Low-level exposure to arsenic in drinking water seems to be associated with an increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

Published in the August 20th issue of the journal of the American Medical Association, the research by staff from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland, USA involved the study of a total of 788 adults aged 20 or above.

The participants had their urine tested for levels of the odourless, tasteless and colourless substance as part of a government-conducted 2003-4 survey.

It was found that 7.7 per cent of the subjects who had type 2 diabetes - after adjusting for other risk factors - had a 26 per cent higher level of arsenic in their urine than those without the condition.

Some 20 per cent of the participants who had the highest levels of arsenic in their urine (16.5 micrograms per litre) had 3.6 time higher risk of having the condition than the fifth with the lowest level (three micrograms per litre).

"Given widespread exposure to inorganic arsenic from drinking water worldwide, elucidating the contribution of arsenic to the diabetes epidemic is a public health research priority with potential implications for the prevention and control of diabetes," the researchers stated.

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