At the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists, the doctors and staff feel that our blog readers should be well-informed about world-wide health issues as well as local concerns.  As we close 2011 and begin a new year, we bring you a late-breaking 2011 medical news story of global importance. This research is certain to effect 2012 as well as future generations.

As of December 2, 2011, new research in Bangladesh revealed that people exposed to high levels of arsenic in drinking water exhibited shortness of breath.

(We note that shortness of breath can be a symptom of many serious pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.)

Printed in the European Respiratory Journal, this study is the latest evidence that arsenic in the water supply not only causes cancer, but also other kinds of damage to the body.

The World Health Organization says that an arsenic level of less than 10 micrograms per liter is safe for well water. In Bangladesh, the normal standard for drinking water is up to50 micrograms of arsenic per liter from mineral deposits in the ground.

The research fruther explains that arsenic has been tied to inflammation and widening of the airways, which leads to shortness of breath and chronic breathing problems. In interview, epidemiologist Kristina Zierold told Reuters Health that, “The reality is, in the U.S. we have people who drink well water too, in places where arsenic is in the bedrock.”

“Exposure is also high in parts of Africa and Northern Mexico,” said Dr. Ana Navas-Acien, who has reviewed the evidence on arsenic’s health implications at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. 

According to her, developers can resolve the health risk by drilling new wells from arsenic-free aquifers or adding filter systems to water sources. The only draw-back is that both of these solutions are expensive and many communities are poor.

If your friends drink from wells and have symptomatic or severe shortness of breath, please refer them to the Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialist for x-rays, blood work and other medical tests.

 We will toast our 2012 New Year  with gratitude for a rich drink of cold, clean water.  Have a Happy, Healthy New Year!

 For more about the symptom of shortness of breath, we invite you or your health professional to read Dr. Alabi’s recent article concerning diagnosis and treatment.