Studies on exposure status of inhabitants to water-arsenic valence states in areas with endemic arsenism in the Datong basin in Shanxi

This study aimed to describe the distribution of water-arsenic (As) valence states and its relationship to areas with endemic arsenism in the Datong basin. Drinking water samples of patients with endemic arsenism and a control group were examined using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS). We analyzed the data using SPSS10.0 for Windows. The As(III)/As ratio was 52.1% in the water sample, exceeding the national standard of 0.05 mg/L. The As(III)/As ratio significantly varied among the different stages in the disease-state groups, and with the control group (χ (2) = 22.4, P