Title: Arsenic
Headings: Arsenic
Arsenic
Introduction
Where is arsenic found?
How does arsenic get into the body?
How much arsenic can be in drinking water?
How can I find out whether there is arsenic in my drinking water?
How do I remove arsenic from my drinking water?
How does arsenic affect people?
Ways to reduce arsenic risk
Fact Sheets
Arsenic
What is NIEHS Doing?
Fundamental arsenic research
Arsenic and cancer
Early-life exposures to arsenic and development
Arsenic and diabetes
Translational research on arsenic
Further Reading
Stories from the Environmental Factor (NIEHS Newsletter)
Additional Resources
Related Health Topics

Content: NTP is an interagency testing program, administered by NIEHS. NIEHS, the NTP, and their grantees are presently involved in a wide array of arsenic research (basic and translational), some of which includes: Fundamental arsenic research
Researchers have learned that both short-term and long-term exposure to arsenic can cause health problems, but they are just beginning to understand how arsenic works in the body — what is referred to as its modes of action. For example, researchers are finding that arsenic, even at low levels, can interfere with the body’s endocrine system. The endocrine system is what keeps our bodies in balance, maintaining homeostasis and guiding growth and development. In several cell culture and animal models, arsenic has been found to act as an endocrine disruptor, which may underlie many of its health effects. 3 Other mechanisms are also likely contributors to arsenic’s health effects. Arsenic and cancer
Arsenic is a known human carcinogen associated with skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver cancer. 4 A new study from the NTP Laboratory that replicates how humans are exposed to arsenic through their whole lifetime found that mice exposed to low concentrations of arsenic in drinking water developed lung cancer. The concentrations in the drinking water given to the mice were similar to what humans, who use water from contaminated wells, might consume.