# Drinking water arsenic and uranium: associations with urinary biomarkers and diabetes across the United States

> **NIH NIH F31** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2022 · $27,708

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
In the United States (US), diabetes mellitus affects an estimated 34.2 million people, representing 10.5% of the
population, with 90-95% of diabetes cases characterized as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetes
prevalence has increased over time, with disparities by race/ethnicity. A review endorsed by the American
Diabetes Association recently identified exposure from toxic metals/metalloids, such as arsenic (As), as a risk
factor for T2DM. Less is known regarding the role of uranium (U). Drinking water represents a major source of
inorganic As and U exposure in the US, for both users of unregulated private wells and of regulated public
water. A current gap in knowledge is the contribution of drinking water to total As and U exposure, as
determined in urine, in general US populations, and whether drinking water As and U exposures are
associated with T2DM risk nationwide. Our objective is to examine the association of drinking water As and U
exposures with a) urinary metal/metalloid concentrations, and b) T2DM incidence and prevalence. Evaluating
drinking water metals/metalloids and T2DM can directly inform drinking water regulations that currently do not
consider T2DM as a health endpoint. Nationwide, analyses in diverse epidemiological populations are needed
to assess T2DM susceptibility across race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status groups, critical to understanding
and reducing health disparities. It is also important to assess whether the current public water Maximum
Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for As and U are adequately health protective. The association between water As
and U with their corresponding concentrations in urine in US populations has historically been difficult to
examine due to a lack of water composition data that could be linked to epidemiologic cohorts. Recently,
however, robust estimates of public water As and U and private well As data have been developed nationwide.
We will study three diverse epidemiologic cohorts in the US: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA),
a prospective study of cardiovascular disease among diverse urban communities (incidence and prevalence);
the Strong Heart Family Study (SHS), a prospective study of cardiovascular disease among American Indian
communities (incidence and prevalence); and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
(NHANES), a series of cross-sectional surveys representative of the general US population (prevalence). We
will evaluate the association of water As and U with T2DM risk by sex, race/ethnicity, age, SES, and by levels
of the other metal. We hypothesize that the contribution of drinking water to urinary metal/metalloid
concentrations will decrease following the implementation of the As and U MCL change. This study will
highlight subpopulations at increased susceptibility of water As and U-associated T2DM, will identify regions
and communities where future interventions to reduce drinking water As exposures are needed, and ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10466193
- **Project number:** 1F31ES034284-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Maya Sarita Spaur
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $27,708
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-06-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10466193

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10466193, Drinking water arsenic and uranium: associations with urinary biomarkers and diabetes across the United States (1F31ES034284-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10466193. Licensed CC0.

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