Scholarlink

<p>South Texas colonias experience persistent water insecurity and disproportionate environmental health burdens. Although arsenic is a well-established drinking water contaminant, limited community-level research has examined whether chronic low-level exposure below current regulatory standards is associated with adverse health outcomes in colonia residents. From May 2023 to March 2024, we conducted a community-engaged cross-sectional study in two colonias in Hidalgo County, Texas (Santa Amalia in Progreso and South Tower Estates in Alamo). Trained community health workers administered Spanish-language household surveys to collect sociodemographic information and participant self-reported health data, including chronic conditions, cancer history, family-member cancer history within the household, and health-related quality of life measured using the SF-12. Drinking water samples were collected from enrolled households and analyzed for arsenic using atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We compared SF-12 domain and composite scores to the United States norm of 50 using one-sample t tests and estimated prevalence odds ratios for adverse health outcomes per unit increase in arsenic concentration using multivariable logistic regression. A total of 203 households participated (85% response rate), with most respondents reporting less than a high school education (63.6%) and annual household income below $14,999 (57.1%). All arsenic concentrations were below the EPA and WHO guideline of 10&#xa0;ppb (median 2.9&#xa0;ppb; mean 3.0&#xa0;ppb). The mean physical component score was significantly below the national norm (45.3; 95% CI 43.8 to 46.8), with particularly low general health scores. In adjusted models, higher arsenic concentrations were associated with increased odds of reduced vitality and reporting any chronic condition, while associations with cancer outcomes were imprecise. In two South Texas colonias, drinking water arsenic concentrations were uniformly below regulatory standards, yet residents reported substantially worse physical health than the United States norm, and higher arsenic levels within this low range were associated with select adverse health indicators. These findings support continued investigation of cumulative risks and low-level arsenic exposure in structurally marginalized communities and can inform future biomonitoring, water quality surveillance, and health equity–focused policy discussions.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Cross-sectional associations between drinking water arsenic and health outcomes in a South Texas Colonias pilot study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月31日

查看全文
  • Lindsay Sansom,
  • Taehyun Roh,
  • Tiffany Radcliff,
  • Luis Gomez,
  • Kayla Morales,
  • Nandita Sarker,
  • Zak Kobs,
  • Garett T. Sansom

摘要

South Texas colonias experience persistent water insecurity and disproportionate environmental health burdens. Although arsenic is a well-established drinking water contaminant, limited community-level research has examined whether chronic low-level exposure below current regulatory standards is associated with adverse health outcomes in colonia residents. From May 2023 to March 2024, we conducted a community-engaged cross-sectional study in two colonias in Hidalgo County, Texas (Santa Amalia in Progreso and South Tower Estates in Alamo). Trained community health workers administered Spanish-language household surveys to collect sociodemographic information and participant self-reported health data, including chronic conditions, cancer history, family-member cancer history within the household, and health-related quality of life measured using the SF-12. Drinking water samples were collected from enrolled households and analyzed for arsenic using atomic absorption spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We compared SF-12 domain and composite scores to the United States norm of 50 using one-sample t tests and estimated prevalence odds ratios for adverse health outcomes per unit increase in arsenic concentration using multivariable logistic regression. A total of 203 households participated (85% response rate), with most respondents reporting less than a high school education (63.6%) and annual household income below $14,999 (57.1%). All arsenic concentrations were below the EPA and WHO guideline of 10 ppb (median 2.9 ppb; mean 3.0 ppb). The mean physical component score was significantly below the national norm (45.3; 95% CI 43.8 to 46.8), with particularly low general health scores. In adjusted models, higher arsenic concentrations were associated with increased odds of reduced vitality and reporting any chronic condition, while associations with cancer outcomes were imprecise. In two South Texas colonias, drinking water arsenic concentrations were uniformly below regulatory standards, yet residents reported substantially worse physical health than the United States norm, and higher arsenic levels within this low range were associated with select adverse health indicators. These findings support continued investigation of cumulative risks and low-level arsenic exposure in structurally marginalized communities and can inform future biomonitoring, water quality surveillance, and health equity–focused policy discussions.