Selenium, a trace element to which humans are exposed mainly through diet, has been involved in the etiology of human cancer. We investigated the long-term effects of selenium exposure on cancer incidence using data from a natural experiment in Northern Italy. During the 1970s–1980s, in a part of the Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia, residents were inadvertently exposed to unusually high levels of inorganic hexavalent selenium (selenate) through drinking water. We followed the exposed residents for 28 years, generating data on incidence (when available) and mortality rates for selected cancer sites; the remaining municipal residents comprised the unexposed (reference) group. We observed no substantial difference in overall cancer incidence comparing exposed and unexposed cohorts. We detected, however, a higher incidence of cancer at some sites, and for a few of them, namely cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx, melanoma, urinary tract and lymphoid tissue, the excess incidence was particularly evident in the first period of follow-up but decreased over time. Overall, these results suggest that consumption of water with levels of selenium in its inorganic hexavalent form close to the European standard, 10 μg/L, may have unfavourable effects on cancer incidence.

Cancer incidence following long-term consumption of drinking water with high inorganic selenium content / Vinceti, Marco; Vicentini, Massimo; Wise, Lauren A.; Sacchettini, Claudio; Malagoli, Carlotta; Ballotari, Paola; Filippini, Tommaso; Malavolti, Marcella; Rossi, Paolo Giorgi. - In: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. - ISSN 0048-9697. - 635:(2018), pp. 390-396. [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.097]

Cancer incidence following long-term consumption of drinking water with high inorganic selenium content

Vinceti, Marco
;
Malagoli, Carlotta;Ballotari, Paola;Filippini, Tommaso;Malavolti, Marcella;
2018

Abstract

Selenium, a trace element to which humans are exposed mainly through diet, has been involved in the etiology of human cancer. We investigated the long-term effects of selenium exposure on cancer incidence using data from a natural experiment in Northern Italy. During the 1970s–1980s, in a part of the Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia, residents were inadvertently exposed to unusually high levels of inorganic hexavalent selenium (selenate) through drinking water. We followed the exposed residents for 28 years, generating data on incidence (when available) and mortality rates for selected cancer sites; the remaining municipal residents comprised the unexposed (reference) group. We observed no substantial difference in overall cancer incidence comparing exposed and unexposed cohorts. We detected, however, a higher incidence of cancer at some sites, and for a few of them, namely cancers of the buccal cavity and pharynx, melanoma, urinary tract and lymphoid tissue, the excess incidence was particularly evident in the first period of follow-up but decreased over time. Overall, these results suggest that consumption of water with levels of selenium in its inorganic hexavalent form close to the European standard, 10 μg/L, may have unfavourable effects on cancer incidence.
2018
24-apr-2018
635
390
396
Cancer incidence following long-term consumption of drinking water with high inorganic selenium content / Vinceti, Marco; Vicentini, Massimo; Wise, Lauren A.; Sacchettini, Claudio; Malagoli, Carlotta; Ballotari, Paola; Filippini, Tommaso; Malavolti, Marcella; Rossi, Paolo Giorgi. - In: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT. - ISSN 0048-9697. - 635:(2018), pp. 390-396. [10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.097]
Vinceti, Marco; Vicentini, Massimo; Wise, Lauren A.; Sacchettini, Claudio; Malagoli, Carlotta; Ballotari, Paola; Filippini, Tommaso; Malavolti, Marcella; Rossi, Paolo Giorgi
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
1-s2.0-S0048969718312622-main.pdf

Accesso riservato

Tipologia: Versione pubblicata dall'editore
Dimensione 536.88 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
536.88 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia
Pubblicazioni consigliate

Licenza Creative Commons
I metadati presenti in IRIS UNIMORE sono rilasciati con licenza Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal, mentre i file delle pubblicazioni sono rilasciati con licenza Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale (CC BY 4.0), salvo diversa indicazione.
In caso di violazione di copyright, contattare Supporto Iris

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1160305
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 9
  • Scopus 44
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 40
social impact