ARSENIC EXPOSURES AND REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS.
Claudia Hopenhayn.
Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health University of Kentucky

Inorganic arsenic is known to be associated with adverse human health outcomes such as skin, lung, and bladder cancers, vascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes. In the last two decades, numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of arsenic on human health in several countries, but most of the research has focused on high exposure communities and on the dermatologic, vascular, and carcinogenic effects of arsenic. Conversely, limited attention has been directed towards understanding the potential reproductive health effects of arsenic exposure in human populations, or towards examining moderate or low exposure levels. Experimental studies support a role for arsenic as a developmental toxicant, and although limited, the findings from some human studies suggest that inorganic arsenic may be associated with several reproductive outcomes, including increased rates of spontaneous abortion, low birth weight, congenital malformations, pre-eclampsia and mortality.We have been conducting several studies in Chile, in an area with historically high exposures to arsenic (>500 ug/L) several decades ago, and which now has levels around 40 ug/L in the drinking wtaer. We will present results of studies at both exposure levels in relation to reproductive and developmental outcomes, from past and current exposures. In particular, we will discuss infant mortality rates at high exposure levels, and decreases in birthweight at moderate or lower exposure levels. We will also discuss the potential for further analyses with data we have collected and for future work based on some of our results and experience.