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Effects of Repeated Seafood Consumption on Urinary Excretion of Arsenic Species by Volunteers

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Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a known human carcinogen and widely distributed in the environment. The main route of As exposure in the general population is through food and drinking water. Seafood harvested in Korea contains high-level organoarsenics such as arsenobetaine, arsenocholine, and arsenosugars, which are much less harmful than inorganic arsenics. However, for those who eat large amounts of seafood it is important to understand whether seafood consumption affects urinary levels of inorganic As metabolites such as arsenite, arsenate, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). In this study we investigated urinary As metabolites (inorganic As, MMA[V], DMA[V]) and some biological indexes such as AST, GSH, GPX, lipid peroxidation, and uric acid in volunteer study subjects (seven males and nine females). Total urinary As metabolites were analyzed by the hydride generation method, followed by arsenic speciation using HPLC with ICP-mass spectrometry. Study subjects refrained from eating seafood for 3 days prior to the first urine collection and then ingested seafood daily for 6 consecutive days. The first voided urine of the morning was collected from each subject the first day of the consecutive 6 days of seafood ingestion but prior to the first seafood meal. The first voided urine of the morning was also collected on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, and 14 after seafood ingestion. The daily mean intake of total As was 6.98 mg, comprised of 4.71 mg of seaweed (67%), 1.74 mg of flat fish (25%), and 0.53 mg of conch (8%). We observed a substantial increase in total urinary As metabolites for subjects consuming seafood from day 1, which recovered to control level at day 10. The increase in total urinary As metabolites was attributed to the increase in DMA, which is a more harmful metabolite than organoarsenics. However, no significant changes in response biological indexes were observed. These results suggest that it is necessary to evaluate As metabolism when assessing the exposure to inorganic As and potential chronic health effects of seafood consumption in Korea.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by the Korean Food and Drug Administration (Grant No. 08152-432; 2007–2008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea

    Byung-Sun Choi, Seong-Jin Choi, Dong-Won Kim, Mingai Huang, Na-Young Kim & Jung-Duck Park

  2. Advanced Analysis Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea

    Kyung-Su Park

  3. Korea Institute of Toxicology, KRICT, Daejeon, Korea

    Choong-Yong Kim

  4. National Institute of Toxicological Research, Seoul, Korea

    Hyo-Min Lee, Young-Na Yum, Eui-Sik Han & Tae-Seok Kang

  5. Hoseo University, Asan, Korea

    Il-Je Yu

  6. Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, 221 Huksukdong, Dongjakgu, Seoul, 156-756, Korea

    Jung-Duck Park

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  1. Byung-Sun Choi
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Correspondence to Jung-Duck Park.

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Choi, BS., Choi, SJ., Kim, DW. et al. Effects of Repeated Seafood Consumption on Urinary Excretion of Arsenic Species by Volunteers. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 58, 222–229 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-009-9333-8

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