Co-Contaminant Calamities: Arsenic and Influenza

[Emily]

http://www.wcponline.com/pdf/0907OnTap.pdf

Co-Contaminant Calamities: Arsenic and Influenza
By Kelly A. Reynolds, MSPH, Ph.D.
Water Conditioning & Purification, July 2009
[snip]
Arsenic-exposed mice experienced an increase in illness
severity and higher numbers of viruses in the lung. Although a
delayed immune response occurred in these mice, the response
was massive, with immune cells flooding the lungs and causing
additional lung damage and resulting in increased illness.
Measures of illness were significantly greater in mice exposed
to arsenic compared to those that were not.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that many
areas around the world utilize drinking water supplies with
arsenic levels in excess of 10 ppm, including the US, Mexico and
southeast Asia. These areas have also experienced some of the
highest number of cases of swine flu.
[snip]
Controlling disease impacts
According to the study above, arsenic exposures exacerbated
health outcomes related to swine flu infections. In fact, multiple
alterations in the immune response were noted in arsenic-exposed
mice, signifying the complexity of toxin interactions with hosts
at the molecular and cellular level.
Guidelines for controlling arsenic exposures are not always
practical for all regions. The WHO recommends monitoring water
supplies and using dual systems of collection and/or distribution
for arsenic-rich water, safe for laundering and bathing and low
arsenic water for drinking. Rainwater and treated surface waters
may also be used as a substitute for groundwater supplies high
in arsenic.
Technology is available for removal of arsenic from drinking
water (see On Tap, October 2008) but is often expensive and
technically difficult for applications in many rural areas,
particularly in developing countries. Low-cost chemical packets
for household treatment designed to remove arsenic and
inactivate microbial pathogens have been developed and have
proven successful in Latin America (see On Tap, April 2006).
Identifying environmental risk factors that exacerbate
influenza and possibly other respiratory infections is a vital
health need and may help to minimize the impact of potential
pandemic outbreaks in the future. More studies are needed to
determine the causal relationship of co-contaminants in water
and human disease and to evaluate the role of other waterborne
toxins relative to infectious disease manifestation.

Dr. Kelly A. Reynolds is an Associate Professor at
the University of Arizona College of Public Health.
She holds a Master of Science Degree in public health
(MSPH) from the University of South Florida and
a doctorate in microbiology from the University of
Arizona...

[Amish Country]

Re: Co-Contaminant Calamities: Arsenic and Influenza

I remember an old farm wife telling me about an insecticide used, when she was young, on produce she called; "Arsenic O' Lead. That was what was in the powder. While I would not be surprised if it was an effective pesticide I wonder if it had any effect on the severity of the flu in individuals who consumed the produce? Could this have been a factor in why some communities/countries were harder hit with historic flus than others?