Title: Arsenic
Headings: Arsenic
Arsenic
Key facts
Sources of exposure
Drinking-water and food
Industrial processes
Tobacco
Health effects
Acute effects
Long-term effects
Magnitude of the problem
Prevention and control
WHO response

Content: Other adverse health effects that may be associated with long-term ingestion of inorganic arsenic include developmental effects, diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. Arsenic-induced myocardial infarction, in particular, can be a significant cause of excess mortality. In China (Province of Taiwan), arsenic exposure has been linked to “Blackfoot disease”, which is a severe disease of blood vessels leading to gangrene. This disease has not been observed in other parts of the world however, and it is possible that malnutrition contributes to its development. Arsenic is also associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and infant mortality, with impacts on child health (1), and exposure in utero and in early childhood has been linked to increases in mortality in young adults due to multiple cancers, lung disease, heart attacks, and kidney failure (2). Numerous studies have demonstrated negative impacts of arsenic exposure on cognitive development, intelligence, and memory (3). Magnitude of the problem
Arsenic contamination of groundwater is widespread and there are a number of regions where arsenic contamination of drinking-water is significant. It is now recognized that at least 140 million people in 50 countries have been drinking water containing arsenic at levels above the WHO provisional guideline value of 10 μg/L (4). Arsenic in Bangladesh has attracted much attention since recognition in the 1990s of its wide occurrence in well-water in that country. Since this time, significant progress has since been made and the number of people exposed to arsenic exceeding the Bangladesh drinking-water quality standard has decreased by approximately 40%.