Environmental research
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Environmental research · Jun 2005
Exposure to inorganic arsenic in drinking water and total urinary arsenic concentration in a Chilean population.
The relationship of inorganic arsenic exposure through drinking water and total urinary arsenic excretion in a nonoccupationally exposed population was evaluated in a cross-sectional study in three mayor cities of Chile (Antofagasta, Santiago, and Temuco). A total of 756 individuals in three population strata (elderly, students, and workers) provided first morning void urine specimens the day after exposure and food surveys were administered. Arsenic intake from drinking water was estimated from analysis of tap water samples, plus 24-h dietary recall and food frequency questionnaires. ⋯ City-and individual-level factors, 12% and 88%, respectively, accounted for the variability in urinary arsenic concentration. The main predictors of urinary arsenic concentration were total arsenic consumption through water and age. These findings indicate that arsenic concentration in drinking water continues to be the principal contributing factor to exposure to inorganic arsenic in the Chilean population.
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Environmental research · Jun 2005
Traffic at residential address, respiratory health, and atopy in adults: the National German Health Survey 1998.
Motor vehicle traffic contributes to more than 50% of PM10 in Europe and might have far reaching impacts on human health. We investigated the relationship between residential street type as a surrogate for traffic intensity and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, atopic diseases, and allergic sensitization in adults. Data from 6896 subjects of the German Health Survey 1998 with complete information on residential street type were used. ⋯ Living at extremely or considerably busy roads (23.9% of total study population) compared to roads with no or rare traffic (64.5%) was statistically significantly associated with chronic bronchitis (aOR 1.36 (95% CI) (1.01-1.83)) while nocturnal coughing attacks (past 12 months) (1.24 (0.98-1.57)), wheeze during the past 12 months (1.21 (0.93-57)), and hay fever (1.16 (0.94-1.42)) were marginally increased after adjustment for several potential confounders and for multiple testing. No increased risks were found for asthma (0.97 (0.67-1.42)) and allergic sensitization (1.05 (0.91-1.20)). We conclude that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants increases the risk of nonallergic respiratory symptoms and to a lesser degree the risk of hay fever and allergic sensitization but not the risk of asthma in adults.