Early exposure to arsenic has extraordinary impacts on young adults

Allan H. Smith, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Arsenic Health Effects Research Program http://asrg.berkeley.edu at the University of California Berkeley http://berkeley.edu/ Mortality from high exposure to arsenic in drinking water is greater than from any other environmental exposure. Cancer risk estimates for at the US drinking water standard are substantially higher than from any other regulated substance. Studies are now showing that early life exposure to arsenic contributes to increased risk of death in young adults aged 30-50. Risks of dying from lung cancer can be 5-10 times higher for those exposed in utero or as infants. Early life exposure also increases young adult deaths from heart attacks, kidney cancer, and bronchiectasis of the lungs. The magnitude of increased young adult mortality following early life exposure to arsenic is without precedent, and highlights the importance of giving priority to reducing exposure to mothers and young children.