of individuals to oxidative DNA damage induced by arsenic exposure through coal burning in domestic living.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) research grant 30400362, 30530640 and 30600510. We thank Dr. Dong An and Dr. Dasheng Li (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of Guizhou, China) for their collaboration of the recruitment of subjects. We also thank Dr. Courtney Woods (The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, USA) for her effort on the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, 110001, China

    Xin Li, Jingbo Pi, Bing Li, Yuanyuan Xu, Yaping Jin & Guifan Sun

  2. Division of Translational Biology, The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA

    Jingbo Pi

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  1. Xin Li
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Correspondence to Guifan Sun.

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Li, X., Pi, J., Li, B. et al. Urinary Arsenic Speciation and its Correlation with 8-OHdG in Chinese Residents Exposed to Arsenic Through Coal Burning. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 81, 406–411 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-008-9471-0

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