INTRODUCTION Arsenic exposure from drinking-water has been considered a serious public-health hazard in many parts of the world. Epidemiological studies have linked chronic exposure of arsenic to elevated risks of vascular diseases (1-5). More recently, one study reported a positive association between past, chronic high levels of arsenic exposure and carotid artery intimal-medial thickness (IMT) (6). However, to date, most studies on arsenic exposure and cardiovascular outcomes have been conducted in areas with very high levels of arsenic exposure (mean 200 [micro]g/L) in drinking-water.
