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March Ontario 2001 Atlfiisti-\-oftheEnvironmentprogtrim^ andinituiti\e^ Arsenic in the environment Arsenic isa naturallyoccurringelementin particularlyold orchards. Sincearsenic isalso theearth'scrust,and isfoundthroughout acommoncontaminantincoal, localized the environment. It is importantto maintain contaminationcan occuraroundcoal- burn- a distinction between inorganicand organic ingfacilities In addition,soil maybe Arsenicoccursnatu- arsenic, sincetheorganicformsareusually contaminatedwithin afewcentimetresof rallyandasaresult lesstoxicthanthe inorganic forms. structures madefrom pressure-treatedwood. ofhumanactivity. Purearsenicisa gray-colored metal, but Themostusual thisform Isnotcommon in theenvironment. Is arsenic harmful? sourceofarsenic Rather, arsenic isusuallyfound combined Theeffectsofexposuretoany hazardous exposureisfromfood v^ith oneormoreotherelementssuchas substancedepend onthedose, theduration anddrinkingwater, oxygen, chlonne orsulphur. Combinedwith ofexposure, howyouareexposed, personal andsmallchildren theseelements it isreferred toas inorganic traitsand habits, andwhetherotherchemicals sometimesingest arsenic, whereas, combined with carbon and are present contaminatedsoilor hydrogen, :t is referred toasorganicarsenic. Mostarsenicthat isabsorbed intothe dust. Youcan take Manyarsenic-containingsubstances, both body isconverted bythe livertoa lesstoxic stepstoreduceyour inorganicand organic,arenaturallyoccurring, form that isefficientlyexcreted in theurine. exposuretoarsenic whileothersare man-made. Consequently, arsenicdoesnothaveastrong tendencytoaccumulate inthe body, except How much arsenic is there athighexposure levels. usually in our soil? Inorganicarsenichasbeen recognized asa All soil containssomeamountofarsenic. In human poison sinceancienttimes,and very Ontario, backgroundarsenicconcentrations largedosescan result in death. Lowerlevels in old urban parkland range upto 17 parts ofexposure may produce injury in a number permillion (ppm), whileconcentrations in ofdifferentbodytissues orsystems: these rural parkland can reach 11 ppm. are calledsystemiceffects. When taken by Although significantamountsofarsenic mouth, acommon effectis irntation ofthe can be released from natural ore bodies, digestivetract, leadingtopain, nausea, human activityaccounts formostarsenic vomiting, and diarrhea. Othereffectstypical contamination in soil. In Ontario, many ofexposure by mouth includedecreased gold, silver, nickel, copperand zinc oresare blood cells, abnormal heartfunction, blood contaminatedwitharsenic. Asa result, the vessel damage, liverand/orkidney injury, areasofhighestcontaminationare in the and impaired nerve function causinga pins- vicinityofminingandsmeltingoperations. and-needlesfeeling in thefeetand hands. Arsenicconcentrationsinsoilsaround mine There isalsoevidencefrom animal studies sites have been reported ashigh as4,700 thathigh oral dosesduring pregnancymay ppm. damagethefetus, butthishasnot been Historically, arsenicwas used asan insecti- demonstrated in humans. cideand a herbicide, which hasresulted in Perhapsthesingle mostcharacteristic the contamination ofmanyagricultural soils. systemiceffectoforal exposure to inorganic MinistryoftheEnvironment FactSheet arsenic isa pattern ofskin changesincluding dailyintake ofarsenicthrough ingestion. theappearance ofdarkand lightspotson Thebreakdown isroughly84 percentfrom theskin, and small "corns" onthe palms, food, 15 percentfrom drinkingwater, less soles, and trunk. Whiletheseskinchanges than one percentfromsoil/dustsand a neg- are notconsidered tobea health concern ligibleamountfrom skincontact Although in theirown right, someofthecorns may mostareas in Ontario have lowlevelsof ultimately progresstoskincancer. Inaddi- arsenic in drinkingwatersupplies, thereare tion, arsenic ingestion hasbeen reported to places in Northern Ontariowherearsenic increasetheriskofinternal cancer, especially concentrations in drinking watersuppliesare in theliver, bladder, kidney, and lungs. relativelyhigh. Peopleliving nearmining or Inhalationofinorganic arsenic dustsor smeltingoperationsthathavebeen historically fumessometimes producesthesametypes contaminated witharsenic maybeexposed ofsystemic healtheffects produced by oral tohigherarsenic concentrationsthrough exposure. However, this is notcommon, ingestion ofsoil orthrough inhalation of andtheeffectsareusually mild. Ofmuch arsenic-contaminated dust. greaterconcern isthe abilityofinhaled In the past, household productssuch arsenicto increasethe riskoflungcancer. aspaints, dyes, ratpoisons, and medicines This has been observed mostly in humans fordiseasessuchasasthmaand psoriasis exposed to high levelsofairbornearsenicin contained inorganicarsenic. However, these oraround operating smelters, but lower productsare no longerin general use, so levels may increase lungcancerriskaswell. exposurefrom them is nowunlikely. There Directcontactwitharseniccompounds, are othersources, such assome herbal teas, frequentlyfrom inorganicarsenic dusts, may that maycontainarsenic. resultin mild tosevere irritation oftheskin. Arsenic isalso presentin cigarettesmoke There issomeevidencethatlow levelsof because itoccurs in tobacco plants. Asa exposure may be beneficial. Animals kepton result, peoplewhosmokehaveslightlyhigher a dietwith unusuallylowconcentrationsof exposurestoarsenicthan non-smokers. arsenicdid notgain weightnormally, and theybecame pregnant lessfrequentlythan Can arsenic exposure occur animalskeptona dietwitha more normal through eating backyard (but low) concentration ofarsenic. The vegetables? offspringfromtheseanimalstended to be Edible portionsofplantsseldomaccumulate smallerthan normal, and somedied atan highconcentrationsofarsenic. Thisis earlyage. Theestimated dailydoseofarsenic because mostbackyardvegetable plantsare thatis beneficial isquitesmall (aboutthe sensitivetoarsenic insoil andwill eitherbe sameasnormallysupplied inthediet), and killed orseverelystunted longbeforethe nocasesofarsenic deficiencyin humans arsenicconcentrations in theirtissuesreach have been found. concentrationsthat posea health risk. The extentofarsenicuptake into plants notonly How does exposure to dependsonthedegreeofarsenic contamina- arsenic occur? tion inthesoil butalsoonsoil properties. In Because arsenic occurs naturally in the general, thesandierorwetterthesoil, the environment, everyone isexposedto low greaterthe potential forarsenictoxicity. levels. Thegreatest, mostcommonsource of Toxicitysymptomsin plants includestunted, exposure toorganicarsenic isfrom food, blackened rootsand blackened leafmargins. particularlyshellfish, meat, poultry, grain and The highestarsenicconcentrationstend dairy products. Food and drinkingwater tobe in rootcrops, particularlybeetsand togetheraccountfor99 percentoftotal radishes. Fruitcrops, such astomatoes. MinistryoftheEnvironment FactSheet berriesand apples, presenta much lowerrisk What can you do to reduce How can you because theytakeupand storeverylittle exposure to arsenic? get more arsenic. A personcan takeverysimplestepsto information? reducetheirpersonal exposure toarsenic in ifyou live in the Green beansare good indicatorsofarsenic soil ordusts, and becauseofarsenic'sknown vicinityofa source in soil, since bean plantsare particularlysen- toxicity, such measuresaregenerallyadvised. ofarsenic pollution sitivetoarsenic. Ifgreen beans growwell Thesestepsapplyto reducingexposuresto andyoususpect in a garden, itisunlikelythatthe uptake of anymetal in soil, inanylocation. yoursoil maybe arsenic intoothervegetableswill be high Contaminatedsoil can be removed, or contaminated, con- enoughto posea health risk. exposure can bereduced bycovering the soil tactyour local office Who with clean soil orsod. Soil canalso be paved ofthe Ministryof is at risk? overorcovered with pavingstonesordeck- the Environment, Studies in humans indicatethatthere is ing. Otherthingsyou can do; You'll find thetele- considerablevariation among differentindi- phone numberin viduals Sensitive individualsinexposed • Washyourhandsand faceand those of the blue pagesof populationsoften begin todisplayone or yourchildrenafterworking orplaying yourtelephone more ofthe characteristicsignsofarsenic outdoorsand beforeeating. directory. toxicityatoral intakes ofaround 20 micro- • Cleanyourhomeregularlyusing a damp Contactyour local grams (pg) perkilogram ofbodyweightper mopordampcloth. Vacuuming and health unitoryour day (about 1000to 1500pg/dayforan adult sweeping can increase dust levels in the medical doctor if -pg isone-millionth ofa gram). Whilesome home. Use a phosphatecleaneratleast you areconcerned humanscan ingestover 150pg/kg/daywith- once aweek, especially nearwindowsills about being outanyapparentill-effects. and doors. Use rugs, curtainsand slip- exposed toarsenic There isno particularage groupthatis coversthatcan becleanedeasily. orhavequestions especiallysensitive toarsenic, butchildren • Avoid bringingoutdoordirtinside by abouthealtheffects, mayhave higherenvironmental exposure removingoutdoorshoes. thanadultsbecause oftheirsmallerbody • Petsare known tocarrycontaminated weightand becausethey playoutside. Ele- dusts into houses. Brush pets often astheir vated levelsofarsenic in soil (due eitherto furcollects dust. Petshould be brushed natural mineral depositsortocontamination outside ifpossible. from human activities) can lead tosome • Keepchildren's toysand playareasclean; exposure from ingesting soil. This isa partic- discourage mouthingactivitiessuchas ularexposure pathwayforsmallchildren eating dirtorsucking on dirtyobjects. whoswallowsmall amountsofsoil while • Beforeeating, thoroughlywashall vegeta- playing. bles and peel rootcrops. Washing has Manufacturing (smelting) ofcopperand beenshown to greatlyreduce the levels othermetals often releases inorganic arsenic ofarsenic on vegetables. intotheair. Thus, workers in metal smelters • Ifyou are digging orexcavatingsoil and nearbyresidentsareexposed toelevated around yourhome besureto weargloves arsenic levelsand may have increased risk. anda protective maskto reducecontact, Therearealso low levels ofarsenic in ciga- andtoavoid inhalingarsenic in dusts. rettesmoke. Therefore people whosmoke Do notputdisplacedsoils intovegetable will haveslightlyhigherriskthan non- gardens. smokerstoarsenic. • Forsmokers, reduce theamountyou smoke. Ministryofthe Environment eQueensPrinterforOntario.2001 IPrintedonrecydedpaper PIBS:37929 03/01