Arsenic Exposure via Contaminated Water and Food Sources

Abstract

Arsenic poisoning constitutes a major threat to humans, causing various health problems. Almost everywhere across the world certain “hotspots” have been detected, putting in danger the local populations, due to the potential consumption of water or food contaminated with elevated concentrations of arsenic. According to the relevant studies, Asia shows the highest percentage of significantly contaminated sites, followed by North America, Europe, Africa, South America and Oceania. The presence of arsenic in ecosystems can originate from several natural or anthropogenic activities. Arsenic can be then gradually accumulated in different food sources, such as vegetables, rice and other crops, but also in seafood, etc., and in water sources (mainly in groundwater, but also to a lesser extent in surface water), potentially used as drinking-water supplies, provoking their contamination and therefore potential health problems to the consumers. This review reports the major areas worldwide that present elevated arsenic concentrations in food and water sources. Furthermore, it also discusses the sources of arsenic contamination at these sites, as well as selected treatment technologies, aiming to remove this pollutant mainly from the contaminated waters and thus the reduction and prevention of population towards arsenic exposure.

A review on arsenic in the environment: contamination, mobility, sources, and exposure

“…Food is generally the principal contributor to the daily intake of total arsenic, while drinking water can also be significant source of exposure in some areas. 233 The daily intake of total As from food and beverages is generally between 20 and 300 μg per day. 234 Pulmonary exposure may contribute up to approximately 10 μg per day in a smoker and about 1 μg per day in a non-smoker, which values can be higher in polluted areas.…”

Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater Is Determined by Complex Interactions between Various Chemical and Biological Processes

“…Inorganic arsenic is naturally present at high levels in groundwater in many countries across the globe, including the Americas (e.g., Argentina, Chile, Mexico, USA) [ 5 ], Asia (e.g., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Taiwan), Southeast Asia (e.g., Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar) [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ], and Europe (e.g., Hungary, France, Germany, Romania, Italy) [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ] ( Figure 1 ). Nearly 200 million people worldwide are at risk of arsenic poisoning, including 180 million in Asia [ 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”

Fungal Arsenic Tolerance and Bioaccumulation: Local Strains from Polluted Water vs. Allochthonous Strains

“…Currently, arsenic environmental pollution is widespread globally, mainly in Bangladesh, China, India, and various parts of America, where soil and water contamination are serious problems [6,7]. The alarming situation is becoming relevant due to the effects on human health related to the consumption of food and water contaminated by arsenic.…”