A pharmacokinetic modeling of inorganic arsenic : A short-term oral exposure model for humans

This study presents a pharmacokinetic modeling of inorganic arsenic disposition in human body for short-term oral exposures. Effort on the development of the model is directed toward the prediction of the kinetic behavior of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites in the body. The current model considers the 4 circulating species; AsIII, Asv, and two metabolites such as monomethylarsenic (MMA) and dimethylarsenic (DMA) in the blood and tissue groups. While it is difficult to estimate some parameters used in the models at this time, the current model assumptions and predictions seem to be consistent with the experimental observations found in the literature. Hence, the current model, when more fully developed, is expected to provide insight into the behavior of inorganic arsenic and its methylated metabolites within the body, and may help increase the understanding of risk assessment issues associated with inorganic arsenic in drinking water.