Quantitative links between arsenic exposure and influenza A (H1N1) infection-associated lung function exacerbations risk

The objective of this study was to link arsenic exposure and influenza A (H1N1) infection-induced respiratory effects to assess the impact of arsenic-contaminated drinking water on exacerbation risk of A (H1N1)-associated lung function. The homogeneous Poisson process was used to approximate the related processes between arsenic exposure and influenza-associated lung function exacerbation risk. We found that (i) estimated arsenic-induced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1) reducing rates ranged from 0.116 to 0.179 mL/μg for age 15-85 years, (ii) estimated arsenic-induced A (H1N1) viral load increasing rate was 0.5 mL/μg, (iii) estimated A (H1N1) virus-induced FEV 1 reducing rate was 0.10 mL/logTCID50, and (iv) the relationship between arsenic exposure and A (H1N1)-associated respiratory symptoms scores (RSS) can be described by a Hill model. Here we showed that maximum RSS at day 2 postinfection for Taiwan, West Bengal (India), and the United States were estimated to be in the severe range of 0.83, 0.89, and 0.81, respectively, indicating that chronic arsenic exposure and A (H1N1) infection together are most likely to pose potential exacerbations risk of lung function, although a 50% probability of lung function exacerbations risk induced by arsenic and influenza infection was within the mild and moderate ranges of RSS at day 1 and 2 postinfection. We concluded that avoidance of drinking arsenic-containing water could significantly reduce influenza respiratory illness and that need will become increasingly urgent as the novel H1N1 pandemic influenza virus infects people worldwide.