Does arsenic consumption influence the age at menarche of woman
Sengupta, M.
Indian Pediatrics 41(9): 960-961
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 15475645 Document Number: 236246
A study was conducted to determine whether an association exists between arsenic and age at menarche (AGM). 385 females (15-20 years; 175 girls)from an area in Ashoke-nagar and Basirhat in the district of north 24-Parganas, West Bengal, India where tube wells were marked by the government as containing arsenic above permissible doses (0.05 mg/liter) were included in the study. The villagers have been using water from the well (for 10-12 years) due to lack of alternative water supplies. Control data (210 girls) was collected from an area (Guma) of the same district, after matching some conditions (social status, monthly income, education, food habits, family size, living conditions and birth rank of the subject). Printed questionnaires were used to collect information. Statistical comparisons were carried out through the use of c2-test and student's t-test. Both affected and non-affected groups were from Bengali Hindu families, mostly engaged in agriculture, were from a lower socio-economic strata and had protein-poor diets. 81.71% of affected and 77.62% of non-affected girls were illiterate. The differences between the 2 groups were non-significant with respect to both education and income. The 2 groups were with regards to family size. But the mean AGM in the affected group was found to be later (14.04+or-1.05 years) than that in the non-affected group (13.28+or- 0.97 years); the result was statistically significant (t=7.32, df=383, P<0.001).