Health effects of long-term low-level arsenic exposure

Inorganic arsenic (As) is an important drinking water pollutant and public health issue. The preliminary WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L was set for practical reasons and may not adequately protect consumers, as risk at low exposure levels (<10 μg/L) is still not fully understood. Within the proposed project, historical As levels in public water supplies will be modelled and As levels in non-monitored private wells measured and predicted using machine learning models, resulting in a nationwide spatiotemporal exposure model of As in drinking water. Population-based nationwide cohort studies in the Danish health registers will be conducted to assess the association between As in drinking water at low levels and various endpoints: cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular, neurodevelopmental and reproductive outcomes. A pilot study will assess the association between As in drinking water and urine, and glycemic status of private
well users.