# Project 1: Exposomics and Arsenic Epidemiology

> **NIH NIH P42** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2021 · $207,556

## Abstract

PROJECT 1: SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The concept of the exposome involves not only the combined effects of multiple chemicals, it entails the social
and lifestyle factors that influence chemical toxicity, and the idea that the specific life stage of exposure can
affect disease risks. Millions of people in the US are exposed to arsenic, which is ranked first on the Superfund
chemical priority list. For several reasons, northern Chile is one of the best places in the world to study arsenic.
First, this is the driest habitable place on earth, and despite its large population, it has very few individual water
sources, with essentially each city being supplied by its own single municipal source. Second, these sources
have had a wide range of arsenic concentrations, and arsenic records on all of these sources are available for
over 50 years. Because of this, one simply needs to know what cities a person has lived in during which years
to have a good idea of that person's lifetime arsenic exposure. This type of lifelong exposure data is not
available in any other area in the world including the US. Third, the largest city in the area, Antofagasta, had a
distinct period of high exposure beginning in 1958 when two rivers with high arsenic concentrations were
diverted to the city for drinking, and ending in 1970 when an arsenic treatment plant was installed. Studying
health effects now in people who were born during this distinct exposure period offers a rare opportunity to
examine the impacts of early-life exposure on adult disease. Superfund has been supporting research in this
area for 20+ years, and we have made a large number of novel discoveries. We found that early-life arsenic
exposure was associated with >5-fold significant increases in adult lung cancer, >7-fold increases in bladder
cancer, and respiratory effects similar to those seen with heavy smoking. We also identified marked increases
in susceptibility due to arsenic metabolism, genetics, and common co-exposures like second-hand smoke and
workplace exposures. Most recently, we found that arsenic-related cancer and lung disease were much greater
in people who were overweight (e.g. synergy index=4.05, 95%CI=1.27–12.88). Here, we propose to use the
unique exposure scenario in Chile to explore associations between arsenic and hypertension and endocrine
diseases like prostate cancer and diabetes. Currently, data linking these outcomes to arsenic are mixed or
controversial. However to date, no study has examined them using information on lifetime exposure, and no
study has examined the potential modifying effects of early-life exposure, obesity, or stress. This is important
since our recent research suggests that each of these factors may play a major role in arsenic-related disease.
Overall, the significance of our project lies in the facts that arsenic exposure in the US is widespread, and that
diabetes, hypertension, and prostate cancer are major causes of morbidity and mortality here. It is also lies ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10136013
- **Project number:** 5P42ES004705-33
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** Craig M Steinmaus
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $207,556
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-04-01 → 2022-08-24

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10136013

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10136013, Project 1: Exposomics and Arsenic Epidemiology (5P42ES004705-33). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10136013. Licensed CC0.

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