Arsenic and Blood Pressure: A Long-Term Relationship

In the August issue of Environmental Health Perspectives I have an article on a new study showing some of the best evidence to date of the effects of arsenic exposure via drinking water on blood pressure. Tens of millions of people in Bangladesh alone are exposed to unsafe levels of naturally occurring arsenic in their groundwater, resulting in a broad range of serious health effects including various cancers. This long-term study conducted in that country reveals how arsenic exposure can also elevate blood pressure levels over time, potentially leading to clinical outcomes including cardiovascular disease. On a scale as large as that in Bangladesh, this pathway represents another significant public health concern related to arsenic exposure in groundwater. Read the story online here.