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Arsenic exposure of rural populations from the Rift Valley of Ethiopia as monitored by keratin in toenails

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 24, pages 121–126 (2014)Cite this article

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Abstract

Arsenic (As) contamination of drinking water is a worldwide phenomenon whose effect among vulnerable and rural communities in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia in eastern Africa is not well studied. This study examines As exposure and bioaccumulation from drinking water by monitoring human keratin in the form of toenails from exposed populations. Groundwater samples from drinking water wells (n=34) were collected along with toenail samples (n=58) from local communities and were analyzed for trace metals including As by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Of the total number of wells tested, 53% had As level above the WHO maximum contamination level of 10 p.p.b. Arsenic in toenails was significantly correlated to corresponding drinking water (r=0.72; R2=0.52; P<0.001). This correlation improves for drinking water with As concentrations above 2 p.p.b. (r=0.74; R2=0.54; P<0.001). Male minors (<18 years old) were found to have greater nail–As concentrations compared with adults consuming equal amounts of As (P<0.05). Estimated As dose specifically from drinking water sources was also associated with nail concentrations (P<0.01). We suggest that As measurement in nails could be a reliable method for detecting As exposure in residents living in rural areas.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Duke Global Health Institute, the Nicholas School of Environment, and the Problem-Focused Interdisciplinary Research-Scholarship Teams (PFIRST) program at Duke University for supporting the study. Special thanks are extended to the children, parents, school authorities, and water bureaus in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia for their kindly welcome and participation in the study. We thank Gary Dwyer, Laura Raul, Nathaniel Warner, and Tom Darrah from the Nicholas School of Environment of Duke University for laboratory analytical assistance. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their comments.

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  1. Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    R Brittany Merola, Tewodros Rango & Avner Vengosh

  2. Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Julia Kravchenko

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Correspondence to Avner Vengosh.

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Merola, R., Kravchenko, J., Rango, T. et al. Arsenic exposure of rural populations from the Rift Valley of Ethiopia as monitored by keratin in toenails. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 24, 121–126 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.77

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