Table 5.
Epidemiologic studies of arsenic metabolism and relative risks of arsenic-related disease.
| Low %MMA
|
High %MMA
|
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Study (Country) | Outcome | Definition | OR | 95% CI | Definition | OR | 95% CI | Strata |
| Current study (Argentina) | Lung cancer | %MMA < 11.8% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA > 17.2% | 3.09 | 1.08–8.81 | All |
| Chen et al., 2003 (Taiwan) | Bladder cancer | MMA/DMA < 0.21 | 1.12 | 0.26–4.77a | MMA/DMA > 0.21 | 4.23 | 1.12–16.01 | CAE > 12 mg/L-yr |
| Steinmaus et al., 2006 (Argentina) | Bladder cancer | %MMA < 16.7% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA ≥ 16.7% | 2.17 | 1.02–4.63 | Smokersb |
| Steinmaus et al., 2006 (US) | Bladder cancer | %MMA < 14.9% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA ≥ 14.8% | 2.70 | 0.39–18.6 | Intake > 100 μg/day |
| Pu et al., 2007 (Taiwan) | Bladder cancer | %MMA ≤ 3.0% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA > 9.2% | 2.8 | 1.6–4.8 | All |
| Huang et al., 2008 (Taiwan) | Bladder cancer | %MMA < 11.40% | 1.5 | 0.4–5.9a | %MMA ≥ 11.40% | 3.7 | 1.2–11.6 | CAE ≥ 20 mg/L-yr |
| Hsueh et al., 1997 (Taiwan) | Skin cancer | %MMA ≤ 26.7% | 8.35 | 1.07–65.0a | %MMA > 26.7% | 23.9 | 2.55–225 | CAE > 20 mg/L-yr |
| Yu et al., 2000 (Taiwan) | Skin cancer | %MMA ≤ 15.5% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA > 15.5% | 5.50 | 1.22–24.81 | All |
| Chen et al., 2003 (Taiwan) | Skin cancer | MMA/DMA < 0.2 | 1.89 | 0.60–6.01a | MMA/DMA > 0.20 | 7.48 | 1.65–33.99 | CAE > 15 mg/L-yr |
| Ahsan et al., 2007 (Bangladesh) | Skin lesions | %MMA < 9.8% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA > 16.4% | 1.57 | 1.10–2.26 | All |
| McCarty et al., 2007 (Bangladesh) | Skin lesions | na | 1.00 | Ref | 10X MMA/InAsc | 1.50 | 1.00–2.26 | All |
| Lindberg et al., 2008 (Bangladesh) | Skin lesions | %MMA ≤ 7.9% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA > 12% | 2.8 | 1.9–4.2 | All |
| Tseng et al., 2005 (Taiwan) | PVD | %MMA ≤ 11.42 | 2.64 | 0.56–12.4a | %MMA > 11.42% | 4.57 | 1.01–20.61 | CAE > 0 |
| Wu et al., 2006 (Taiwan) | Atherosclerosis | %MMA < 13.4% | 1.7 | 0.6–4.5a | %MMA ≥ 13.4% | 2.7 | 1.0–7.8 | CAE > 1.7 mg/L-yr |
| Huang et al., 2007 (Taiwan) | Hypertension | %MMA < 8.14% | 1.00 | Ref | %MMA ≥ 15.55% | 1.04 | 0.66–1.62 | All |
Abbreviations: CAE, cumulative arsenic exposure; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PVD, peripheral vascular disease; Ref, reference group
a
Reference groups (where OR = 1.00) are those with low %MMA or MMA/DMA ratio and low CAE.
b
No statistically significant effect seen in non-smokers.
c
Relative risk for a 10-fold increase in MMA/InAs ratio.