An integrated health risk assessment of indigenous children exposed to arsenic in Sonora, Mexico

Exposure to inorganic arsenic (InAs) through drinking water, even at low to moderate concentrations, is a global public health problem. The objectives of this study were to estimate the risk ratio (HQ), cancer risk (R), and DNA damage (comet assay) of children from three indigenous Yaqui populations located in southern Sonora, Mexico, who were exposed to InAs through drinking water. A cross-sectional study was employed, and analysis of InAs in water and urine was performed via HPLC/ICP-MS. InAs levels in drinking water from Potam, Vicam, and Cocorit were 108.2, 36.0, and 6.2 μg/L−1 respectively. Children from Potam had arsenic concentrations in urine of 107.1 μg As L−1 compared with 40.3 μg As L−1 for the children of Cocorit. The HQ values for the children of Potam, Vicam, and Cocorit were 16.64, 6.02, and 0.94, while the R values were 9.4E-04, 3.5E-04, and 5.7E-05, respectively. Children with the highest arsenic exposure had significantly increased DNA damage (OTM = 14.4 vs. 4.3) [p < 0.0005] whi...