Arsenic and manganese exposure and children's intellectual function
Gail A Wasserman1, Xinhua Liu, Faruque Parvez
1Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York City, NY 10032, USA. wassermg@childpsych.columbia.edu
Neurotoxicology
|April 2, 2011
Summary
This study found that co-exposure to arsenic and manganese negatively impacts children
Area of Science:
- Developmental toxicology
- Environmental health
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Epidemiologic studies increasingly focus on co-exposure to multiple toxicants.
- Previous research indicated independent associations between arsenic (As) and manganese (Mn) exposure and neurobehavioral function in children.
- This study aimed to investigate potential interactive effects of simultaneous As and Mn exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the synergistic impact of simultaneous exposure to arsenic and manganese on neurobehavioral outcomes in children.
- To assess the relationship between blood and urinary levels of As and Mn and cognitive function.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 299 children aged 8-11 years, stratified by household well water As and Mn concentrations.
- Measured As and Mn levels in whole blood (BAs, BMn) and urine (urinary As).
- Assessed neurobehavioral function using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) subscales, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Both BAs and BMn were negatively associated with most WISC-IV subscale scores.
- BMn remained significantly linked to reduced Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory.
- Urinary As was significantly associated with lower Verbal Comprehension scores, independent of BMn.
- No significant interactions were found between Mn and As exposures.
Conclusions:
- Findings support adverse impacts of both arsenic and manganese exposure on child neurodevelopment.
- Observed associations were relatively muted, potentially due to the studied exposure levels.
- Further research is needed to understand the combined effects of environmental toxicants on child development.
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