Arsenic Epidemiology and Drinking Water Standards
Abstract
Establishment of the maximum contaminant level that regulates the concentration of arsenic in public water supplies has been an extraordinarily protracted process. The U.S. Public Health Service set an interim standard of 50 mg per liter in 1942. It was another 60 years before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lowered the standard to 10 mg per liter, despite extensive epidemiological evidence of significant cancer risks. [ Smith et al .][1] of this Policy Forum consider how the regulatory process might interpret and respond more effectively to results from epidemiological studies. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/296/5576/2145
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Lifelong exposure to arsenic levels as low as 10 μg/L in drinking water has been shown to elevate an individual's risk of cancer.
“Lifelong exposure to arsenic levels as low as 10 μg/L in drinking have been shown to elevate an individual’s risk of cancer.37”
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- Authors
- Smith, A. H., Lopipero, P. A., Bates, M. N., & Steinmaus, C. M.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Smith, Allan H.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2002-06-21
- Volume
- 296
- Issue
- 5576
- Pages
- 2145-2146
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1604877397
- Cited by
- 620
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 36 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 38 · 2012: 29
- FWCI
- 12.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P42-ES-04705, P30ES001896, P30-ES01896, P42ES004705)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Arsenic contamination and mitigation
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
- Keywords
- arsenic, drinking water standards, maximum contaminant levels, water supply regulation, cancer risk, epidemiological evidence, Environmental Protection Agency, public health services, regulatory process
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Arsenic, Carcinogens, Diet, Epidemiologic Methods, Humans, Maximum Allowable Concentration, Neoplasms, Public Health, Public Policy, United States, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Water Pollutants, Chemical, Water Supply, Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic
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