Evaluation of Acute and Chronic Arsenic Exposure on School Children from Exposed and Apparently Control Areas of West Bengal, India

Evaluation of acute and chronic exposure of arsenic and future risk of sufferings have been investigated on school children from highly exposed and apparently control area of West Bengal, India. Our study reveals a potential area of concern related to sub-chronic exposure in children due to arsenic toxicity through contaminated drinking water and rice grain. The daily dietary intake of arsenic through drinking water, rice, and mid-day meal for the school children from the exposed area is 366 mu g which is higher compared to the apparently control area (166 mu g). The dietary intake rate of arsenic through drinking water for the exposed children is 5.26 mu g/kg bw/day which is much higher compared to the WHO recommended value 3.0 mu g/kg bw/day. Higher accumulation of arsenic has been observed in the biomarkers (urine, hair, and nail) for the exposed children (64.6 mu g/l, 2656 and 4256 mu g/kg, respectively) compared to apparently control children (4.35 mu g/l, 1286 and 1805 mu g/kg, respectively). The cancer risk assessment is high through the consumption of arsenic-contaminated drinking water for the exposed children compared to the apparently control children. Intake of inorganic arsenic is considered as a potential area of concern depending on human health hazard. Contribution of inorganic arsenic is high (appx. 89.5%) through the consumption of contaminated rice grains, which are being cultivated in exposed areas and transported to control areas. The probability of cancer risk is almost equally distributed through ingestion of contaminated rice grains for both the studied populations. A follow-up health exposure study was conducted after 8 months on the exposed school children. The survey highlights a significant decrease in the arsenic concentration of urine and other biological tissues of the exposed children after minimizing the level of arsenic contamination. An awareness program on the severity of arsenic toxicity and supplementation of arsenic-free water from a nearby organization are the main sources for a noteworthy declining trend of arsenic accumulation in the exposed children.