Title: Arsenic: Health Effects and Exposure - HealthyChildren.org
Headings: Arsenic: Health Effects and Exposure
Safety & Prevention
Arsenic: Health Effects and Exposure
Sources of Exposure
Health Effects
Prevention of Arsenic Exposure

Content: Inorganic arsenic is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Sources of Exposure
Arsenic is widely present in nature. In the United States, there are higher concentrations of arsenic in the southwestern states, eastern Michigan, and parts of New England. In addition to being naturally present in the environment, arsenic has also been used for many years for industrial purposes including pest control, animal antimicrobial treatment, wood preservation, petroleum refining, and in the mining/smelting industries. Most industrial uses of arsenic employ the more toxic inorganic forms. Release of arsenic through these processes can lead to increased inorganic arsenic in the atmosphere, in water, and in soil. Foods, particularly seafoods, can naturally contain large quantities of nontoxic, organic forms of arsenic. These nontoxic forms accumulate in foods through exposure to arsenic-containing soil and water. However, foods can also become contaminated with inorganic (toxic) arsenic from past use, inadvertent use, or misuse of pesticides or other industrial products. For example, chickens may have small amounts of inorganic arsenic-containing pesticides added to their feed to prevent infections, which can be transferred to humans through the environment or through the food supply.