Arsenic more toxic for specific gene variation
people with a specific variation in a gene who are exposed to arsenic have greater risk of getting skin lesions and hyperkeratosis, a precursor to skin cancer, say researchers from Kolkata. The gene, called ercc2 (excision repair cross-complementing rodent repair deficiency, complementation group 2), repairs any damage to dna. The findings of the study will be published in the forthcoming issue of Carcinogenesis.
"We found contaminated groundwater to be the principal source of arsenic exposure,' says Ashok Kumar Giri of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, the lead researcher. "The study will help screen individuals who run the risk of developing cancer for being exposed to high levels of arsenic through contaminated drinking water,' he says.
For the study, Giri and his team selected 318 people from Nadia, North 24-Parganas and Murshidabad districts who were exposed to high levels of arsenic