There is an interesting article over on RedOrbit.com. It takes a look at some research being done by the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and Dartmouth Medical School on the health affects of arsenic in drinking water. The researchers, who had been looking at the endocrine effects of drinking arsenic contaminated water, decided to take a look at arsenic’s effects on the progress of flu, the recent strain of H1N1 in particular.
Low levels of arsenic (10 to 100 ppb) are commonly found in drinking water in many parts of the world, including a variety of areas within the United States. The 10 ppb level is considered ‘safe’ by the US EPA, but according to the article, levels as high as 100 ppb and even higher can be found naturally in well water. In the western United States in many areas water with higher concentrations of arsenic are known as ‘sweet water’ or ‘agua dulce’, referring to the sweet taste imparted to the water.
These low doses of arsenic have been generally considered to be sub-clinical, that is of no real concern to doctors; this is because arsenic does not bio-accumulate like most other heavy metal contaminants. These researchers have shown that even in the 10 to 100 ppb range there are measurable, if conflicting, effects on a wide variety of hormone systems.
These researchers have found similar conflicting effects on the progress of the flu infection by these low doses of arsenic. They found, in mice, that in the early stages of the infection low doses of arsenic in drinking water impeded the bodies response to the H1N1 flu virus, making the initial response ‘feeble’. Later the immune response became more aggressive, causing “a massive inflammatory response, which led to bleeding and damage in the lung”.
If the same thing happens in humans, and that has not yet been established, it might explain why some areas see more of a severe problem with this strain of the flu virus. It might lead to additional efforts to remove these relatively low levels of arsenic from the water supply.
Actually it would be kind of ironic. Over the last decade or so there has been a lot of work being done by a number of water activist groups to find cheap and effective methods for removing arsenic from drinking water. There are some areas of the world where the natural levels of arsenic in drinking wells are much higher than 100 ppb. Many of these groups have complained about the level of financial support they have been able to get for their research. Now the results of that research may benefit people in developed countries like the United States.