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Ethnic, geographic and dietary differences in arsenic exposure in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 29, pages 310–322 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Differences in residential location as well as race/ethnicity and dietary habits may result in differences in inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure. We investigated the association of exposure to iAs with race/ethnicity, geography, and dietary intake in a random sample of 310 White, Black, Hispanic, and Chinese adults in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis from 6 US cities with inorganic and methylated arsenic (ΣAs) measured in urine. Dietary intake was assessed by food-frequency questionnaire. Chinese and Hispanic race/ethnicity was associated with 82% (95% CI: 46%, 126%) and 37% (95% CI: 10%, 70%) higher urine arsenic concentrations, respectively, compared to White participants. No differences were observed for Black participants compared to Whites. Urine arsenic concentrations were higher for participants in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York compared to other sites. Participants that ate rice ≥2 times/week had 31% higher urine arsenic compared to those that rarely/never consumed rice. Participants that drank wine ≥2 times/week had 23% higher urine arsenic compared to rare/never wine drinkers. Intake of poultry or non-rice grains was not associated with urinary arsenic concentrations. At the low-moderate levels typical of the US population, exposure to iAs differed by race/ethnicity, geographic location, and frequency of rice and wine intake.

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Acknowledgements

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) was supported by contracts N01-HC-95159, N01-HC-95160, N01-HC-95161, N01-HC-95162, N01-HC-95163, N01-HC-95164, N01-HC-95165, N01-HC-95166, N01-HC-95167, N01-HC-95168, and N01-HC-95169 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and by grants UL1-TR-000040 and UL1-TR-001079 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). Arsenic analyses and interpretation were supported by R01HL090863 from NHLBI and by R01ES021367, R01ES025216, and P42ES10349 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. MRJ was supported by a National Cancer Institute National Research Service Award (T32CA009314). MT-P was supported by the Carlos III Health Institute Madrid (CP12/03080), co-funded by the European Funds for Regional Development (FEDER). The authors thank the other investigators, the staff, and the participants of the MESA study for their valuable contributions. A full list of participating MESA investigators and institutions can be found at http://www.mesa-nhlbi.org.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Miranda R. Jones, Wendy S. Post, Eliseo Guallar & Ana Navas-Acien

  2. Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Miranda R. Jones

  3. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Maria Tellez-Plaza, Maria Grau-Perez, Keeve E. Nachman & Ana Navas-Acien

  4. Institute for Biomedical Research Hospital Clinico de Valencia-INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain

    Maria Tellez-Plaza

  5. Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Dhananjay Vaidya, Wendy S. Post & Eliseo Guallar

  6. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Maria Grau-Perez, Tiffany R. Sanchez & Ana Navas-Acien

  7. Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Wendy S. Post & Eliseo Guallar

  8. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences,School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Joel D. Kaufman

  9. Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Kevin A. Francesconi & Walter Goessler

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  1. Miranda R. Jones
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Correspondence to Miranda R. Jones.

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Jones, M.R., Tellez-Plaza, M., Vaidya, D. et al. Ethnic, geographic and dietary differences in arsenic exposure in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA). J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 29, 310–322 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0042-0

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