Common Arsenic Exposure Causes Cancer

Human exposure to even low levels of Arsenic III at lower than 10 ppb or parts per billion been linked to cancer of the bladder, kidney, liver, prostate, skin, lungs & nasal cavity. Lets examine why inorganic Arsenic III so toxic to the human body! 

Reduce Common Arsenic Exposure  

Never burn pressure treated wood that was treated with CCA, as light exposure to the ash or smoke can produce fatal arsenic exposure. 

You can par-boil rice for 5 min, then pour off that water & then resume making the rice to remove arsenic from rice, since rice a common route of human arsenic exposure.

Filter your water through an activated carbon filtering system to remove toxins like arsenic from your drinking water. There are many personal scale water filtering systems available, including pitcher based filters from several manufactures like LifeStraw, Brita, ZeroWater, PUR & others: built into water bottles or survival or backpacking units, 7L & 10L house hold counter top or fridge units & you can use activated carbon filters in fridges with indoor water & ice to clean up the water. 

Many ground water wells & surface water, leachate from mining & water contaminated with wood preservation chemicals used worldwide up until 2004, many common source of water consumed by people daily contaminated with arsenic. Some fruit juices contain elevated levels of arsenic. Many write & brown rices are contaminated with arsenic. 

One of the main reasons cigarette smoke toxic because the tobacco leaves & stems contain arsenic compounds, cadmium too; as tobacco plants extract toxic heavy metals from soils, a property employed to remediate contaminated lands during environmental remediation, during toxic waste cleanup efforts & similar. 

Science Shows Arsenic Carcinogenic (exposure causes cancers) 

The EU & IARC recognize arsenic & inorganic arsenic compounds as group 1 carcinogens *most powerful / highest level* including especially arsenic trioxide, arsenic pentoxide & arsenate salts

In drinking water, arsenicosis (arsenic poisoning) caused by arsenate [HAsO2−4; As(V)] and arsenite [H₃AsO₃; As(III)]".

Understanding Arsenic Toxicity

Arsenic chemically interferes with thiols, cysteine residues & cofactors such as lipoic acid & coenzyme A at the active sites of many important enzymes; disrupting ATP production at the citric acid cycle level by inhibiting lipoic acid, a cofactor for pyruvate dehydrogenase enzyme. By blocking phosphate it uncouples oxidative phosphorylation, thus blocking reduction of NAD+, mitochondria respiration & ATP production. By increasing hydrogen peroxide production, it forms reactive oxygenic species that increase oxidative stress burden to cells & organs. These effects produce necrotic cell death by energy depletion so bad that normal cell death (apoptosis) unable to proceed.

Exposure at Work 

In wood preservation, nonferrous metal alloy & semiconductor production, coke oven emissions from smelters, glass making & in some pigments & paints used by artists, occupational exposure to elevated arsenic levels happens.

Medical Significance

Treatment of chronic arsenic poisoning with anti-lewisite (dimercaprol) in doses of 5 mg/kg up to 300 mg every 4 hours for the first day, then every 6 hours for the second day, and finally every 8 hours for 8 additional days.