ABSTRACT
The toxicity of arsenic and its long history of use in human culture has resulted in widespread concern about the natural and anthropogenic levels of arsenic in our environment. In this article, an overview of the current environmental status of arsenic is presented. A brief history of the usage of this element is followed by a discussion of the current applications. Both natural as well as anthropogenic sources of input are described and discussed in terms of their relative impact on the Earth's environment. Numerous control mechanisms for arsenic exist in the environment, and the major processes involved (physical, chemical, and biological) are highlighted. Natural cycling of this element through the various environmental compartments (air, water, soil, and biota) are described as well as some current methods for the removal of arsenic from natural and industrial waters. Finally, a brief overview of the most common methods for the analysis of arsenic in environmental samples is presented.
Subject(s)
Arsenic/toxicity , Environmental Pollutants/toxicity , Animals , Arsenic/isolation & purification , Arsenic Poisoning , Environmental Pollutants/isolation & purification , Environmental Pollutants/poisoning , Environmental Pollution/prevention & control , HumansSubject(s)
Drug Industry , Legislation, Drug , Pesticides , Canada , Drug Information Services/legislation & jurisprudence , Herbicides , HumansABSTRACT
Arsenic is widely distributed throughout the animal and plant kingdoms and our environment where sources can be natural or anthropogenic. Agricultural uses of arsenic have declined recently, but it still has well-defined roles in industry. Small amounts of arsenic are metabolized in a variety of ways and are largely rapidly methylated and excreted by man and animals. Poisoning can occur and may follow an acute or chronic course. Toxic manifestations in man occur at the cellular level and may appear in many organ systems. Specific effects can often be demonstrated in the skin and in the vascular and nervous systems. Other toxic effects appear to include carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, and teratogenesis.
Subject(s)
Arsenic/toxicity , Abnormalities, Drug-Induced/etiology , Adsorption , Animals , Arsenic/history , Arsenic/therapeutic use , Arsenic Poisoning , Chemical Phenomena , Chemical Precipitation , Chemistry , Ecology , Environment , Environmental Pollutants , Female , Gases , Humans , Inactivation, Metabolic , Intestinal Absorption , Lung/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/chemically induced , Maternal-Fetal Exchange , Methylation , Oxidation-Reduction , Plants/metabolism , Pregnancy , Skin/metabolism , Skin Neoplasms/chemically induced , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
The concentration of total soluble inorganic arsenic (i.e. arsenate plus arsenite) was measured in duplicate well water samples of 94 residents in Halifax County, N.S. An ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate-methyl isobutyl ketone graphite-furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometric procedure and also an automated hydride-evolution electrothermal-atomisation atomic-absorption spectrophotometric method were used to monitor the arsenic level in the ground water supplies. Of the 94 samples analyzed, 66 samples (70%) exceeded the Canadian maximum acceptable drinking water guideline of 50 ng As/ml.
