Drinking water and risk of stroke: the hidden element.

(SORCan) Working Group " There are more things in heaven and earth, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. " —William Shakespeare, " Hamlet, " Act 1, Scene 5 English dramatist and poet (1564 to 1616) L ess than 1% of the fresh water (approximately 0.007% of all water on earth) is accessible for direct human use. We use this small amount of water for drinking, transportation, heating and cooling, industry, and many other purposes. 1 In countries with limited access to safe drinking water (and also in developed countries with an increasing consumption of bottled mineral water), its cost has been rising. Furthermore, the price per liter of bottled water may be surprisingly higher than the price of a liter of gasoline! For example, the average cost of regular gasoline (87 octanes) is US $0. contrast, the average price of a liter of bottled water (2ϫ500 mL) in convenience stores in North America (United States, Canada) range from US $2 to 3 and 2 Euros in some European countries. Arsenic is a toxic metal usually found in natural environments. Humans can be exposed to arsenic through inhaling air, eating food, and/or drinking water. Most food arsenicals are organic and have little or no toxicity, whereas arsenic exposure from drinking water sources is an inorganic form occurring at relatively higher doses (eg, hundreds of micro-grams per day). 2 Therefore, the most common cause of human toxicity is from contamination of drinking water in areas with higher arsenic content (ie, natural sources, mining, industrial or agricultural sources [pesticides or fertilizers]). 3 Arsenic concentration in bottled water is usually Ͻ1 ␮g/L. Chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with an increased risk of cancer (urinary tract, lung, skin), gastroenteritis, myocar-dial infarction, and peripheral neuropathy. 2 Drinking water contaminated with arsenic has been found in both developed and developing countries. 4,5 According to the World Health Organization , arsenic contamination of ground water has been found in many countries, Interestingly, limited information is available on the association between low to moderate arsenic exposure through drinking water (Ͻ300 ␮g/L) and cardiovascular diseases. 6 – 8 Studies in different areas from the United States showed some inconsistent findings. 9,10 Findings In the present issue of Stroke, the authors investigate the association between low-level arsenic exposure in drinking water and the ischemic stroke admissions in Michigan. 11 They found that even low exposure to arsenic is associated …