Arsenic Contamination Essay

Arsenic is well known for its dangerous toxic features it brings to humans and the environment. But, it was not until the late 1980’s did scientists and public health officials realized that even at low doses of ingestion, arsenic is very dangerous and can cause serious health effects (Bolt, 2013). Till this day arsenic continues to be a huge public health issue, not only in parts of the United States but in developing countries worldwide (Bolt, 2013). The main trend that researchers have been focusing on is the amount of arsenic that is contaminating drinking water. Arsenic has been known to be a health issue in water for many years, but it was not until the 1980’s and later that the government and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started to really crack down on monitoring it (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR] , 2010). Before 2001 the legal amount of arsenic that was allowed in drinking water was 50 parts per billion (ppb), but since then public health officials and the government realized that this amount of arsenic in the water was making people sick (ATSDR, 2010). So on January 22, 2001, the EPA adopted a new standard of 10 ppb of arsenic is drinking water (ATSDR, 2010). This level has been tested to be the safest allowable amount of arsenic in drinking water to be ingested by humans. To this day parts of the world and about 2% of the United States are still having issues with keeping the

Environmental toxicology refers to specific organs as target organs. This is an organ that has the highest probability of being affected by exposure to a specific substance. Target organ toxicity refers to the negative effects a chemical has on that target organ after entry into the body (Hodgson, 2010). There are multiple organs such as the liver which are targeted simply because of ease of access. Any organ that can be accessed through less guarded cell walls or higher levels of lipids are more susceptible to entry by toxicants. High traffic organs like the kidneys and liver make it easy as they receive and filter all blood therefore taking the toxin in large doses to cleanse

There is a higher likelihood of being exposed to arsenic via food ingestion compared to inhaling arsenic-contaminated air or drinking arsenic-contaminated water. Once the arsenic has been absorbed through the lungs or gastrointestinal tract, the arsenic is distributed through the body via the bloodstream. For metabolism, in the blood stream, the arsenic becomes attached to the red cells, white cells, and cells that can convert arsenate to arsenite. Some of those arsenites are taken to the liver, where they are methylated by the enzymatic transfer of the methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and the arsenite are converted into methyl arsonate (MMA V) and dimethyl arsenate (DMA V). Those metabolites, methyl arsonate and dimethyl arsenate, are then ready to be excreted. If the liver is at its limit of methylation, excess arsenites are stored in the body’s soft tissues. Arsenic and its many variations (ie. MMA V, DMA V, arsenate, and arsenite) are excreted through the kidneys. There is a possibility that two to four weeks after being exposed to arsenic, some of the arsenic can still be found in the human’s hair, nails, skin, and bones and teeth (ATSDR,

Arsenic (As) is a metalloid in group 15, period 4 of the periodic table. It is associated with the atomic number 33 and maintains an atomic weight of 74.92 (Gagnon). As a solid at room temperature, it is most likely to be found as a shiny grey element; however, it may also appear as yellow or black. It is also known to be quite brittle in its solid state (PubChem). There are three different categories that arsenic compounds may be identified as: Inorganic Arsenic compounds (i.e., arsenic trioxide (As2O3), and lead arsenate (PbHAsO4) are some of the more common ones), Organic Arsenic compounds (i.e., Arsanilic Acid (C6H8AsNO3), and Methylarsonic Acid (CH5AsO3) are the more common ones), and Arsine gas (AsH3) (NCBI). All of the aforementioned states, categories, and compounds have various toxicities- the most toxic and severe symptoms tend to result for the entrance of inorganic arsenic and arsine gas into the body.

More research on arsenic and its influences on our health and food supply is essential to learn about these effects so better policy decisions can be made.

Arsenic is a ubiquitous carcinogen that is both produced commercially and prevalent in nature. Its clinical harms to humans include hypertension, cardiovascular diseases (Chen 53; Chen 342; Tseng 15) and diabetes as well as typically skin, lung and bladder cancer (Rohan 7; IPCS 521). Given its toxicity and its potential to contaminate water, air, and soil from both geological and anthropogenic sources, it is therefore of significant environmental concern. This paper aims to discuss the harms and benefits of Arsenic by comparing Rachel Carson’s account of Arsenic in Silent Spring to modern research. It is noteworthy that although her findings are largely accurate, it fails to account for the benefits of Arsenic to human health as a form of specialized treatment. This paper will also present reasons as to why in spite of the rise of immunotherapy as an alternative treatment to Arsenic while avoiding risks of Arsenic, its prohibitive costs implies that Arsenic still has a role in making specialized medical treatment accessible to particular patients. Namely, the following questions will be answered:

Arsenic is an invisible killer that many people may be drinking as I write this article. It was such a problem for the United States, that in 2001, the US Environmental Protection Agency had to lower the maximum level of arsenic allowed in drinking water from 50 micrograms per liter (ug/L) to 10 micrograms per liter (ug/Liter) (Ryker, 2001). Despite this change in policy, this issue of arsenic contamination continues, and is even more widespread in many more places outside of the United States. Unlike the U.S., underdeveloped countries like India, Cambodia, and Bangladesh cannot rely on the usual testing’s more developed countries are accustomed to. For example, a study in Bangladesh (2009) showed 13% (1,883) of their findings (14,492 samples) had an arsenic concentration that exceeded 50 ug/Liters (Rodrigues et al, 2016). The old maximum stated by EPA back in 2001. Information like this is then used, in hopes that it creates more of an importance

Chemical elements can cause harmful effects on human health due to the use of plants that are grown in contaminated soil. Through bioaccumulation, over plants that absorb an element from the soil, elements enter into the food chain and shall be deposited in the human body. Root system in plants plays an important role in the distribution of elements from the soil through the plant. Elevated pH values can affect the lack of accessible forms of specific nutritious elements. The value of pH has a decisive influence on the dynamics of all the elements in the soil, especially micro elements and heavy metals. In the acidic environment the solubility of metals increases, they cross to the solution of the soil from which the plant adopted them, which can lead to greater adoption of these elements by plants. The increase in soil acidity reduces the amount of plant available phosphorus, which by binding to iron and aluminum becomes difficult soluble phosphates (Resulović, Čustović 2002) Also, there is a more intensive adoption of manganese and its toxic effects on

Contamination of the ecosystem by non-regulated emerging contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticide residue and organic compounds is a human and environmental health concern (Kabata-Pendias, 2010; Choppala et al., 2013). Several of these inorganic and organic compounds are not efficiently removed through wastewater treatment. Soil and water resources contaminated by heavy metals are a growing problem in various locations around the world. Even though at trace levels several elements are natural components of soils, anthropogenic activities such as mining, industry, and localized agriculture have contributed to undesirable toxic levels in the ecosystem (Meers et al., 2005; Lewandowski and Schmidt, 2006). Many contaminants

The primary sources for arsenic in the general population include contaminated water, food, and soil. The two forms of inorganic arsenic include: trivalent arsenic (As III) and pentavalent arsenic (As V). The most common inorganic form of arsenic in the environment is pentavalent arsenic. When comparing toxicity, trivalent arsenic is approximately 2-10 times more toxic pentavalent arsenic. Arsenic poisoning produces effects on multiple body systems with the inorganic forms being highly toxic. Both trivalent arsenic and pentavalent arsenic have different mechanisms of action, which determines the effects they have on cells.

Exposure to arsenic trioxide take place of variety ways, for example, fuel, drinking water, pesticides, air, and food that is a threat for human health [8,16].

Surface water and groundwater are the main sources of readily available freshwater. As a result, their contamination will directly affect human health as seen in China and Bangladesh. In China, the deterioration of water quality was caused by the pollution of the environment by emissions and waste products from industries, agricultural runoffs and improperly disposed sewage. In Bangladesh, natural arsenic is majorly responsible for the contamination in the groundwater. In both countries the low quality of water has greatly affected the health and social aspects of their everyday life. For example, skin lesions, lung and skin cancers are common in Bangladesh, while gastrointestinal diseases are dominant in China. The case studies

Arsenic occurs naturally in the ground through the oxidation of arsenic minerals and gets into water supplies through wind-blown dust, runoff, leaching, or being released from sediment into the groundwater. (“Arsenic: MedlinePlus” and “Arsenic”). In addition to natural activities, industrial activities surrounding the site can also be linked to high concentrations of arsenic in water (“Environmental Health Criteria 224: Arsenic And Arsenic Compounds”). Based on the teachings of Megan Cook one can deduce that arsenic pollution is both point and nonpoint, meaning that it is difficult to isolate the source. Furthermore, arsenic is an odorless and tasteless element, making it nearly impossible to determine whether or not it is present in water, using only the human senses (“What Is the Difference between Organic and Inorganic Arsenic?”). This means that anyone can unknowingly be consuming high levels of arsenic and making it that much more dangerous. A frightening aspect about arsenicosis, the disease that results from excessive arsenic consumption, is

In order to remove arsenic, we need to detect it first. However, finding arsenic may not be sufficient because arsenic cannot be removed from bodies once it is absorbed. That is why we need a reliable and continuous detection system that monitors arsenic 24/7 all over the world. Currently companies have to send specialists every time they monitor contaminations, and there is no continuous monitoring

Inorganic arsenic is highly toxic. Ways people are exposed to inorganic arsenic is by drinking contaminated water,