Table 1.
General characteristics of the study subjects based on water arsenic levels
| Characteristics | Lowest (0.11 - 24.7 μg/L) | Low (34 - 142 μg/L) | Medium (145 - 242 μg/L) | High (249 - 546 μg/L) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of subjects | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | |
| Sex [no. (male/female)] | 32/18 | 31/19 | 28/22 | 30/20 | |
| Age [years (Mean ± SD)] | 39.14 ± 11.49 | 40.78 ± 12.17 | 36.04 ± 10.94 | 37.9 ± 12.5 | 0.40† |
| Median (IQRa) | 39 (30 - 47) | 35 (30 - 55) | 35 (28 - 43) | 38 (27 - 45) | |
| Water As concentration (μg/L) (Mean ± SD) | 7.51 ± 7.32 | 92.89 ± 32.06 | 191.57 ± 31.03 | 393.34 ± 107.89 | < 0.01† |
| Median (IQRa) | 5.3 (3.2 - 7.29) | 93.0 (69.4 - 117) | 186.0 (168 - 214) | 351.5 (294 - 527) | |
| Cumulative As index (mg) (Mean ± SD) | 193.33 ± 39.82 | 2361.32 ± 290.31 | 3751.4 ± 325.13 | 7466.72 ± 782.04 | < 0.01† |
| Median (IQRa) | 58.04 (31.13 - 224.48) |
1600.89 (934.91 - 2979.5) |
3125.86 (2119.92 - 4777.12) |
5515.52 (3007.42-11524.88) |
|
| Years of arsenic exposure (Mean ± SD) | 16.92 ± 12.03 | 16.08 ± 9.78 | 14.2 ± 8.77 | 13.34 ± 9.17 | 0.26* |
| Occupation | |||||
| Female | |||||
| Housewives (%) | 100 | 84.21 | 90.91 | 85 | |
| Others (%)[Farmworkers, tailors etc.] | - | 15.79 | 9.09 | 15 | |
| Male | |||||
| Farmers (%) | 87.5 | 87.1 | 92.86 | 90 | |
| Others (%) [Venders, rickshaw pullers etc.] | 12.5 | 12.9 | 7.14 | 10 | |
| (+) symptomps [% (Melanosis and hyperkeratosis)] | 78 | 94 | 60 | 90 | < 0.01‡ |
| (-) symptomps (%) | 22 | 6 | 40 | 10 | |
| Smoking habit (%) | |||||
| Yes | 18 | 34 | 8 | 10 | < 0.01‡ |
| No | 82 | 66 | 92 | 90 | |
| Alcohol intake | - | - | - | - | - |
| BMIb (Mean ± SD) | 21.41 ± 3.54 | 20.39 ± 3.16 | 21.23 ± 3.31 | 20.54 ± 3.26 | 0.32† |
| Median (IQRa) | 21.45 (18.32 - 21.45) | 19.66 (18.04 - 22.24) | 20.66 (18.78 - 24.13) | 19.96 (18.37 - 21.97) | |
| ALP activity (U/L) (Mean ± SD) | 84.72 ± 22.67 | 93.99 ± 24.48 | 100.40 ± 22.19 | 126.48 ± 35.03 | < 0.01* |
| Median (IQRa) | 84.17 (68.90 - 96.90) | 92.73 (77.87 - 106.03) | 97 (85.51 - 113.13) | 123.6 (102.7 - 157.48) | |
| AST activity (U/L) (Mean ± SD) | 34.98 ± 7.65 | 36.19 ± 7.29 | 37.14 ± 8.20 | 49.98 ± 25.31 | < 0.01* |
| Median (IQRa) | 35 (29.14 - 41) | 35.58 (30.43 - 40.07) | 34.65 (31.05 - 42) | 42.5 (36 - 53.5) | |
| ALT activity (U/L) (Mean ± SD) | 24.27 ± 7.69 | 26.91 ± 10.72 | 30.82 ± 15.08 | 43.62 ± 4.90 | < 0.01* |
| Median (IQRa) | 23.18 (19.22 - 26.84) | 24.22 (20.57 - 32.09) | 27.93 (21.64 - 36) | 32 (25 - 46) | |
As = Arsenic; IQRa = Interquartile range; BMIb = Body Mass Index was calculated as body weight (kg) divided by body height squared (m2); *p-, ‡p- and †p -values were from the F-test, Chi-square test and Kruskal Wallis test, respectively.