Prenatal and Childhood Arsenic Exposure Through Drinking Water and Food and Cognitive Abilities at 10 Years of Age: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract Background Our studies of children in a rural Bangladeshi area, with varying concentrations of arsenic in well-water, indicated modest impact on child verbal cognitive function at 5 years of age. Objectives Follow-up of arsenic exposure and children’s cognitive abilities at school-age. Methods In a nested sub-cohort of the MINIMat supplementation trial, we assessed cognitive abilities at 10 years of age (n = 1523), using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV). Arsenic in maternal urine and erythrocytes in early pregnancy, in child urine at 5 and 10 years, and in hair at 10 years, was measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Results Median urinary arsenic at 10 years was 58 µg/L (range 7.3–940 µg/L). Multivariable-adjusted regression analysis showed that, compared to the first urinary arsenic quintile at 10 years ( Conclusions Both early prenatal and childhood arsenic exposure, even at low levels (about 50 µg/L in urine), was inversely associated with cognitive abilities at school-age, although the estimates were modest.