ArticleEnvironmental health : a global access science source2014
A cross-sectional study of well water arsenic and child IQ in Maine schoolchildren.
Article in Environmental health : a global access science source, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
87 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 177 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Provision of folic acid for reducing arsenic toxicity in arsenic-exposed children and adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Toenails as a biomarker of exposure to arsenic: A review.Environmental research · 2021Pooled it
- Influence of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation on arsenic methylation: A double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in Bangladeshi children.Environment international · 2024Trial
- Sulfur-Containing Amino Acid Homeostasis in the Central Nervous System: From Physiology Regulation to Metal-Induced Neurotoxicity.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Addressing the Impacts of Water Insecurity on Infant Feeding: Policy Solutions for the US.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Zebrafish parental co-exposure to environmentally relevant levels of inorganic arsenic + methylmercury impacts neurobehavior in parents and progeny.Environmental toxicology and pharmacology · 2026Article
- The gut-brain axis in arsenic-induced toxicity: mechanisms, consequences, and therapeutic perspectives.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Review
- Public Health Concerns at the Intersection of Drinking Water Contamination and Low Healthcare Access in Maine.Maine policy review · 2025Article
- Low-level arsenic exposure, childhood neighborhood disadvantage, and executive functions in adolescents from Montevideo, Uruguay.Environmental research · 2025Article
- Review
- Reported Behavioral Patterns and Concern Surrounding Well Water Testing for Arsenic in Midwestern Homeowners with Children.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Cancer incidence associations with drinking water arsenic levels and disinfection methods in Maine, USA.Journal of water and health · 2024Article
- A Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding the Public Health Impact of a School-Based Citizen Science Program to Reduce Arsenic in Private Well Water.Environmental health perspectives · 2024Article
- Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2024Article
- Impairments of Spatial Memory and N-methyl-d-aspartate Receptors and Their Postsynaptic Signaling Molecules in the Hippocampus of Developing Rats Induced by As, Pb, and Mn Mixture Exposure.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Arsenic Impairs Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells into Cholinergic Motor Neurons.Toxics · 2023Article
- Drinking Water Disparities in North Carolina Communities Served by Private Wells.Environmental justice (Print) · 2023Article
- Neurocognitive Analysis of Low-level Arsenic Exposure and Executive Function Mediated by Brain Anomalies Among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in India.JAMA network open · 2023Article
27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn recent studies in Bangladesh and elsewhere, exposure to arsenic (As) via drinking water is negatively associated with performance-related aspects of child intelligence (e.g., Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory) after adjustment for social factors. Because findings are not easily generalizable to the US, we examine this relation in a US population.
methodsIn 272 children in grades 3-5 from three Maine school districts, we examine associations between drinking water As (WAs) and intelligence (WISC-IV).
resultsOn average, children had resided in their current home for 7.3 years (approximately 75% of their lives). In unadjusted analyses, household well WAs is associated with decreased scores on most WISC-IV Indices. With adjustment for maternal IQ and education, HOME environment, school district and number of siblings, WAs remains significantly negatively associated with Full Scale IQ and Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory and Verbal Comprehension scores. Compared to those with WAs < 5 μg/L, exposure to WAs ≥ 5 μg/L was associated with reductions of approximately 5-6 points in both Full Scale IQ (p < 0.01) and most Index scores (Perceptual Reasoning, Working Memory, Verbal Comprehension, all p's < 0.05). Both maternal IQ and education were associated with lower levels of WAs, possibly reflecting behaviors (e.g., water filters, residential choice) limiting exposure. Both WAs and maternal measures were associated with school district.
conclusionsThe magnitude of the association between WAs and child IQ raises the possibility that levels of WAs ≥ 5 μg/L, levels that are not uncommon in the United States, pose a threat to child development.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.