Arsenic is an element that is widely distributed throughout the environment. Its compounds are mainly in the state of pentavalent and trivalent oxidation; and in inorganic and organic forms. Arsenical species vary in their degree of toxicity, with inorganic compounds being more toxic than organic and trivalent compounds more toxic than pentavalent compounds. There would be interconversion between the less toxic species and other more toxic species and the cooking and processing methods could affect it. Arsenic is a carcinogenic agent and causes multiple negative effects on human health in the short and long term. Non-occupational human exposure to arsenic occurs mainly through water and food. The regulation is variable for each country and is based on WHO standards, the Codex Alimentarius, and the European Union. Many studies focus on determining the total arsenic content but do not identify arsenical species in foods. Globally, fish and seafood, chicken, meat, rice, and seaweed have high levels of arsenic. In Peru, there are few studies on total arsenic content and arsenical species in food despite the fact that we have areas with high levels of environmental contamination. The objective of this review is to discuss exposure to arsenic through food and water intake, related regulations, toxicity, consequences on human health and main foods that contribute to its intake.

Water-soluble poly [3-(dimethylamino)propylacrylate] is synthesized by radical polymerization with a yield of 87%. The polymer structure is confirmed by FT-IR and 1 H-NMR spectroscopies. The polymer lost only 3% of weight up to 100 8C. The narrowest molecular weight distribution is observed with the fraction between 3,000 and 10,000 Da. P(DAPA) presents a high affinity for the metal ions Pb 2þ and Cu 2þ , while the other metal ions are not significantly retained. By increasing the filtration factor, Z, metal ion affinity decreases, indicating a very weak ligand-metal interaction and the possibility of its destruction when washed with water at the filtration cell's pH. For Z ¼ 10, the retention values of Pb 2þ and Cu 2þ at pH 5 are 76.5% and 48.5%, respectively, while the values for Cu 2þ and Cd 2þ at pH 7 are 89.5% and 40.4%, respectively.