NEW YORK, Sep 27 (Reuters Health) -- A spill that contaminated drinking waters in England may be responsible for reports of memory loss, concentration lapses and other problems with brain function among area residents, results of a new study suggest.
On July 6, 1988, 20 tons of aluminum sulfate were accidentally emptied into a treated water reservoir serving 20,000 people in Camelford, Cornwall in southwest England. It is known that aluminum exposure may "induce brain disease, bone disease and anaemia," lead researcher Paul Altmann of Oxford Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, UK, points out in the September 25th issue of the British Medical Journal. Two years after the incident, about 400 people were suffering from various symptoms attributed to the spill. Three years later, 55 people were considering taking legal action.
"Despite delay in informing the public of the accident, reports emerged of rashes and gastrointestinal disturbances within days and later musculoskeletal pains, malaise and impairment of concentration and memory," Altmann and colleagues write.
The new study compared these 55 people -- all of whom were exposed to contaminated drinking water and complained of cognitive problems -- to 15 of their siblings who had not been exposed. Previously, their symptoms had been believed to be related to anxiety brought on by the spill.
Researchers administered standard tests to participants including a reading test, a test measuring eye-hand coordination, IQ tests, and tests to measure anxiety.
People who were exposed to the polluted drinking water performed more poorly on the tests than did people not exposed to the contaminated drinking water, the investigators found. Anxiety did not influence these results, according to Altmann's team.
"It seems highly probable that these people had been subjected to an environmental insult that caused the effects we have reported," the researchers explain. "Accidental contamination of drinking water in Camelford by aluminum (sulfate) led to symptoms of loss of concentration and short-term memory that were initially attributed to anxiety."
The study authors conclude that more study is needed "to determine the longer term prognosis for affected individuals."
