Chronic toxicity through prolonged arsenic ingestion among population from endemic area of West Bengal, India: Promoting better management to mitigate future risk

Abstract

This study focused on evaluating the present arsenic (As) contamination scenario in drinking water and the most consumed food sources such as rice grain and pulses along with its associated chronic toxicity exposure among population from Baranda Shibnagar; a village located in the Murshidabad-Jiaganj block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India. A Monte Carlo Simulation was employed to model probabilistic risk and identify the factors contributing most to arsenic-related health risks. Limited probabilistic risk assessments have been conducted in this high-risk region. The findings revealed a higher mean As levels in drinking water (24.5 μg/l) and rice grain (201 μg/kg) surpassing the acceptable limit, whereas, pulses (26.5 μg/kg) were considered to be safe. Besides, As accumulation in chronic toxicity biomarkers of the studied population was also found higher (100% and 96% for hair and nails, respectively) than the threshold values. Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between As ingestion and biomarker accumulation, reflecting an age-dependent increase in As levels in hair and nails. However, gender was found to have no substantial impact on As accumulation in chronic biomarkers. Among all the sources, rice grain was found as the primary route of As exposure followed by drinking water and pulses. The total estimated daily intake of As (EDI_Total) was found to be highest in adult males, correlating with their heightened carcinogenic risk (CR), followed by females and children. Non-carcinogenic risks (NCR) were notably high among children and according to the sensitivity test result, As concentration in ingestible sources was found to be the most significant component contributing to the CR and NCR followed by exposure duration (ED). These findings underscore the need for immediate interventions in water management and agricultural practices to reduce As exposure and prioritise the necessity for As-safe drinking water to protect human health from its toxic consequences.