ORIGINAL PRODUCERS PACKING (emballage d'origine Producteurs).

Compiled by: Ike Iyioke

Summary: Exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic happens mostly in the workplace, or in areas with high natural levels. At high levels, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, blood vessel change, or death in extreme cases. This chemical has been found in at least 781 of 1,300 National Priorities List sites identified by the EPA.

What is arsenic ?

Arsenic is a natural element found in the environment. Pure arsenic is a gray, metal-like material and often combines with other elements such as oxygen, chlorine and sulfur. In combination with these elements it is called inorganic arsenic. If it combines with both carbon and other elements it is called organic arsenic.

Most inorganic and organic arsenic compounds are white or colorless powders that don't evaporate. They don't have good warning properties, meaning they have no smell, and most have no special taste. Thus you cannot tell if arsenic is present in food, water or air.

Inorganic arsenic is found in many kinds of rock, especially in ores that contain copper or lead. When these ores are heated by smelters to extract the copper or lead, most of the arsenic enters the air as fine dust. Smelters collect this dust and purify the arsenic for several uses, chief of which is as a wood preservative to prevent rotting and decay. A commonly used wood preservative is CCA (Chromated Copper Arsenic). Arsenic is also used to make several types of insecticides and herbicides, such as Ansar, Scorch and Premix.

Exposure to arsenic:

Everyone is exposed to arsenic (especially organic arsenic)because very low levels of it are always present in soil, water, food and air. For most people, food constitutes the largest source of arsenic intake (about 25 to 50 micrograms per day). Other common sources of exposure include sawdust or smoke from wood containing arsenic preservatives; contaminated air at workplaces; ingesting contaminated air, water, or soil at waste sites; and contaminated water, soil, or air near areas naturally high in arsenic.

Arsenic (both elemental and organic) is present in all soils with the content in virgin soils ranging from 0.1 to 40 ppm. The amount of arsenic in soil depends on inputs from mineral weathering processes, atmospheric deposition, and residue from pesticide application. The natural concentration of arsenic in groundwater is dependent on the arsenic content of the bedrock.

Organic arsenic often occurs naturally in seafood such as shrimp, at levels of 25 to 80 ppm, and is found in some bottled mineral waters too. Inorganic arsenic may also occur in foods and animal feeds as a result of pesticide application. It is also present in cigarette smoke where it originates from insecticides on tobacco. Plants may accumulate arsenic via root uptake from soil depending upon the plant species, soil concentration, and soil characteristics.

Health effects:

Inorganic arsenic has been recognized as a human poison since ancient times; while organic arsenic is less toxic it causes similar effects. Exposure to high levels of inorganic arsenic - greater than 100 parts of arsenic per million parts of food or water - can be fatal . It damages many tissues including nerves, stomach and intestines.

Other effects of high exposure levels include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; decreased production of red and white blood cells; abnormal heart rhythms; blood vessel damage; and a "pins" and "needles" sensation in hands and feet. Long term dermal exposure may lead to a darkening of the skin and the appearance of small "corns" or "warts" on the palms, soles and torsos.

Arsenic is carcinogenic. Breathing it increases the risk of lung cancer. Ingesting it increases the risk of skin cancer and tumors of the bladder, kidney, liver and lung.

Regulations to protect human health:

The EPA sets limits on the amount of arsenic that industrial sources can release. It restricted or canceled many uses of arsenic in pesticides and has set a limit of 0.05 ppm of arsenic in drinking water; this limit is presently under review and may be lowered. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, established a maximum permissible exposure limit for workplace airborne inorganic arsenic of 10 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over an eight-hour day.

For more information about arsenic in foods, contact:

Maurice Bennink
Food Science and Human Nutrition
106B Food Science Building, MSU
Phone: 517-353-9512

Maija Zile
Food Science and Human Nutrition
234C Food Science Building, MSU
Phone: 517-355-7731

For more information about the toxicity of arsenic, contact:

Mike Kamrin
Institute for Environmental Toxicology
C231 Holden Hall, MSU
Phone: 517-353-6469

Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry
Division of Toxicology
1600 Clifton Road NE
Mailstop E-29
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 404-639-6000