Evaluation of the effects of boron on health in eastern Sicily

Standard for boron in drinking water is 1 mg/L. Some wells and springs in Eastern Sicily can have an average content of boron between 1.09 and 2.33 mg/L. We evaluated the correlation between the content of boron in whole blood of 299 healthy male individuals and the values of drinking water with the birth rate, mortality rate and sex ratio. The standardized birth ratio was 1.05, 1.16 and 1.34 for areas with low, medium and high boron concentration, respectively. Birth rate in areas of high concentration of boron was higher than that of the areas of low boron concentration (p<10-4). The standardized mortality ratio was 0.87, 0.93 and 0.63 for areas of low, medium and high boron levels, respectively. Mortality rate in areas with high boron concentration was lower than that of the areas at low boron concentration (p<104). No statistical difference was observed in sex ratio.