Arsenic is a potent co-mutagen of ultraviolet light

Association between arsenic exposure and melanoma: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Melanoma is a highly malignant tumor. Moreover, its prevalence is increasing at a rapid rate year after year. Currently, UV light is the leading cause of melanoma, although numerous other risk factors exist, including arsenic. The link between arsenic and the likelihood of developing melanoma has long been debated. As a result, we conducted a meta-analysis of the available data to investigate the association between arsenic exposure and melanoma.

METHODS

We identified seven non-randomized controlled studies with 41,949 participants by searching the Chinese CNKI, Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases. We then used random-effects or fixed-effects models to evaluate the pooled odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analyses were also carried out with different included regions.

RESULTS

Participants in the study who were exposed to arsenic had a somewhat higher chance of developing melanoma than those who were not (OR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.01-2.13). A subgroup analysis was also carried out for the US region, and the findings were not statistically significant (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.94-2.07).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis shows that arsenic exposure relates to an increased risk of melanoma.

Update of the risk assessment of inorganic arsenic in food

The European Commission asked EFSA to update its 2009 risk assessment on arsenic in food carrying out a hazard assessment of inorganic arsenic (iAs) and using the revised exposure assessment issued by EFSA in 2021. Epidemiological studies show that the chronic intake of iAs via diet and/or drinking water is associated with increased risk of several adverse outcomes including cancers of the skin, bladder and lung. The CONTAM Panel used the benchmark dose lower confidence limit based on a benchmark response (BMR) of 5% (relative increase of the background incidence after adjustment for confounders, BMDL05) of 0.06 μg iAs/kg bw per day obtained from a study on skin cancer as a Reference Point (RP). Inorganic As is a genotoxic carcinogen with additional epigenetic effects and the CONTAM Panel applied a margin of exposure (MOE) approach for the risk characterisation. In adults, the MOEs are low (range between 2 and 0.4 for mean consumers and between 0.9 and 0.2 at the 95th percentile exposure, respectively) and as such raise a health concern despite the uncertainties.