CHRONIC ARSENIC POISONING FROM DOMESTIC COMBUSTION OF COAL IN RURAL CHINA: A CASE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARTH MATERIALS AND HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract The use of locally mined, high-arsenic (>100 ppm) coals for domestic heating and cooking has caused arsenic poisoning in several villages in southwestern Guizhou Province, China. Extensive epidemiological and geochemical studies have revealed that the prime poisoning pathway is ingestion of arsenic-contaminated foodstuffs, especially chili peppers. A collaborative program between Chinese and American medical- and earth-science researchers has addressed this specific occurrence of arsenosis from domestic coal combustion. Samples of the Longtan coal (late Permian age) used in this region have been studied to determine the concentrations, distributions, and form(s) of arsenic. The coal contains various As 3+ - and As 5+ -bearing phases and some coal has As contents as high as 35,000 ppm, on a whole-coal, as-determined basis. Knowledge of the mode of occurrence of arsenic in the coal, the disease etiology, and the geology of the area has led to substantial mitigation of chronic arsenic poisoning. The relationship and information exchange between earth scientists and local medical and public health officials was essential in this accomplishment.