Drought, drinking water arsenic, and heart and diabetes risks in older rural adults
The Impact of Drought on Arsenic Exposure and Cardiometabolic Outcomes in a Rural Aging Population
This project looks at whether drought-related rises in arsenic in drinking water affect heart disease, diabetes, and survival in older adults in a rural Colorado valley.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11370779 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are an older adult living in the San Luis Valley, researchers will use past health records, urine arsenic measurements, and local water data to see how droughts may change arsenic exposure and health. They will link periods of drought to measured and modeled arsenic in groundwater using machine learning and hydrological data. Then they will compare those exposures to new cases of diabetes, cardiovascular events, and deaths in the cohort. The work uses the San Luis Valley Diabetes Study data and involves community engagement and outreach.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults from the San Luis Valley region, especially those with past or current diabetes or cardiovascular conditions or who drink local groundwater.
Not a fit: People who do not use local groundwater, live outside the San Luis Valley, or are much younger may not directly benefit from this specific project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help protect older rural residents by identifying when drought raises arsenic risk and guiding water safety or public-health actions to reduce heart disease and diabetes.
How similar studies have performed: Previous research has linked chronic arsenic exposure to diabetes and heart disease, but linking drought-driven changes in groundwater arsenic to these outcomes in an older rural US population is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Aurora, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado Denver — Aurora, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: James, Katherine a — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: James, Katherine a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.