Arsenic in Drinking Water and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes

Objective- Researchers are continuing to recognize the health impacts resulting from exposure to environmental chemicals and toxicants. The objective of this study is to assess the association between arsenic in drinking water and gestational diabetes. Data in this study were obtained from the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS) and using birth certificates in the state of Ohio between 2006 – 2008. Methods- Logistic regression generalized estimating equations (GEE) models were used to assess the association between arsenic in drinking water and gestational diabetes. A sensitivity analysis was performed by restricting to counties where less than 10% of residents rely on private well water. Results- The odds ratio for the crude association between average yearly arsenic concentrations and gestational diabetes modeled dichotomously was 0.98 [0.95 – 1.01]. After adjusting for covariates, this estimate slightly changed to 0.99 [0.99 – 1.00]. Results from the sensitivity analysis did not differ much from the crude and fully adjusted models. Conclusion- It was found in this study that the current MCL of 10 μg/L for arsenic concentrations in drinking water is not associated with an increased risk and may even be protective against gestational diabetes. Maternal education was found to significantly modify the association between mean annual arsenic concentrations (μg/L) and gestational diabetes.