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
Review
. 1997 Oct;105(10):1060-7.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.971051060.

Inorganic arsenic: a need and an opportunity to improve risk assessment

Affiliations
Review

Inorganic arsenic: a need and an opportunity to improve risk assessment

W R Chappell et al. Environ Health Perspect. 1997 Oct.

Abstract

This paper presents views on the current status of (inorganic) arsenic risk assessment in the United States and recommends research needed to set standards for drinking water. The opinions are those of the Arsenic Task Force of the Society for Environmental Geochemistry and Health, which has met periodically since 1991 to study issues related to arsenic risk assessment and has held workshops and international conferences on arsenic. The topic of this paper is made timely by current scientific interest in exposure to and adverse health effects of arsenic in the United States and passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendment of 1996, which has provisions for a research program on arsenic and a schedule mandating the EPA to revise the maximum contaminant level of arsenic in drinking water by the year 2001. Our central premise and recommendations are straightforward: the risk of adverse health effects associated with arsenic in drinking water is unknown for low arsenic concentrations found in the United States, such as at the current interim maximum contaminant level of 50 microg/l and below. Arsenic-related research should be directed at answering that question. New epidemiological studies are needed to provide data for reliable dose-response assessments of arsenic and for skin cancer, bladder cancer, or other endpoints to be used by the EPA for regulation. Further toxicological research, along with the observational data from epidemiology, is needed to determine if the dose-response relationship at low levels is more consistent with the current assumption of low-dose linearity or the existence of a practical threshold. Other recommendations include adding foodborne arsenic to the calculation of total arsenic intake, calculation of total arsenic intake, and encouraging cooperative research within the United States and between the United States and affected countries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1968 Mar;40(3):453-63 - PubMed
    1. Risk Anal. 1997 Feb;17(1):37-42 - PubMed
    1. Hum Toxicol. 1983 Jan;2(1):121-33 - PubMed
    1. Cancer Res. 1985 Nov;45(11 Pt 2):5895-9 - PubMed
    1. Br J Cancer. 1986 Mar;53(3):399-405 - PubMed
-