Consumption of arsenic-contaminated drinking water and anemia among pregnant and non-pregnant women in northwestern Romania

Anemia is a global health problem. To evaluate the impact of low-moderate water arsenic exposure (mostly <10 µg/L) on anemia, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 217 Romanian women. The adjusted prevalences for 'any' anemia (prevalence proportion ratio (PPR)=1.71, 95% CI 0.75-3.88) and pregnancy anemia (PPR=2.87, 95% CI 0.62-13.26) were higher among drinking water arsenic exposed women than among unexposed women. These preliminary data underscore the need for a more definitive study in this area.