Researchers to Study Arsenic in Drinking Water
Researchers from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health have been awarded approximately $500,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to study the long-term health impacts of drinking water that contains low levels of arsenic.
Project leader Sid O’Bryant, Ph.D., along with collaborators from TTUHSC and Texas Tech University, will conduct the study through the institute’s ongoing rural health project, Project FRONTIER. Project FRONTIER (Facing Rural Obstacles to healthcare Now Through Intervention, Education, and Research) is designed as a “Framingham-like” study of the factors impacting health among rural West Texans.
O’Bryant and colleagues will recruit 600 people for this study over a two-year period from the West Texas counties of Cochran, Bailey and Parmer.
“Project FRONTIER is one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of rural health in U.S. history,” said O’Bryant, director of rural health research for the institute. “This grant from the EPA will enable us to determine if rural adults and elders are at increased risk for negative health consequences due to the water they drink.”
He added, “No one in the U.S. has ever explicitly studied how drinking water, that contains arsenic at levels below what the EPA has deemed acceptable, might be harmful in the long term. If we demonstrate that this is harmful, we can then push for refinement of policy regarding acceptable drinking water standards.”
The F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health was initially established as the TTUHSC Office of Rural and Community Health in 1997 and commissioned to provide a more defined rural focus for the institution. A generous gift from F. Marie Hall in 2006 provided for the creation of the institute and expansion of its work and resources. The institute works in collaboration with West Texas residents for the advancement of health through use of technology, comprehensive education and outreach.
For more information, call O’Bryant at (806) 743-1338 or email sid.obryant@ttuhsc.edu.
For more breaking news and experts, follow @ttuhscnews on Twitter.
Related Stories
How Does Your Garden Grow?
As spring approaches, some people’s thoughts turn to gardening. Whether it’s a flower garden they desire or a vegetable garden want to have, they begin planning what they’ll plant and what they need to do to ensure a successful garden.
Adopt a Growth Mindset for a Better Life
A “growth mindset” accepts that our intelligence and talents can develop over time, and a person with that mindset understands that intelligence and talents can improve through effort and learning.
Drug Use, Family History Can Lead to Heart Disease in Younger Adults
Abstaining from drug abuse and an early diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) can help prevent heart disease.
Recent Stories
TTUHSC School of Medicine Faculty Member Elected to the Texas Medical Association Board of Trustees
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) elected Rodney Young, M.D., to the TMA Board of Trustees during TexMed 2024, its annual conference in Dallas.
Texas Tech Physicians Announces Website Redesign
This May, Texas Tech Physicians announced the launch of its newly redesigned website. TTUHSC experts address a few questions about the new user experience.
TTUHSC’s Ahmed Investigating Cardiac Cell Regeneration
Mahmoud Salama Ahmed, Ph.D., and an international team of researchers have completed an investigation to uncover novel therapeutics or existing therapeutic regimens previously approved by the FDA for cardiac regeneration.