Calculation of Inorganic-related Arsenic Species

We present data for the urinary inorganic-related arsenic species. The values are calculated using results for each NHANES survey period for the following four arsenic species: arsenic (V) acid, arsenous (III) acid, dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA). The sum of the four species is calculated for each individual NHANES participant. If the value of a species is less than the limit of detection (LOD), then the imputed value is used. The imputed value is calculated as the LOD divided by the square root of two (Hornung and Reed, 1990) and imputed values are provided in the NHANES public release file. If all four arsenic species are reported as less than the LOD, then the sum will be the sum of the four imputed values.

The geometric means, selected percentiles, and confidence intervals are calculated using sums with detectable values of 60 percent or higher. If the detection frequency for a category is less than 60 percent, this is indicated by an asterisk (*). There is no LOD for the inorganic-related arsenic species because the values are calculated, rather than measured.

Reference

Hornung RW, Reed LD. 1990. Estimation of average concentration in the presence of nondetectable values. Appl Occup Environ Hyg 5(1):46-51.