Skip to main content

Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water Increases Cardiovascular Risk

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Oct 23, 2024.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 23, 2024 -- Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water (wAs) from U.S. community water supplies (CWS) at levels below the federal maximum contaminant level of 10 µg/L is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, including ischemic heart disease, according to a study published online Oct. 23 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Danielle N. Medgyesi, from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues examined the relationship between long-term wAs exposure from CWS and cardiovascular disease using statewide health care administrative records from women in the California Teachers Study. Participants' residential addresses were linked to CWS boundaries and annual wAs concentrations for 1990 to 2020. Exposure was calculated as a 10-year moving average up to participant event, death, or end of follow-up.

The analysis included 98,250 participants, with 6,119 ischemic heart disease cases and 9,936 cardiovascular disease cases. The researchers found that for ischemic heart disease, the hazard ratios (95 percent confidence intervals) at concentration thresholds were 1.06 (1.00 to 1.12), 1.05 (0.94 to 1.17), 1.20 (1.02 to 1.41), and 1.42 (1.10 to 1.84) for 1.00 to 2.99, 3.00 to 4.99, 5.00 to 9.99, and ≥10 µg/L, respectively, compared with <1 µg/L. For every doubling of wAs exposure, the hazard ratios (95 percent confidence intervals) were 1.04 (1.02 to 1.06) and 1.02 (1.01 to 1.04) for ischemic heart disease and cardiovascular disease, respectively. The risk was stronger for those aged 55 years and younger versus those older than 55 years at enrollment.

"This study is one of the first to comprehensively describe risks at exposure levels below the current regulatory limit," the authors write. "Our results are novel and encourage a renewed discussion of current policy and regulatory standards."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

Body Fat Percentage Better Predictor of 15-Year Mortality Than BMI

TUESDAY, July 1, 2025 -- For young adults, body fat percentage is a better predictor of 15-year mortality risk than body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online...

Degree of Weight Loss Affects Tirzepatide-Linked Cardiometabolic Risk Improvement

TUESDAY, July 1, 2025 -- For adults with obesity or overweight, tirzepatide-linked improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors are associated with the degree of weight reduction...

32 Percent of U.S. Adults Consumed Fast Food on a Given Day in 2021 to 2023

FRIDAY, June 27, 2025 -- Over 30 percent of adults and children consumed fast food on a given day during August 2021 to August 2023, according to two reports from the National...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.