Arsenic: King of Poisons
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element which is widely distributed in the earth's crust. The majority of the world's supplies originate from China and South America as most of the US and European arsenic mining operations have now been closed for environmental reasons. However, some arsenic is still recovered in these regions as a by-product of the purification of copper, gold, and lead.
Arsenic is rated as the most toxic naturally occurring substance by the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). In the environment, arsenic combines with oxygen, chlorine, and sulphur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. But in plants, animals and humans arsenic combines with carbon and hydrogen to form organic arsenic compounds.
Arsenic can never be destroyed in the environment - it can only change its form. Like mercury, once in the food chain, inorganic forms of arsenic are progressively metabolised to organic forms as a result of methylation. However, unlike mercury, the organic forms of arsenic are less toxic than the inorganic forms. However, biochemical reactions within organisms can also transform organic arsenic into the more hazardous inorganic forms.
The properties of arsenic
Arsenic can occur as a pure elemental crystal, but is most often found combined with metals or sulphur. It belongs to the same chemical group as nitrogen and phosphorous and there is some evidence that it can replace phosphorous in some molecules.
Arsenic is classified as a metalloid and the elemental form can exist as metallic grey, yellow or black arsenic, all of which have different structures with different properties. It can also exist in a variety of oxidation states from arsenides (-3), through arsenites (+3) to arsenates (+5) and it may be because of this property that it can cause quite such devastating effects to all biological systems. It can also form colourless, odourless, crystalline oxides known as "white arsenic" which are readily soluble in water.
Arsenic is also unusual in transforming directly from a solid to a gaseous state without an intervening liquid state on heating. It also has a wide variety of radioactive isotopes.
Sources of arsenic
Chicken meat and eggs Although never permitted in Europe, the arsenic-containing product Roxarsone has been widely added to chicken feed in the US since the 1940s to prevent the growth of moulds and fungi that can afflict chickens. As a result an estimated 70% of chicken eggs and meat in the US are contaminated with arsenic.
Unfortunately, pigs are fed the chicken parts that humans cannot or will not eat such as the skin, bones and necks which are the heavily most contaminated and so pork products may also contain arsenic. Fluids from both the pigs and chickens also enters the ground water contaminating areas for miles around. It's almost as though the mad cow debacle never happened!
Fish, shellfish and mushrooms can also accumulate arsenic, although most of this arsenic is in an organic form called arsenobetaine that is much less harmful than other forms. The average American adult is estimated to consume 50 milligrams of arsenic each day, with 80 percent of it coming from meat, fish and poultry.
Ground- and well-water can become contaminated with arsenic either from local mining activities or it can be released naturally from sediments or volcanic ash into the groundwater. Rain and snow also cause airborne particles of arsenic to be deposited and arsenic contaminated water inevitably ends up in soil or sediment.
Approximately 80 million people worldwide are estimated to consume water containing more than the current World Health Organisation (WHO) standard and epidemiological studies suggest a commensurate increase in skin, lung and bladder cancer in affected areas.
Water supplies in some regions of Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, and the Southwest, Midwest and New England in the US are known to be affected by arsenic contamination. Several different water filtering systems are now available which are able to remove arsenic fairly effectively.
Wood preservatives Arsenic is also toxic to insects, bacteria and fungi and this led to its use as a wood preservative. In the 1950s a process using inorganic copper chromated arsenate (CCA or Tanalith) was developed for pressure treating construction timber and for decades this was the most extensive industrial use of arsenic. Although its use in many industrialised countries has recently been discontinued for most residential purposes, Tanalith is still being used for industrial applications and in developing countries.
This also means that the wood treated is contaminated with arsenic and this can leach out into surrounding water and soil (for example in children's playgrounds or sheds) and if burnt can emit toxic arsenic vapours and produce toxic ash which can contaminate the food supply or poison animals or humans. It could even prove deadly if arsenic-treated wood is inadvertently used in a domestic fire. However, the disposal of such arsenic-treated wood in landfill also poses environmental problems.
Herbicides Arsenic-containing compounds are also used as insecticides on fruit trees, cotton and tobacco crops and some vegetables contaminating the crops and soil and causing exposed workers to contract brain damage in some cases.
Cigarettes and tobacco The widespread use of arsenic-containing pesticides on tobacco crops means that most cigarettes are contaminated with inorganic arsenic. According to a report from the California Air Resources Board and the US Department of Health Services, smokers are estimated to inhale up to 2.4 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per pack of cigarettes, with approximately 40 percent of it being deposited in the respiratory tract. The known carcinogenic effects of arsenic may account in part for the increased incidence of lung and other cancers in smokers.
Chemical warfare agents Lewisite and Adamsite are arsenic-based chemical weapons that cause blistering and lung irritation that were stockpiled by the US after World War I. Supplies were subsequently neutralised with bleach and dumped into the Gulf of Mexico after the 1950s. During the Vietnam War the United States used Agent Blue, a mixture of two arsenic containing compounds which were used to defoliate Vietnam depriving the inhabitants of food and contaminating the land.
Other sources of arsenic may include:
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Copper (used for plumbing) and lead alloys (for example, in automotive batteries)
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Semiconductor electronic devices
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Wine and beer due to the arsenic-containing pesticides used in production
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Some herbal preparations
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Glass including optical glass (until recently)
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Wallpaper (to prevent the growth of mould)
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Fireworks and
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Green pigments used in ceramics and glass.
Occupational exposure may occur in industries where workers are exposed to inorganic arsenic particularly wood preservation, glass production, the manufacture of nonferrous metal alloys or smelting and electronic semiconductor manufacturing.
Symptoms of acute arsenic toxicity
There are hundreds of often vague symptoms of arsenic toxicity since it is a powerful nerve and enzyme poison. However, symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning primarily include:
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Sore throat and mucosal irritation from inhalation or ingestion
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Redness and swelling at any contact point
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Severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea
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Weight loss
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Fever and
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Cardiac arrhythmia which is often subtle in the early stages but can rapidly progress to cardiovascular collapse.
Symptoms of chronic arsenic toxicity
Like mercury and other toxic metals, arsenic appears to be absorbed deep within the nervous system where it can cause a variety of vague, unusual neurological symptoms which disappear as the arsenic is detoxified.
It also preferentially attaches to the mitochondria or 'powerhouses' of the cell poisoning energy production and leading to a profound exhaustion and ultimately multiple system failure through necrotic cell death. Arsenic is also known to cause massive oxidative damage to tissues and this may be another mechanism by which it causes disease and premature ageing.
Also like mercury, arsenic attaches to the thiol groups of proteins which are situated at the active sites of many important enzymes. It is this property that is thought to account for the exceptional toxicity of arsenic.
Arsenic toxicity from chronic exposure is also known as arsenicosis and epidemiological studies have suggested a correlation between arsenicosis and the incidence of all leading causes of mortality.
Symptoms of chronic arsenic toxicity include:
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Progressive peripheral and central nervous system changes, such as numbness, tingling, and burning sensations especially in the hands and feet
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Excessive darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation) in areas that are not exposed to sunlight
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Excessive formation of skin (hyperkeratosis) and the appearance of small corn- or wart-like growths on the palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.
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White banding across the fingernails (usually a few weeks after exposure)
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Lowered IQ scores in children
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Evidence from animal studies suggests that exposure during pregnancy can cause foetal damage, low birth weight and foetal death. Arsenic can cross the placenta and has been found in foetal tissues and in breast milk.
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Nausea and vomiting and the development of food allergies
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Decreased production of red and white blood cells causing anaemia and immune deficiencies
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Abnormal heart rhythm
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Damage to blood vessels. Post mortems show brick-red mucosa due to severe haemorrhage.
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Poisoning of energy production leading to malaise, fatigue, weakness, and drowsiness
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Vague aches and pains and muscle tenderness
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Dizziness and periods of being unable to stand
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Several forms of cancer including skin, bladder, kidney, liver, prostate, nasal cavity and lung cancer may be linked to arsenic toxicity.
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Endocrine disorders including diabetes
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Restlessness and fidgeting
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A short menstrual cycle
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Headaches
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Kidney and liver damage
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Hair loss
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Sleeping with the arms raised
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Seizures
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An anguished, agonised facial expression
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Fear of death and being alone, general fearfulness and worry, and fearful dreams
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Selfishness and
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Self harm and suicide.
Arsenic poisoning and medicinal use
Because arsenic was readily available, tasteless, odourless, discreet and deadly it was frequently used to dispose of people up until about a century ago. In fact, its regular use by the ruling classes to murder one another led to it being called the Poison of Kings and the King of Poisons. The advent of effective testing (the Marsh test) for arsenic poisoning effectively put a stop to such activity.
It is also known as the slow death mineral, because it causes a host of rather vague symptoms that slowly poison a person but were hard to trace.
Like mercury, in small doses arsenic appeared - at least initially - to have a therapeutic effect and it was fairly widely used as a stimulant and cure-all for a number of conditions including syphilis, malaria, psoriasis, chorea, trypanosomiasis, and cancer during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Its use only fell from favour relatively recently with the advent of modern antibiotics.
During Victorian times, the women also ate a mixture of white arsenic mixed with vinegar and chalk and applied arsenic-containing compounds to make their complexion paler.
It was even used as a food colouring and a case in Bradford, England in 1858 involving the arsenic adulteration of sweets (candies) caused approximately 20 deaths.
It is also thought that this historic use of arsenic may have induced inheritable epigenetic changes that may be responsible for the increased risk of cancer seen in some families to this day.
In fact, somewhat remarkably, arsenic-containing compounds are still being used in some medical applications to this day. Some radioactive isotopes of arsenic are used to identify cancerous tumours using PET scans and in 2000 the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an arsenic-containing compound for the treatment of patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia!
Reducing arsenic exposure
The following suggestions may help to reduce arsenic exposure:
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Stop smoking
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Do not burn treated lumber and wear protective clothing and a mask if working with treated wood.
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If working in an industry that exposes you to arsenic, wear all the protective clothing on offer and shower and change clothes before going home.
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If you have a well water supply, test it periodically and fit a filter if required.
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Eat organic chicken and pork.
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Drink organic wine and beer
Detoxifying arsenic
Because of the ubiquitous use of arsenic containing compounds in wood treatments and as a pesticide, most people in the developed world test positive for arsenic toxicity to a greater or lesser extent. Tests include blood, urine, hair, or fingernail analysis with the urine test considered the most reliable for recent exposure and the hair and fingernail tests measuring exposure over the past 6-12 months.
Intravenous chelation therapy can be employed for removal of arsenic - although there is some question as to its efficacy and toxicity. And pharmaceuticals such as dimercaprol can be used to specifically bind and remove arsenic from the body.
For a general programme to detoxify the toxic metals which underscore many chronic, serious and degenerative illnesses using readily available supplements, please refer to Chronic Fatigue, ME and Fibromyalgia: The Natural Recovery Plan.
Further resources
Click the relevant link to find out more about home testing for metal toxicity in the UK or US or order via the Supplements hub.
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