Arsenic in Drinking Water May Predispose to Severe H1N1 Flu Infection
By Barbara Lock, MDSeptember 16, 2009
Arsenic, the favorite poison of Victorian widows-to-be, has long been known to cause serious health problems and even death.
But now, we have another reason to be alert for arsenic: in mice, very low doses of arsenic impair the immune system sufficiently such that what should be a sub lethal dose of H1N1 influenza virus increases death, and may contribute to transmisison of the virus, compared to the same dose of H1N1 in mice who have not been exposed ot arsenic, according to a new study by Kozul et al.
Arsenic is found in 12% of all drinking water in the United States, but 23% of all drinking water derived from wells, according to Kumar et al. According to the US Geological Survey, high levels of arsenic are more prevalent in well water in the Boston metropolitan area and Maine, in South and West Texas, in Minnesota and North and South Dakota, and in the mountain states and California.
Arsenic is also found on wooden playground equipment treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Arsenic from wooden playground equipment is detectable on the hands of children after brief episodes of play, according to Sharlat et al. This is a good argument for washing children's hands with soap and water instead of commercial hand sanitizers.
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