Signes-Pastor, Carey, Vioque, Navarrete-Muñoz, Rodríguez-Dehli, Tardón, Begoña-Zubero, Santa-Marina, Vrijheid, Casas, Llop, Gonzalez-Palacios, Meharg 2017 — Urinary arsenic speciation in children and pregnant women from Spain
This Exposure and Health original-research paper from the Signes-Pastor / Meharg group at Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with the Spanish INMA (Infancia y Medio Ambiente) cohort consortium reports urinary arsenic speciation in Spanish children and pregnant women using ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS. The paper is one of the foundational European biomarker cohorts for child and prenatal As exposure assessment, and the Signes-Pastor / Meharg group is the European center of expertise for inorganic arsenic in food and biomarkers. The paper complements the U.S. Dartmouth infant-As cluster (Jackson 2012, Carignan 2015, Carignan 2016 cohort) with the European prospective evidence base.
Key conclusions
The paper documents urinary arsenic speciation patterns in Spanish children and pregnant women, characterizing the relative contributions of inorganic arsenic, MMA, and DMA to total urinary arsenic across the cohort. The biomarker findings support the Signes-Pastor / Meharg group’s broader case for tight regulatory guidance on inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal, infant rice products, and the dietary intake routes that produce measurable infant and prenatal As body burden in European populations.
Methods (brief)
Spanish INMA cohort children and pregnant women provided urine samples that were analyzed by ion chromatography coupled to ICP-MS for inorganic arsenic (As-III + As-V), MMA, and DMA. Per-cohort summary statistics and inter-individual variation are reported in the published tables.
Implications
- Certification: Biomarker-validated evidence base for European child and prenatal As exposure. Useful as a citing reference for HMTc certification thresholds aimed at infant rice cereal, infant rice products, and the broader rice-derived ingredient pathway. Complements the U.S. Dartmouth infant-As cluster.
- Courses: Standard European reference for child and prenatal As biomarker speciation methodology.
- App: Supports per-population As exposure assessment for European-cohort-applicable users.