Arsenic poisoning
Arsenic poisoning arises from contaminated water, food, or industrial exposure.
When arsenic levels in the body become elevated, the resulting medical condition is known as arsenic poisoning or arsenicosis.[1] Contaminated drinking water, most often from natural groundwater sources, is the primary reason for long-term arsenic exposure.[2] Globally, over 200 million individuals are exposed to arsenic in drinking water at concentrations exceeding safe limits.[3]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Toxicology
- Symptoms
- Acute: vomiting
- abdominal pain
- watery diarrhea
- Chronic: thickened skin
- darker skin
- cancer
- Causes
- Arsenic
- Diagnosis
- Urine
- blood
- or hair testing
- Prevention
- Drinking water without arsenic
- Treatment
- Dimercaptosuccinic acid, dimercaptopropane sulfonate
- Frequency
- >200 million
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Beginning around 3000 BC, arsenic was mined and added to copper for bronze, but health effects led to its abandonment when tin was discovered.[4] An estimated 140 million people in at least 70 countries drink water with arsenic above the WHO guideline of 10 μg/L.[5] The Ebers papyrus, dating to around 1500 BC, contains a description of arsenic's toxicity.[3] During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, arsenic was reportedly a preferred poison for murder, especially among Italy's ruling classes.[6]
In the 19th century, arsenic poisoning was frequently not identified because its symptoms were similar to those of cholera, a common illness at the time.[6] Bangladesh and West Bengal are the regions most severely impacted by arsenic-contaminated groundwater.[3] Naturally occurring high levels of inorganic arsenic are found in the groundwater of Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, the United States, and Viet Nam.[5]
What the research sources say
The World Health Organization states that inorganic arsenic compounds are highly toxic while organic forms are less harmful.[5] Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic first shows in the skin, with pigmentation changes, lesions, and hard patches on palms and soles.[5] The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified arsenic and arsenic compounds as carcinogenic to humans.[5] A study from Dartmouth found that pregnant women who ate about half a cup of cooked rice daily had higher urinary arsenic concentrations than those who did not.[7]
Rice plants readily absorb arsenic from surrounding soil and rocks, according to study author Margaret Karagas.[7] The World Health Organization notes that the most important action is preventing further exposure by providing safe water for drinking and food preparation.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Arsenic poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Vahidnia, "Arsenic neurotoxicity A review", Human & Experimental Toxicology, 1 October 2007, p. 823–832 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Arsenic poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Naujokas, "The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem", Environmental Health Perspectives, 3 January 2013, p. 295–302 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Arsenic poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Naujokas, "The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem", Environmental Health Perspectives, 3 January 2013, p. 295–302; Naujokas, "The Broad Scope of Health Effects from Chronic Arsenic Exposure: Update on a Worldwide Public Health Problem", Environmental Health Perspectives, 3 January 2013, p. 295–302; Joca, "Systematic review of differential inorganic arsenic exposure in minority, low-income, and indigenous populations in the United States.", Environment International, en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Arsenic poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Harper, "Possible toxic metal exposure of prehistoric bronze workers", British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1987, p. 652–656 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Arsenic", World Health Organization, 7 December 2022. facts only, no text reused. who.int
- Wikipedia, "Arsenic poisoning" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: James G. Whorton, "The Arsenic Century", Oxford University Press, 2011; James G. Whorton, "The Arsenic Century", Oxford University Press, 2011; Buckley, "The great catastrophe of my life: divorce in the Old Dominion", 2002 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Kotz, "Do you need to worry about arsenic in rice?", Boston Globe, December 8, 2011. facts only, no text reused. bostonglobe.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Arsenic poisoning (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Toxic Effects of Substances Chiefly Nonmedicinal As to Source
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced