{"id":1579,"date":"2020-05-28T13:11:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-28T13:11:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.kayawell.com\/?p=1579"},"modified":"2020-06-04T12:05:21","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T12:05:21","slug":"arsenic-poisoning-symptoms-causes-and-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/arsenic-poisoning-symptoms-causes-and-prevention","title":{"rendered":"Arsenic Poisoning- Symptoms, Causes and Prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenic is\nas a gray-appearing chemical element (atomic number 33, symbol as in the\nperiodic table) also called a metalloid. Arsenic may exist in three forms\n(yellow, black, and gray; predominating gray) and ionic forms in a metallic\nstate. Arsenic is considered a heavy metal, and other heavy metals share some\nof the characteristics of arsenic toxicity with poisonings. Arsenic has\nhistorically been used as a therapeutic agent, as a pigment, as a pesticide,\nand as an agent intended to harm (use with criminal intent).Up until 2003,\narsenic (in the form of chromate copper arsenate) was used in the US as a\ntreatment to prevent insect infestation of wood used in building. In 2003 the\nuse of this compound was banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenic is\ncombined with copper, or contributes to alloys that include these materials\nbeing reinforced. Arsenic and some of its compounds react with proteins, mainly\nthe thiol portions, and uncouples the process of oxidative phosphorylation,\nthus inactivating most cellular functions. Result to arsenic and some of the\nsubstance it combines with are lethal poisons for most biological system,\nexcept from a few bacterial species. Arsenic is used in making insecticides and\nweed killers. Arsenic is also known to be carcinogenic, which means having the\nability to cause cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arsenic can\nbe found as a contaminant in food and water sources. Shellfish and other\nseafood, as well as fruits, vegetables, and rice; are the foods most commonly\ncontaminated. Usually, arsenic poisoning occurs from industrial exposure, from\ncontaminated wine or illegally distilled spirits, or in cases of malicious\nintent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptoms of Arsenic Poisoning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms of\narsenic poisoning may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Red or swollen skin<\/li><li>Skin changes, such as new warts or lesions<\/li><li>Abdominal pain<\/li><li>Nausea and vomiting<\/li><li>Diarrhea<\/li><li>Abnormal heart rhythm<\/li><li>Muscle cramps<\/li><li>Tingling of fingers and toes<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Long-term\narsenic exposure may cause serious symptoms. You should seek emergency help if\nyou experience any of the following after a suspected arsenic exposure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Darkening skin<\/li><li>Constant sore throat<\/li><li>Persistent digestive issues<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>According to\nthe World Health Organization, long-term symptoms tend to occur in the skin\nfirst, and can show up within five years of exposure. Cases of extreme\npoisoning may lead to death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most common causes of arsenic poisoning<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Contaminated\ngroundwater is the most common cause of arsenic poisoning. Arsenic is already\npresent in the earth and can seep into groundwater. Also, groundwater can\ncontain runoff from industrial plants. Drinking arsenic-laden water over a long\nperiod of time can lead to poisoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other\npossible causes of arsenic poisoning can include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Breathing air that contains arsenic<\/li><li>Smoking tobacco products<\/li><li>Breathing contaminated air from plants or mines that use arsenic<\/li><li>Living near industrialized areas<\/li><li>Being exposed to landfill or waste sites<\/li><li>Breathing in smoke or wood dust or waste contaminated with arsenic\ntreated&nbsp; beforehand <\/li><li>Eating arsenic-contaminated food \u00e2\u20ac\u201d this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t common in the United\nStates, but some seafood and animal products may contain small levels of\narsenic<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complications<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Complications\nlinked to long-term arsenic consumption include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cancer<\/li><li>Liver disease<\/li><li>Diabetes<\/li><li>Nervous system complications, such as loss of sensation in the\nlimbs and hearing problems<\/li><li>Digestive difficulties<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prevention<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nfollowing measures can be taken to protect people from the arsenic in\ngroundwater:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Arsenic\nremoval systems in homes<\/strong>: If the levels of arsenic in an area are confirmed as unsafe,\nsystems can be purchased for the home to treat drinking water and reduce the\narsenic levels. This is a short-term solution until the arsenic contamination\ncan be dealt with at the source.<\/li><li><strong>Testing\nnearby water sources for traces of arsenic<\/strong>: Chemical examining of the water\nmay aid in finding poisonous arsenic sources.<\/li><li><strong>Taking care\nwhen harvesting rainwater<\/strong>: arsenic poisoning may be avoided in areas with high rainfall by\nensuring that the collection process does not place the water at risk of\ninfection or that the water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes.<\/li><li><strong>Considering\nthe depth of wells<\/strong>: The deeper the well, the less arsenic its water is likely to\nhave.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Overview Arsenic is as a gray-appearing chemical element (atomic number 33, symbol as in the periodic table) also called a metalloid. Arsenic may exist in three forms (yellow, black, and gray; predominating gray) and ionic forms in a metallic state. Arsenic is considered a heavy metal, and other heavy metals share some of the characteristics [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1579","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1579"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kayawell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}