Table 4.
Correlation of urinary arsenic levels with environmental arsenic levels and numerical exposure factors for children younger than 7 years of age.
| Correlation with urinary arsenic (μg/L)
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure factor | No. | Mean ± SD | Median | Range | Speciated arsenic | Creatinine- corrected speciated arsenic |
| Soil arsenic average (mg/kg) | 41 | 18.8 (1.6)a | 15.6 | 10.4–46.4 | 0.137 | −0.019 |
| Soil arsenic maximum (mg/kg) | 41 | 22.9 (1.7)a | 22.6 | 10.4–58.8 | 0.045 | −0.132 |
| House dust arsenic concentration (mg/kg) | 52 | 10.6 (2.9)a | 9.5 | 1.7–172 | 0.049 | 0.301* |
| House dust surface loading (μg As/100 cm2) | 53 | 0.058 (4.1)a | 0.056 | 0.004–0.77 | 0.090 | 0.232 |
| Age of child (years) | 77 | 4.3 ± 2 | 4.7 | 0.1–7 | 0.331** | −0.263* |
| Weight (kg) | 75 | 18.3 ± 6.4 | 18 | 5–35 | 0.253* | −0.317** |
| Time playing in outdoor area (days/week) | 70 | 5.2 ± 1.7 | 5 | 1–7 | −0.150 | 0.003 |
| Washed hands (times/day) | 77 | 4.4 ± 3.1 | 3 | 0–20 | −0.052 | −0.275* |
| Playing near creeks (days/week) | 10 | 4.0 ± 2.5 | 4 | 1–7 | 0.160 | 0.152 |
| Playing in orchards (days/week) | 3 | 1.7 ± 0.6 | 2 | 1–2 | −0.484 | −0.868 |
Urinary and environmental arsenic variables were log transformed before analysis. Other numerical survey variables not shown did not have significant correlations: body mass index, number in household, and frequency of bathing, taking food/drink outdoors, drinking tap water, and eating homegrown produce, seafood, and rice products.
a
GM (GSD).
*
p < 0.05.
**
p < 0.01.