Socioeconomic status and exposure to disinfection by-products in drinking water in Spain

Background: Disinfection by-products in drinking water are chemical contaminants that have been associated with cancer and other adverse effects. Exposure occurs from consumption of tap water, inhalation and dermal absorption. Methods: We determined the relationship between socioeconomic status and...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castaño Vinyals, Gemma, Cantor, Kenneth P, Villanueva Belmonte, Cristina, Tardón, Adonina, García Closas, Reina, Serra, Consol, Carrato, Alfredo, Malats i Riera, Núria, Rothman, Nathaniel, Silverman, Debra T., Kogevinas, Manolis
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2011
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/23031
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/23031
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-10-18
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Aigua
Càncer
Contaminació
Consum
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Disinfection by-products in drinking water are chemical contaminants that have been associated with cancer and other adverse effects. Exposure occurs from consumption of tap water, inhalation and dermal absorption. Methods: We determined the relationship between socioeconomic status and exposure to disinfection by-products in 1271 controls from a multicentric bladder cancer case-control study in Spain. Information on lifetime drinking water sources, swimming pool attendance, showering-bathing practices, and socioeconomic status (education, income) was collected through personal interviews. Results: The most highly educated subjects consumed less tap water (57%) and more bottled water (33%) than illiterate subjects (69% and 17% respectively, p-value = 0.003). These differences became wider in recent time periods. The time spent bathing or showering was positively correlated with attained educational level (p < 0.001). Swimming pool attendance was more frequent among highly educated subjects compared to the illiterate (odds ratio = 3.4; 95% confidence interval 1.6-7.3)./n/nConclusions: The most highly educated subjects were less exposed to chlorination by-products through ingestion but more exposed through dermal contact and inhalation in pools and showers/baths. Health risk perceptions and economic capacity may affect patterns of water consumption that can result in differences in exposure to water contaminants.