Arsenic exposure linked to hypertension
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By David Liu, Ph.D. and editing by Stacey Sexton
A meta-analysis finds that exposure to heavy metal arsenic may increase the risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, which can cause serious complications if not controlled.
The analysis by Lalita N. Abjyankar of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD and colleagues shows that those who experienced the highest exposure to arsenic had a 27 percent increased risk of hypertension or high blood pressure, compared to those who experienced the lowest arsenic exposure.
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency sets its limit on arsenic in drinking water at 10 parts per billion or ppb.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring toxic heavy metal. But many man-made products also contaminate the soil and water. Studies have shown that rice and certain brands of apple juice sold in the U.S. contain worrisome levels of it.
Among a population with moderate to high arsenic exposure through drinking water, those with highest exposure were 15 percent and 157 percent more likely than others to develop hypertension before and after an influential study was conducted, respectively.
The analysis was based on data extracted from 11 quality studies the researchers identified from databases including Pubmed, Embase and Toxline that studied associations between arsenic exposure and risk of hypertension. Data from six studies suggests that higher exposure tends to be associated with higher risk of hypertension.
Arsenic compounds such as roxarsone are also used in veterinary medicine to prevent parasites from growing and to boost chicken growth.
In June 2011, the Food and Drug Administration announced a study that found 50 ppb of arsenic in chicken meat, which is 5 times the EPA standard of 10 ppb for drinking water. The study prompted Alpharma, a subsidiary of Pfizer, to voluntarily stop selling 3-nitro or roxarson. Roxarson has been widely used by the poultry industry for almost 70 years.
According to the EPA, arsenic can cause thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, numbness in hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness. The toxic metal has been associated with cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate.
In 2007, Bette Hileman published an article titled “Arsenic in Chicken Production” to stress the potential harm from using the arsenic compound. He was cited as saying that the levels of arsenic found in chicken is 50 times higher than the risk allowed for most other carcinogens.
Despite being present in meat at high levels, the FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture have never before tested the actual concentration of arsenic in chicken.
It should be noted that Tyson Foods, the biggest chicken producer, stopped using roxarsone years ago.
Many risk factors may cause hypertension or high blood pressure including chronic kidney disease, disorders of the adrenal gland, pregnancy, medications such as birth control, diet pills, some cold medicines, migraine medications, renal artery stenosis and hyperparathyoidism.
If not controlled, hypertension can increase risk of a number of complications including bleeding from the aorta, chronic kidney disease, heart attack, heart failure, poor blood flow to the legs, strokes and vision problems.
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