Title: Arsenic — The Collaborative on Health and the Environment
Headings: Arsenic
Arsenic
Production and Uses
Wood Preservative
Pesticide
Other Uses
Chemical and Biological Properties
Metabolism of Arsenic
Health Effects
Acute Exposure
Chronic Exposure
Cancer Classification
Vulnerable Populations
Exposure
Background Exposures
Food Exposure
Water Exposure
Pressure-treated Wood
Tobacco
Reducing Exposure
Regulatory Standards
Brief History

Content: Vulnerable Populations
Children have higher levels of exposure, particularly if drinking water concentrations of arsenic are elevated, because of their smaller size and greater consumption of water relative to their size. Children also play in soil, put their hands in their mouths and intentionally eat soil more often than adults do on average. 14 Exposures in childhood also afford many more years for long-latency diseases and disorders (such as cancer) to develop than adult exposures. Adults who work in industries that involve arsenic production or use (copper or lead smelting, wood treating, or pesticide application, among others) could be exposed to elevated levels of arsenic at work. Those who saw CCA-treated wood, plus all people who live near or frequent some mining and smelting sites or agricultural areas where arsenic pesticides had been applied in the past may be exposed to much higher levels of arsenic than others. 15
Exposure
The lethal dose of arsenic in humans is 2-20 mg/kg, or 140 to 1400 mg for an average-sized adult. A 140-mg potentially lethal dose is the same as 0.145 grams. Less than 1/8 teaspoon can be fatal to a healthy adult, while even less could kill a child, an adult with impaired health, or an elderly person. 16
Background Exposures
Most people are exposed to constant but low levels of arsenic. Normally, background air levels are less than 0.1 μg/m3 and drinking water less than 5 μg/L, but water levels can be significantly higher.