Analytical Tools for Monitoring Arsenic in the Environment

Abstract

Inorganic arsenic possesses the highest toxicity threat amongst all its forms found in natural groundwater and its mobility in aquatic systems and in the soil is of great environmental concern. Besides their toxicity to humans, arsenate and arsenite are highly toxic to plants. Arsenic can only be transformed into a less-toxic material and becomes a permanent part of the environment. Thus, there is a continuing need for its monitoring at arsenic-containing sites where it occurs naturally at elevated levels. This report reviews technologies with the potential to measure and monitor arsenic in the environment. However, we focus on the modern electrochemical methods of arsenic detection in drinking water. The pros and cons of such techniques are discussed with respect to their sensitivity, ability to detect the chemical states of arsenic, reliability, potential interferences, and ease of operation. In particular, emphasis has been devoted to more recent topics including modern stripping voltammetry, electrode modification, nanomaterials, and biosensors. The necessity for field instrumentation, detection and monitoring has also been addressed.

Electrochemical determination of inorganic mercury and arsenic—A review

“…It exhibits spectral interferences in sea water samples due to high salt level (Bansal et al 2013;Luong et al 2007). …”

Wide Range Morphological Transition of Silver Nanoprisms by Selective Interaction with As(III): Tuning–Detuning of Surface Plasmon Offers To Decode the Mechanism

“…Hence, the quantification of arsenic is very important both for blissful effect and for tackling translational health hazards and indirectly helps us to know the subject of heavy metal chemistry . Literature is rich with reports for the detection of arsenic either by laboratory-based analytical procedures ,− or by using noble metal nanomaterials, − but the mechanistic revelation of selective detection of arsenic , is not only seldom but also superficial in nature. On the basis of their wealth of optical properties (absorption, emission, and scattering), the noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) find high-throughput applications in different advanced fields, − which include sensing, diagnostics, therapeutics, optoelectronics, catalysis, alternate energy, etc.…”

“…The EFSA and WHO fixed the maximum tolerable concentration of arsenic as 15 μg/kg of bodyweight and 10 ppb in drinking water (old limit of arsenic contamination: 50 ppb). Global hot spots with high arsenic risk include South of Asia (Bangladesh, Mongolia, and Malaysia), South of South America (Chili and Argentina), and Western North America.…”