Contribution of Water, Bread, and Vegetables (Raw and Cooked) to Dietary Intake of Inorganic Arsenic in a Rural Village of Northern Chile

Total and inorganic As contents of cooked vegetables obtained from an arsenic endemic area of Chile were analyzed. Inorganic As intake from those foods, bread, and water was estimated. The study was performed in two different periods, in which the water used by the population for drinking and cooking purposes contained 0.572 (first period) or 0.041 μg mL-1 (second period). In the first period, the FAO/WHO reference intake was exceeded by all of the persons interviewed. In the second period, the reference intake was exceeded by all of the persons interviewed ages 13−15. The foods studied contributed 4% (first period) or 25% (second period) of the inorganic As intake. The results show the contribution of food to inorganic As intake and the risk to which those ages 15 or younger are exposed. Keywords: Arsenic; inorganic arsenic; vegetables; cooking; Chile; intake