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P. Barry Ryan,¹ Natalie Huet,¹ and David L. MacIntosh²

¹Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
²Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

Abstract

Arsenic, cadmium, and lead have been associated with various forms of cancer, nephrotoxicity, central nervous system effects, and cardiovascular disease in humans. Drinking water is a well-recognized pathway of exposure to these metals. To improve understanding of the temporal dimension of exposure to As, Cd, and Pb in drinking water, we obtained 381 samples of tap and/or tap/filtered water and self-reported rates of drinking water consumption from 73 members of a stratified random sample in Maryland. Data were collected at approximately 2-month intervals from September 1995 through September 1996. Concentrations of As (range < 0.2-13.8 µg/L) and Pb (< 0.1-13.4 µg/L) were within the ranges reported for the United States, as were the rates of drinking water consumption (median < 0.1-4.1 L/day) . Cd was present at a detectable level in only 8.1% of the water samples. Mean log-transformed concentrations and exposures for As and Pb varied significantly among sampling cycles and among respondents, as did rates of drinking water consumption, according to a generalized linear model that accounted for potential correlation among repeated measures from the same respondent. We used the intraclass correlation coefficient of reliability to attribute the total variance observed for each exposure metric to between-person and within-person variability. Between-person variability was estimated to account for 67, 81, and 55% of the total variance in drinking water consumption, As exposure (micrograms per day) , and Pb exposure (micrograms per day) , respectively. We discuss these results with respect to their implications for future exposure assessment research, quantitative risk assessment, and environmental epidemiology. Key words: arsenic, cadmium, chronic exposure, drinking water, lead. Environ Health Perspect 108:731-735 (2000) . [Online 26 June 2000]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2000/108p731-735ryan/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to P.B. Ryan, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA. Telephone: (404) 727-3826. Fax: (404) 727-8744. E-mail: bryan@sph.emory.edu

This research was supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under cooperative agreement CR822038-1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Hatch Project GEO00843, and the University of Georgia Research Foundation.

Received 27 October 1999 ; accepted 11 April 2000.