1. Academic Validation
  2. Distribution of N-nitrosamines in drinking water and human urinary excretions in high incidence area of esophageal cancer in Huai'an, China

Distribution of N-nitrosamines in drinking water and human urinary excretions in high incidence area of esophageal cancer in Huai'an, China

  • Chemosphere. 2019 Nov;235:288-296. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.06.124.
Chao Zhao 1 Qiang Lu 1 Yun Gu 2 Enchun Pan 3 Zhongming Sun 3 Hu Zhang 1 Jingjing Zhou 1 Ying Du 1 Ying Zhang 1 Yuanmei Feng 1 Ran Liu 1 Yuepu Pu 1 Lihong Yin 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education of China, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China.
  • 2 Departments of Thoracic Surgery, People's Hospital of Lianshui, Lianshui, 223400, Jiangsu, China.
  • 3 Huai'an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Huai'an, 223001, Jiangsu, China.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education of China, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: lhyin@seu.edu.cn.
Abstract

The Huai'an area in Jiangsu Province of East China is an endemic region of esophageal Cancer (EC). The regional heterogeneity of EC suggests that the levels of potential carcinogens might vary throughout the environment. It has been suggested that the most likely carcinogens related to EC are a group known as the N-nitrosamines. In this study, we measured the concentrations of nine nitrosamines in drinking water and human urine in two areas in China, one with a high incidence of EC (Huai'an) and one with a low incidence (Nanjing). Among the nine target analytes, N-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (NDPA), N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA), N-nitrosopyrrolidine (NPyr), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and N-nitrosomorpholine (NMor) occurred at higher concentrations in drinking water in the high incidence area. Inhabitants from the high incidence area also had urinary excretions with significantly higher concentrations of NDEA, NDBA, N-nitrosopiperidine (NPip) and N-nitrosodiphenylamine (NDPhA). These findings indicated that people in the high EC incidence area were exposed to higher levels of nitrosamines. However, the association between the incidence of EC and nitrosamines exposure will need to be evaluated in more detail.

Keywords

Drinking water; Esophageal cancer; High incidence area; Human urine; N-Nitrosamines.

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