Study of arsenic exposure in oral/oropharyngeal carcinoma in West Bengal

Objectives To study any possible correlation between arsenic toxicity and the development of oral carcinoma in West Bengal population. Material and Methods Ethical clearance for this study was obtained from the Vivekananda Institute of Medical Sciences. Out of 30 785 patients attending our hospital from November 2012 to July 2015, 107 cases and 50 control individuals were selected. The hair and buccal smear samples were obtained upon their consent for the purpose of the analysis of arsenic count and cytogenetic damage, respectively. Results Ninety-six percent of cases came from the highly arsenic affected districts and 81.3% showed their arsenic count above the safe limit (0.8 μg/g) whereas 96% of the controls’ arsenic count was within the safe limit. The study showed a significant difference of the micronuclei and apoptosis frequency between the cases and controls. Conclusions The difference of micronuclei and apoptosis frequency between cases and controls was significant. The maximum number of cases came from highly arsenic affected areas and a higher percentage of cases showed elevated arsenic count, as compared to controls, which may indicate a possible link between arsenic toxicity and this disease. However, a larger sample size is required for a proper correlation. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2017;30(2):271–279