Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep;221(8):1116-1123.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2018.07.012. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

In utero exposure to arsenic in tap water and congenital anomalies: A French semi-ecological study

Cécile Marie  1 , Stéphanie Léger  2 , Aline Guttmann  3 , Nathalie Marchiset  4 , Olivier Rivière  5 , Isabelle Perthus  6 , Didier Lémery  7 , Françoise Vendittelli  7 , Marie-Pierre Sauvant-Rochat  8
Affiliations

In utero exposure to arsenic in tap water and congenital anomalies: A French semi-ecological study

Cécile Marie et al. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018 Sep.

Abstract

Introduction: Congenital anomalies (CA) are responsible for high rates of mortality and long-term disabilities. Research on their risk factors including environmental factors is needed. Studies on exposure to arsenic (As) in tap water and the risk of CA have not provided conclusive evidence, particularly when levels of exposure were low (from 10 to 50 μg As/L). The main objective of this study was to assess the association between exposure to As in tap water and the risk of any major CA. The secondary objectives were to assess this association for the most common types of congenital anomalies (in the heart, musculoskeletal, urinary and nervous systems).

Methods: A semi-ecological study was conducted from births recorded at the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France, in 2003, 2006 and 2010. The medico-obstetric data were available at individual level. Children with congenital anomalies were identified from the database of the regional registry of congenital anomalies: the Centre d'Etudes des Malformations Congénitales Auvergne (CEMC-Auvergne). As exposure was estimated from the concentrations of As measured during sanitary control of tap water supplied in the mothers' commune of residence (aggregate data). French guidelines for As in tap water were used to identify the two groups: "≥ 10 μg As/L group" and "[0-10) μg As/L group". Multivariable logistic regression models were fit.

Results: 5263 children (5.1% with a CA) were included. In stratified analysis by gender of the child, positive associations between As exposure exceeding 10 μg/L and risk of any major CA (adjusted OR = 2.41; 95%CI: 1.36-4.14) and of congenital heart anomalies (adjusted OR = 3.66; 95%CI: 1.62-7.64) were only shown for girls. No association was found for boys.

Conclusion: This French semi-ecological study provides additional arguments for the association between exposure to As exceeding 10 μg/L in tap water and the risk of CA especially in a context of low exposure. Further studies are needed to better understand the interaction between arsenic exposure and child gender.

Keywords: Arsenic in tap water; Congenital anomalies; In utero exposure; Semi-ecological study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

-