Title: Arsenic in Food: FAQ
Headings: How arsenic gets into foods, and what it means for you.
Arsenic in Food: FAQ
How arsenic gets into foods, and what it means for you.
What is arsenic and how does it get into foods?
Are there particular foods that it’s in?
further reading

Content: It also causes abnormal heart rhythms, may damage blood vessels, and causes a pins and needles sensation in the hands and feet. However, far less is understood about what happens to people when they are exposed to low levels of arsenic over a long period of time. “This is a relatively new area of research,” says arsenic expert Ana Navas-Acien, MD, PhD.
It’s clear that arsenic is associated with higher rates of skin, bladder, and lung cancers, says Navas-Acien, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Continued
“When a substance is a carcinogen, it’s generally a carcinogen through the whole range of exposure levels,” she says. At lower levels, it probably causes fewer cases of cancer, though the risk is still there. Beyond cancer, she says, more evidence suggests that low to moderate levels of exposure -- just about the U.S. standard for drinking water of 10 parts per billion -- may cause cardiovascular disease. Chronic arsenic exposure may also affect the lungs, leading to breathing problems. In children, Navas-Acien says emerging evidence suggests that arsenic may cause problems with brain development. Arsenic may also contribute to problems with pregnancy like miscarriages and low birth weight. Should I stop drinking juice, or should my kids?