A Small Dose of Arsenic

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References / Additional Information (updated 6/19/04)

ARSENIC DOSSIER
Name: Arsenic
Use: wood preservative, pesticides, semiconductor manufacturing
Source: coal combustion, drinking water, environment, medical drug, seafood
Recommended daily intake: none (not essential)
Absorption: inhalation, intestine - inorganic high, organic low, skin
Sensitive individuals: children
Toxicity/symptoms: Peripheral nervous system (tingling in hands in feet), skin cancer (ingestion), lung cancer (inhalation); Hyperpigmentation (keratosis) of palms and soles; vascular complications
Regulatory facts: EPA - Drinking water 10 µg/L (0.01 ppm)
EPA - RfD - 0.3 µg/kg/day
OSHA - Workplace air 10 µg/m3
ATSDR - MRL - 0.3 µg/kg/day
General facts: long history of use as medicine and poison
Environmental: global environmental contaminate, bioaccumulates in fish and shellfish (mostly in a form that is not harmful)
Recommendations: avoid, do not use arsenic treated lumber, test drinking water

REFERENCES / ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

European, Asian, and International Agencies

• World Health Organization (WHO). (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Arsenic fact sheet

North American Agencies

• Health Canada - Arsenic in Drinking Water. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Health Canada provides information on the health effects arsenic in drinking water.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  FDA Guidance Document for Arsenic in Shellfish.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Online. (accessed: 19 June 2004).
  Draft Preliminary Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Children Who Contact Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) Treated Playsets and Decks
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site has general information and research on arsenic.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Integrated Risk Information System. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site contains EPA's risk assessment evaluation of arsenic.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program. Online. Available (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site has information on arsenic release in the United States.
• U.S. ATSDR - Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry
  - Toxicology Profile Series Arsenic. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
• U.S. National Research Council (NRC) - Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  The NRC report on arsenic can be access from the their web site.
• U.S. Geological Services (USGS). Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site contains a map of United States showing arsenic in water.
  

Non-Government Organizations

• Arsenic Crisis Information Center - Arsenic in West Bengal & Bangladesh. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site has information and pictures related to arsenic poisoning in West Bengal and Bangladesh.
• Harvard University. Online. (accessed: 9 April 2003).
  Site has information on health effects of chronic arsenic poisoning.
• Arsenic: A Murderous History. Dartmouth toxic metals research program. (Accessed: June 30, 2003).
  A great historical look at the use of arsenic a poison.

References

• Water Arsenic Exposure and Children's Intellectual Function in Araihazar, Bangladesh (2004) Gail A. Wasserman, X. Liu, F. Parvez, H. Ahsan, P Factor-Litvak, A. van Geen, V. Slavkovich, N. J. LoIacono, Z. Cheng, I. Hussain,5 H. Momotaj, and J. Graziano. Environ Health Perspect 112:1329-1333 (2004). EHP Online. (accessed: 14 December 2004)
• Environmentally healthy homes and communities. Children's special vulnerabilities. (2001). Am Nurse, 33(6), 26-38; quiz 39-40.
• Hall, A. H. (2002). Chronic arsenic poisoning. Toxicol Lett, 128(1-3), 69-72.
• Jiang, J. Q. (2001). Removing arsenic from groundwater for the developing world--a review. Water Sci Technol, 44(6), 89-98.
• Liu, J., Zheng, B., Aposhian, H. V., Zhou, Y., Chen, M. L., Zhang, A., & Waalkes, M. P. (2002). Chronic arsenic poisoning from burning high-arsenic-containing coal in Guizhou, China. Environ Health Perspect, 110(2), 119-122.
• Pott, W. A., Benjamin, S. A., & Yang, R. S. (2001). Pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and carcinogenicity of arsenic. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol, 169, 165-214.