ReviewArsenic round the world: a review
Introduction
Arsenic is a ubiquitous element that ranks 20th in abundance in the earth's crust, 14th in the seawater, and 12 in the human body [1]. Since its isolation in 1250 A.D. by Albertus Magnus, this element has been a center of controversy in human history. It has been used in medicine [2]. Not only medicine, it has been used in various fields i.e. agriculture, livestock, electronics, industry and metallurgy [3]. It is now well recognized that consumption of arsenic, even at low levels, leads to carcinogenesis.
Section snippets
Occurrence
The terrestrial abundance of arsenic is around 1.5–3 mg kg−1. Source of arsenic in the environment includes natural and anthropogenic.
Metabolisms
Humans are exposed to many different forms of inorganic and organic arsenic species (arsenicals) in food, water and other environmental media. Each of the forms of arsenic has different physicochemical properties and bioavailability and therefore the study of the kinetics and metabolism of arsenicals in animals and humans is a complex matter. Large interspecies differences compared with other metals and metalloids also characterize arsenic metabolism.
Routes of arsenic intake in vivo considered
Arsenic episodes round the world
Arsenic poisoning episodes have been reported all over the world. Exposure to arsenic may come from natural sources, from industrial sources, or from food and beverages. So, arsenic episodes all over the world are divided into three categories:
- 1
Natural groundwater arsenic contamination.
- 2
Arsenic contamination from industrial source.
- 3
Arsenic contamination from food and beverage.
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the help of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, JSPS Fellows Plaza, Japan for the financial support to Dr Badal Kumar Mandal who is working in this University. This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid of Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Nos. 12000236 and 12470509). Also, the authors thank Dr T. Roy Chowdhury, NIHS, Tokyo, Japan for his cordial help for the preparation of this manuscript.
References (389)
Geochem. Cosmochim. Acta
(1964)Geochem. Cosmochim. Acta
(1966)- et al.
Appl. Geochem.
(2000) - et al.
Environ. Pollut.
(1990) - et al.
Environ. Pollut.
(1993) - et al.
Water Res.
(1999) Forensic Sci. Soc.
(1964)- et al.
J. Forensic Sci. Soc.
(1971) Top. Environ. Health
(1983)Top. Environ. Health
(1983)
ACS Ser.
J. AWWA
J. Geochem. Explor.
Geol. Soc. Am. Bull.
Environ. Geol.
Arsenic
Adv. Agron
Sci. Total Environ.
Metalloids
Characterization of arsenic bearing sediments in Gangetic delta of West Bengal-India
An. Asoc. Quim. Argent.
Huanjing Kexue
Biochemistry
Gazz. Chim. Ital.
U.S. Dep. Agric. Tech. Bull.
Biochemistry
U.S. Dept. Agri. Tech. Bull.
Acta Sci. Circumstantiae
Huanjing Kexue
J Environ. Sci. (China)
Turang Xuebao
ACS Symp. Ser.
Cited by (3052)
Chitosan-modified iron fillings materials for remediation of arsenic-contaminated soil
2024, Chemical Engineering JournalEffects of dietary arsenic exposure on liver metabolism in mice
2024, Ecotoxicology and Environmental SafetyNew insight into the co-removal of arsenic and cadmium from wastewater by using thiol-functionalized UiO-66: A mechanistic study and real water test
2024, Separation and Purification Technology