Effect of Arsenic Contamination in Drinking Water During Pregnancy with the Incidence of Congenital Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Water is a basic human need. The need for clean water continues to increase along with the increasing human population. Drinking water providers are required to provide harmless water. Several studies have discussed the effect of arsenic contamination in drinking water on the incidence of congenital heart disease. Objective: To evaluate the impact of arsenic contamination in drinking water during pregnancy on the incidence of congenital heart disease. Method: Search for published scientific articles using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting, Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) method conducted on PubMed using the following keywords: “arsenicâ€, “drinking water†“contaminationâ€, “congenital heart deseaseâ€, “congenital heart defect†as the keyword, also combined by using “or†and “andâ€. Further meta-analysis using Jamovi version 2.2.5 software were performed based on the included published scientific articles. Result: Based on 3 studies included about  effect of arsenic contamination in drinking water during pregnancy with the incidence of congenital heart disease, the analytical results showed a statistically significant positive relationship (z=1.42, p<0.001;95% CI[-0.038;0.240]) but in the low category (r=0.101). Conclusion: Arsenic contamination in drinking water during pregnancy has a low effect on the incidence of congenital heart disease.