Environmental Health, Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
INSPQ, Centre de toxicologie du Québec, Direction de la santé environnementale, au travail et de la toxicology, Quebec, QC, Canada.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 Nov;33(6):921-932. doi: 10.1038/s41370-022-00457-2. Epub 2022 Aug 10.
Exposure assessment of inorganic arsenic is challenging due to the existence of multiple species, complexity of arsenic metabolism, and variety of exposure sources. Exposure assessment of arsenic during pregnancy is further complicated by the physiological changes that occur to support fetal growth. Given the well-established toxicity of inorganic arsenic at high concentrations, continued research into the potential health effects of low-level exposure on maternal and fetal health is necessary. Our objectives were to review the value of and challenges inherent in measuring inorganic arsenic species in pregnancy and highlight related research priorities. We discussed how the physiological changes of pregnancy influence arsenic metabolism and necessitate the need for pregnancy-specific data. We reviewed the biomonitoring challenges according to common and novel biological matrices and discussed how each matrix differs according to half-life, bioavailability, availability of laboratory methods, and interpretation within pregnancy. Exposure assessment in both established and novel matrices that accounts for the physiological changes of pregnancy and complexity of speciation is a research priority. Standardization of laboratory method for novel matrices will help address these data gaps. Research is particularly lacking in contemporary populations of pregnant women without naturally elevated arsenic drinking water concentrations (i.e. <10 µg/l).
由于存在多种形态、砷代谢的复杂性以及多种暴露源，无机砷的暴露评估具有挑战性。怀孕期间的砷暴露评估更加复杂，因为需要支持胎儿生长而发生生理变化。鉴于高浓度无机砷的毒性已得到充分证实，需要继续研究低水平暴露对母婴健康的潜在健康影响。我们的目标是回顾测量怀孕期间无机砷形态的价值和内在挑战，并强调相关的研究重点。我们讨论了妊娠期间的生理变化如何影响砷代谢，并需要特定于妊娠的数据。我们根据常见和新型生物基质讨论了生物监测挑战，并讨论了每个基质根据半衰期、生物利用度、实验室方法的可用性以及妊娠期间的解释的不同之处。考虑到妊娠的生理变化和形态的复杂性，在既定和新型基质中进行暴露评估是一个研究重点。新型基质的实验室方法标准化将有助于解决这些数据差距。在没有天然高浓度砷饮用水（即 <10μg/l）的当代孕妇人群中，研究尤其缺乏。
