Biomaterial Database

German studies on health effects of inorganic drinking water constituents. 1981

M Sonneborn, and J Mandelkow

The influence of drinking water quality on mortality and morbidity of various diseases has been studied for more than 20 years. From these diseases, those of the cardiovascular system have been playing a special role. Better and more specified information on the differences in the composition of drinking water may essentially contribute to a solution of the problem of association between water quality and the incidence of diseases. In more than 600 water supply areas in the Federal Republic of Germany the composition of the drinking water has been analyzed. From these data, areas of different water quality are to be selected for additional investigations of the problem of health relevance of drinking water quality. So far, the following constituents of drinking water have been measured: Na, Ca, Mg, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, SO4, PO4, NO3, NO2, Cl, F, I, etc. The methods of analysis used were atomic absorption spectrometry, plasma emission spectrometry, and ion chromatography. Additionally, more than 19 000 data on drinking water in accordance with standard analytic procedures under the Drinking Water Regulations are available in a comprehensive data bank (BIBIDAT). There have been studies establishing associations between water hardness and cardiovascular diseases but also studies which do not confirm this association or even present converse results. Also water constituents like magnesium, cadmium, etc. have been associated with cardiovascular diseases. Some investigations have shown correlations between e.g. the concentration of fluoride in drinking water and caries or iodide and goitre.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007454	Iodides	Inorganic binary compounds of iodine or the I- ion.	Iodide
D007854	Lead	A soft, grayish metal with poisonous salts; atomic number 82, atomic weight 207.2, symbol Pb.
D008274	Magnesium	A metallic element that has the atomic symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and atomic weight 24.31. It is important for the activity of many enzymes, especially those involved in OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION.
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D002104	Cadmium	An element with atomic symbol Cd, atomic number 48, and atomic weight 112.41. It is a metal and ingestion will lead to CADMIUM POISONING.
D002118	Calcium	A basic element found in nearly all tissues. It is a member of the alkaline earth family of metals with the atomic symbol Ca, atomic number 20, and atomic weight 40. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and combines with phosphorus to form calcium phosphate in the bones and teeth. It is essential for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles and plays a role in blood coagulation (as factor IV) and in many enzymatic processes.	Coagulation Factor IV,Factor IV,Blood Coagulation Factor IV,Calcium-40,Calcium 40,Factor IV, Coagulation
D002318	Cardiovascular Diseases	Pathological conditions involving the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM including the HEART; the BLOOD VESSELS; or the PERICARDIUM.	Adverse Cardiac Event,Cardiac Events,Major Adverse Cardiac Events,Adverse Cardiac Events,Cardiac Event,Cardiac Event, Adverse,Cardiac Events, Adverse,Cardiovascular Disease,Disease, Cardiovascular,Event, Cardiac
D005260	Female		Females
D005459	Fluorides	Inorganic salts of hydrofluoric acid, HF, in which the fluorine atom is in the -1 oxidation state. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Sodium and stannous salts are commonly used in dentifrices.	Fluoride