Elevated levels of arsenic and fluoride, but not selenium, associated with endemic disease in the Chinese village of Dazhuyuan, Shaanxi Province

In this investigation, we determined the concentrations of arsenic (As), fluoride (F), and selenium (Se) in the environment (coal, drinking water, soil, corn, and chili) and in biological samples from local residents (urine, hair, and serum) from the endemic disease village of Dazhuyuan and the non-endemic disease control village of Liu in Shaanxi Province, China. Except for drinking water, the As and F levels of all samples from Dazhuyuan were significantly higher than those of the control. In contrast, although the Se contents in the environment of Dazhuyuan village were remarkably greater than those of the control, the Se levels in tissue samples from the exposed and control populations were similar. This study found for the first time that naturally occurring, high levels of As, F, and Se in the Dazhuyuan environment could contribute to local residents suffering from arsenicosis and fluorosis but not selenosis.