Low level arsenic exposure, B-vitamins, and achievement among Uruguayan school children.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Millions of children globally, including the U.S., are exposed to low levels of arsenic from water and food. Arsenic is a known neurotoxicant at high levels but its effects at lower exposure levels are understudied. Arsenic methylation capacity, influenced by B-vitamin intake and status, potentially influences arsenic toxicity. In a cross-secitonal study of 5-8 year-old children from Montevideo, we assessed the relationship between urinary arsenic (U-As) and academic achievement, and tested for effect modification by B-vitamin intake, status, and arsenic methylation capacity.

Methods

Broad math and reading scores were calculated based on six subtests (calculation, math facts fluency, applied problems, sentence reading fluency, letter word identification, passage c

SUBMITTER: Desai G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6931131 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature