Department of Health Director-General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said yesterday that regular consumers of groundwater that contains high levels of arsenic are at greater risk of developing cancer.
Chen made the remarks while giving a report on the health hazards of arsenic-laden groundwater in a seminar sponsored by the National Health Research Institute (NHRI).
Chen pointed to a study of residents in southwestern Taiwan and in Ilan, who regularly use groundwater. The study revealed a direct relation between arsenic levels in the groundwater and a risk of developing cancer.
In the study, a group of people who regularly drink groundwater with an arsenic level of 300 ppb (parts per billion) was compared with a group who regularly use groundwater with an arsenic level of 0.1 ppb. The results showed that those in the first group were four times more likely to develop lung cancer, eight times more likely to develop bladder cancer, and 20 times more likely to develop skin cancer. Chen, who is an epidemiologist, said that a person who regularly uses groundwater and who also smokes is 15 times more likely to develop lung cancer than someone who does not. He therefore urged those who drink groundwater to check the arsenic level and filter out the heavy metal, and advised smokers to quit the habit.
Chen said that drinking groundwater that contains arsenic can also lead to pancreatic problems, dementia, diabetes, and cardiovascular problems.
He noted that the US Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization have revised safety standards for arsenic levels in water to 10 ppb from the original 50 ppb, and that the nation's Environmental Protection Agency followed suit last year.
Wang Shu-li (王淑麗), an NHRI associate researcher, speaking on the same occasion, said that many residents in Peimeng and Hsuehchia in Tainan County used to suffer from an endemic disease called "black foot disease" in the 1950s because of long-term use of an artesian well water that contained high levels of arsenic.
Now, the arsenic ratio of Peimeng and Hsuehchia residents who suffer from pancreatic problems, diabetes, retinal problems, or cardiovascular problems is much higher than for residents in the rest of the country.
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