Environmental Source of Arsenic Exposure

Abstract

Arsenic is a ubiquitous, naturally occurring metalloid that may be a significant risk factor for cancer after exposure to contaminated drinking water, cigarettes, foods, industry, occupational environment, and air. Among the various routes of arsenic exposure, drinking water is the largest source of arsenic poisoning worldwide. Arsenic exposure from ingested foods usually comes from food crops grown in arsenic-contaminated soil and/or irrigated with arsenic-contaminated water. According to a recent World Health Organization report, arsenic from contaminated water can be quickly and easily absorbed and depending on its metabolic form, may adversely affect human health. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration regulations for metals found in cosmetics to protect consumers against contaminations deemed deleterious to health; some cosmetics were found to contain a variety of chemicals including heavy metals, which are sometimes used as preservatives. Moreover, developing countries tend to have a growing number of industrial factories that unfortunately, harm the environment, especially in cities where industrial and vehicle emissions, as well as household activities, cause serious air pollution. Air is also an important source of arsenic exposure in areas with industrial activity. The presence of arsenic in airborne particulate matter is considered a risk for certain diseases. Taken together, various potential pathways of arsenic exposure seem to affect humans adversely, and future efforts to reduce arsenic exposure caused by environmental factors should be made.

Arsenic Accumulation in Rice and Probable Mitigation Approaches: A Review

“…Rice is the primary route of arsenic exposure in many countries being the staple food and has adverse health outcomes [14,123,124]. A substantial relationship of rice intake with both urinary arsenic and prevalent skin lesions has been revealed from a study on 18,470 persons of Bangladesh [125].…”

Arsenic and Mercury Content Determination in Commercial Cosmetics Products by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy

“…In 1992. WHO reduces arsenic level up to 10 μg/l, for there was clear evidence that arsenic presence is connected to cancer risk. There was a direct correlation between the presence of inorganic arsenic in drinking water and cardiovascular disease (Chung et al, 2015). The impact of arsenic on the vascular system has also been reported in a number of other populations.…”

“…Cases of skin cancer in people who were exposed to arsenic compounds have been described even in the nineteenth century. Carcinogenic effects metals are particularly important due to their widespread distribution (Jokanović, 2010;Chung, Yu and Hong 2015).…”

Geochemical Characteristics of Soils on Ellis Island, New York-New Jersey, Sixty Years after the Abandonment of the Hospital Complex

“…The source of As is not clear; however, it is reasonable to speculate that As might have originated from anthropogenic sources such as coal combustion products emitted during the years when the hospital was functional and lead arsenate insecticides, which were introduced to Ellis Island in 1894 for the purpose of controlling gypsy moths [91,92]. Arsenate is the dominant As species in most soil environments, it can be immobilized by Fe, Al and Mg oxides in the soil or by bacterial interaction [93,94]. The nearly neutral soil pH also tends to limit As mobility, which might also account for the higher As level in Ellis Island soils [95,96].…”