Similarly, the long-term exposure with the cutting and burning of wood preserved with copper chrome arsenate leads to elevated blood levels but no signs or symptoms of arsenic toxicity. Note that organic arsenics found in fish and seafood are non-toxic and not a cause of arsenic poisoning. Contact with wood treated with arsenic as a preservative.The microelectronics industry: gallium arsenide is used in some semi-conductor computer chips.The smelting and plating industries: arsenic is a byproduct of ores containing lead, gold, zinc, cobalt and nickel.In the USA, illicit whiskey ('moonshine').Burning of fossil fuels - arsenic is a contaminant.Tobacco (there may be as much as 6 micrograms (mcg) per pack).Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides - no longer licensed in the UK.Both as intended ingredient and as contaminant. Arsenic contaminated drinking water (as above).Chile (the Antofagasta region), Argentina, Mexico and the USA (13 million people).Īrsenic poisoning causes (aetiology).Bangladesh (79.9 million people) and West Bengal, India (42.7 million) described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history".Geological contamination of underground water supplies occurs in parts of : However arsenic contamination affects hundreds of millions of people globally. Health and safety at work have also improved so that, in the UK, both acute and chronic arsenic poisoning are rare. In Victorian times arsenic was famous as a homicidal or suicidal poison it is now thankfully much harder to obtain. Who gets arsenic poisoning? (Epidemiology) A source of arsenic can be natural water supplies and, in its least toxic form, it can be found in fish and seafood. It is used in the production of glass and semiconductors. Arsenic shares many toxic features with the other heavy metals like mercury and lead. It has also been used as a pigment, a pesticide and a poison. It is currently used to treat acute promyelocytic leukaemia and other myeloproliferative disorders. Īrsenic has been used in many medicines and was widely used to treat syphilis until the mid 20th century. Arsenic is excreted in urine but can also accumulate in many body tissues. Toxicity is due to arsenic's effect on many cell enzymes, which affect metabolism and DNA repair. Trivalent arsenic is well absorbed through the skin and is 60 times more toxic than pentavalent arsenic, which is well absorbed by the gut. Arsenic poisoning can occur by ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption. It is highly toxic in its inorganic form. It exists in compounds that may be organic or inorganic. Īrsenic is a heavy metal which is a natural component of the earth's crust. The sources of arsenic, such as contaminated water, air, soil, and food, can cause serious human diseases. Arsenic is widely used in the modern industry, especially in the production of pesticides, herbicides, wood preservatives, and semiconductors.
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