Potential relationships between exposure to arsenic (As) in the environment and endemic disease in southwestern China

Potential relationships between exposure to arsenic (As) in the environment and endemic disease in southwestern China | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Potential relationships between exposure to arsenic (As) in the environment and endemic disease in southwestern China Donglin Li, Hucai Zhang, Fengqin Chang, Lizeng Duan, Yang Zhang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract There have been many reported cases of a strange disease exhibiting clinical features of limb gangrene, blisters, ulceration and exfoliation in Daping village, Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The prevalence rate of the disease is very high compared to other places in Yunnan Province and greater China. The pathogenesis is unknown and has bewildered doctors for many years. In this study, the content of As in soil (n=31) , water (n=55) , and plants (n=7) were systematically measured. The results show a high As concentration in plants and soil samples from the area, and the source of As linked to the weathering of black shale strata. We assessed the risks of human exposure to As through six possible exposure pathways. Ingestion of soil and plants are found to be the two main ways that children and adults are exposed to As, and children have a higher health risk than adults. Our study sheds new light on the environmental geochemistry and health links of this disease. Environmental Policy Toxicology endemic disease arsenic (As) health risk assessment black shale heavy metals ecological risk Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Full Text Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterial.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-308971","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":18657938,"identity":"b74f57af-0a80-45d9-a792-7e7864bc893f","order_by":0,"name":"Donglin Li","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABAUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCA0D8wIBBho29gYEhoQAqykNIS4IBAw8bzwEwg1gtIDUSQJKBGC18x3sPv0gouMPDJ/k68QPQhYnbJRIYH7xtY5A3x6FF8sy5NIsEg2c8bNK5myWADkvcOSOB2XBuG4PhzgbsWgxu5JgZJBgcBmnZANay4UYCmzRvG9BfBwhpkTy7+QdUC/tvAlqMH4C1SPBug9vCjE+L5JkzZgxgLTy524CekjDecOZhs+SccxKGG3Bo4TveY/zhw5/DcvLtZzff/FFhI7vhePLBD2/KbORx2QIEbBJIHAnHBgbGBhADp3ogYP6AzLPHp3QUjIJRMApGJgAAE7pcXCM9dAcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4126-4136","institution":"Yunnan University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Donglin","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":18657939,"identity":"5b0f4ec0-8e1e-4c56-a20b-0b08d05af879","order_by":1,"name":"Hucai Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yunnan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hucai","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""},{"id":18657940,"identity":"5b3641c8-730b-46d6-8426-d96bc2be0b54","order_by":2,"name":"Fengqin Chang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yunnan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fengqin","middleName":"","lastName":"Chang","suffix":""},{"id":18657941,"identity":"7bcdd5e2-a904-4980-b49e-017fa3398a1e","order_by":3,"name":"Lizeng Duan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yunnan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lizeng","middleName":"","lastName":"Duan","suffix":""},{"id":18657942,"identity":"223ab2de-c38e-4c76-aec4-dd0503361372","order_by":4,"name":"Yang Zhang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Yunnan University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yang","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2021-03-08 07:48:02","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":7464349,"identity":"f0140237-ae35-47ff-adca-d1e8238c622e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:11:07","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":3568494,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Map of sampling locations in Banlun Township, Funing County, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. (a) Map of China. (b) Map of Yunnan Province. (c) Map of study area. (d) Amputation patients have received prosthetic limbs. Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Research Square concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This map has been provided by the authors.\n","description":"","filename":"Fig1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/45df364f1b07e71e8e1d5c79.jpg"},{"id":7464656,"identity":"ae9c76b3-4871-4521-b81f-60e8b080d8e3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:14:08","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":515839,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Arsenic content in different types of soil (a), water (b) and plants (c). The red line indicates Chinese limits for As contents in soil, water and plants","description":"","filename":"Fig.2.Ascontent.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/9681bffcbf2297858e22aa9c.jpg"},{"id":7464654,"identity":"c9b1ca62-68dc-462a-b9ca-656f49b51cf0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:14:07","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":9656806,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Geological map and spatial distribution map of soil arsenic in Daping village. (a) Daping village is located in the distribution range of Black shale and the content of As is related to the spatial distribution of black shale (As=30 mg/kg is Chinese risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land). (b) Spatial distribution relationship between black shale region and the variety of content of As. (c) Photo of the outcrop of black shale. (d) Strawberry pyrite in black shale. (e) Backscattering map of strawberry pyrite. Note: The designations employed and the presentation of the material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of Research Square concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This map has been provided by the authors.","description":"","filename":"Fig3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/c76eaf982313060999305ba2.jpg"},{"id":7465103,"identity":"f7286cdc-bf0a-4b67-b51e-6b151cc03306","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:17:08","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1161204,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"(a) Hazard quotient (HQ) values of six exposure routes of arsenic in children and adults. (b) Contribution of Hazard quotient (HQ) of each exposure route to hazard index (HI). *: p\u003c0.05. Values of HQ or HI \u003e 1 indicate that adverse health effects may occur","description":"","filename":"Fig.4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/16040cffe2e8cbdfbe0081b0.jpg"},{"id":7464652,"identity":"e011ee0c-f8d7-4845-a677-449ea5ce72d0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:14:07","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1286297,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"(a) Carcinogenic risk (CR) values of six exposure routes of arsenic in children and adults. (b) Contribution of Carcinogenic risk (CR) of per exposure route to CRtotal. *: p\u003c0.05. Values of CR \u003e 10-4 indicates high carcinogenic risks","description":"","filename":"Fig5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/a7281d2f41de619ba2ed6e1e.jpg"},{"id":13613781,"identity":"f7fb556e-e93d-4d63-a824-e0e54fc3eb3e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-09-17 06:38:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1730569,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript30.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1_covered.pdf"},{"id":7465507,"identity":"df88c95f-05e5-47de-9466-4d6d36d2452c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:20:13","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1316971,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript30.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1_stamped.pdf"},{"id":7465102,"identity":"e60e8523-3368-4356-a609-d452243c3d7a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2021-03-30 00:17:07","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":47551,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterial.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-308971/v1/a0245f8eb1676c3eda3d664b.docx"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Potential relationships between exposure to arsenic (As) in the environment and endemic disease in southwestern China","fulltext":[{"header":"Full Text","content":"This preprint is available for \u003ca href='/article/rs-308971/latest.pdf' target='_blank'\u003edownload as a PDF\u003c/a\u003e."}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"endemic disease, arsenic (As), health risk assessment, black shale, heavy metals, ecological risk","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"There have been many reported cases of a strange disease exhibiting clinical features of limb gangrene, blisters, ulceration and exfoliation in Daping village, Yunnan Province in southwestern China. The prevalence rate of the disease is very high compared to other places in Yunnan Province and greater China. The pathogenesis is unknown and has bewildered doctors for many years. In this study, the content of As in soil (n=31) , water (n=55) , and plants (n=7) were systematically measured. The results show a high As concentration in plants and soil samples from the area, and the source of As linked to the weathering of black shale strata. We assessed the risks of human exposure to As through six possible exposure pathways. Ingestion of soil and plants are found to be the two main ways that children and adults are exposed to As, and children have a higher health risk than adults. Our study sheds new light on the environmental geochemistry and health links of this disease.","manuscriptTitle":"Potential relationships between exposure to arsenic (As) in the environment and endemic disease in southwestern China","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2021-03-30 00:11:06","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-308971/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ad968b9e-788c-457b-8a49-7a4cf638f41e","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 30th, 2021","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":3285591,"name":"Environmental Policy"},{"id":3285592,"name":"Toxicology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2021-04-15T11:17:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2021-03-30 00:11:06","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-308971","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-308971","identity":"rs-308971","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"J0_U0BvcaRcwD8yVFaRlm","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}