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Water Manganese Exposure and Children's Intellectual Function in Araihazar, Bangladesh

Manganese Impacts Intellectual Function in Children

Exposure to manganese via inhalation is associated with neurotoxicity in adults (Parkinsonism), but little is known about possible consequences of exposure via drinking water. In this study, we reported results of a cross-sectional investigation of intellectual function in 142 ten-year-old children in Araihazar, Bangladesh, who had been consuming tube-well water with an average concentration of 793 µg Mn/L and 3 µg arsenic/L. After adjustment for sociodemographic covariates, water Mn was associated with reduced Full-Scale, Performance, and Verbal raw scores, in a dose-response fashion; the low level of As in water had no effect. In the United States, roughly 6% of domestic household wells have Mn concentrations that exceed 300 µg Mn/L, the current U.S. EPA lifetime health advisory level. In both Bangladesh and the U.S., some children are at risk for Mn-induced neurotoxicity.

To download and read the full publication click on this link: Wasserman et al, Environ Health Perspect 2006;114:124-9