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Arsenic and Severity of Flu
Written by Clare Rowson, MD   
Friday, 31 July 2009 17:20
Doctors have been wondering why certain groups of people in Mexico are seeing a higher percentage of severe H1N1 cases requiring intensive care.  Researchers at the Dartmouth Medical School in Massachusetts believe it might be due to higher than normal levels of arsenic in the well water. 
They found that exposure to levels between 10 and 100 parts per billion reduced the immune response in the lungs of mice.  Mice were fed arsenic and then exposed to the flu virus and compared to mice that did not get arsenic. 
The first group developed significantly more weight loss after a 10-day period, while the second began to regain weight about a week after the infection began. 
Arsenic or heavy metal contamination of drinking water could be a factor in the flu outbreaks in northern Manitoba native communities, where there have been problems with the water supply. 
These substances are naturally occurring in some parts of the world.  If there is a gold mine nearby, it is possible that arsenic used in the extraction process could leach into the surrounding groundwater.
 
 
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