Arsenic Poisoning: Symptoms and Treatment
by Sylvia Clare on 21/12/10 at 4:45 pm
Arsenic exists in food, soil, air and drinking water. In the United States, arsenic poisoning may be a leading factor in chronic disease and death. Symptoms of arsenic poisoning worsen over time, and can mimic those of other health conditions.
About Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. The Dominican friar Albertus Magnus first isolated arsenic as an element in 1250 AD, but the effects of natural arsenic have been known since ancient times.
Arsenic is a metalloid, sometimes known as a semi-metal, found in small amounts in soil, air, food and water. In Chinese medicine, white arsenic has been used for centuries as a healing element. Prolonged exposure to arsenic causes toxicity, chronic disease and death.
Arsenic in Drinking Water
Arsenic can accumulate to dangerous levels in ground water. Prolonged ingestion of contaminated water results in chronic arsenic poisoning, or arsenicosis. In the United States and other parts of the world, arsenic poisoning is a considerable health concern.
In water, arsenic occurs in the form of inorganic arsenites or trivalents. One such inorganic compound, arsenic trioxide, is five hundred times more toxic than pure arsenic.
The largest mass poisoning by arsenic in drinking water was in Bangladesh. Arsenic in contaminated ground water affected as many as 20,000,000 people. Read the news story HERE.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water must contain no more than 0.01 mg/L (10ppb) of arsenic. Recent studies indicate that prolonged consumption of water with levels as low as 0.00017 mg/L (0.17ppb) can lead to arsenic poisoning or arsenicosis.
Symptoms of Arsenic Poisoning
Arsenic can build up gradually in the body. Arsenic poisoning is usually progressive. Accumulation of arsenic in the body destroys cells, impairs the body’s ability to use or synthesize nutrients, and triggers a range of worsening symptoms.
Patients may develop deficiencies of potassium and thiamine as arsenic toxins deplete and block these nutrients from the body.
Symptoms of arsenic poisoning include:
- headache
- confusion
- drowsiness
- nausea
- stomach pain
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- change in fingernail pigmentation (white spots, lines)
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- hair loss
- erectile dysfunction (impotence)
- blood in the urine
- muscle cramps
- neurological dysfuntion
- convulsions
- coma
- death
In the United States, arsenic is often related to the five most common causes of non-accidental death, which are:
- heart disease
- cancer
- stroke
- respiratory disease
- diabetes
Causes of Arsenic Poisoning
Arsenic poisoning can occur due to oral ingestion, inhalation, or absorption of toxins through the skin. A single low dose of arsenic travels through the system to be expelled by the urine within a few days, but accumulation of arsenic in the body causes chronic symptoms and, ultimately, death. Next Page
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