Arsenic News and Research

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Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the earth’s crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic in animals and plants combines with carbon and hydrogen to form organic arsenic compounds.

Breathing high levels of inorganic arsenic can give you a sore throat or irritated lungs.

Ingesting very high levels of arsenic can result in death. Exposure to lower levels can cause nausea and vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels, and a sensation of “pins and needles” in hands and feet.

Ingesting or breathing low levels of inorganic arsenic for a long time can cause a darkening of the skin and the appearance of small “corns” or “warts” on the palms, soles, and torso.

Trace metals in Leatherback turtle eggs could pose health risks to consumers

Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) eggs laid in Bocas del Toro nesting beaches in the Panamanian Caribbean may be harmful to consumers.

12 Jan 2020

MDI Biological Laboratory announces expansion of innovative data literacy program

The MDI Biological Laboratory has announced that it is expanding its innovative SEPA (Science Education Partnership Award) program, which aims to improve secondary school education in data literacy while addressing the public health threat posed by arsenic in well water.

3 Jan 2020

Warmer temperatures can lead to higher concentrations of arsenic in rice grains

People around the world consume rice in their daily diets. But in addition to its nutrient and caloric content, rice can contain small amounts of arsenic, which in large doses is a toxin linked to multiple health conditions and dietary-related cancers.

4 Dec 2019

This story contains a warning that might cause alarm — or apathy

For more than a decade, Raymond Ho has answered calls for California's poison emergency hotline.

22 Nov 2019

Study finds no clear link between cancer incidence and local food in glassworks areas

There is no clear link between cancer incidence and locally produced food from an area with a history of glass manufacture with contaminated soil, according to a new study from, among others, Linköping University in Sweden.

23 Sep 2019

Contaminated tap water linked to more than 100,000 cancer cases in the US

Tap water contaminated with a toxic cocktail of chemical pollutants could be responsible for more than 100,000 cancer cases in the US over a lifetime.

19 Sep 2019

Fungus used in traditional medicine could slow neuron loss in ALS

A Chinese caterpillar fungus that is used in traditional Chinese medicine has been found to minimize motor neuron loss in mice models of ALS.

25 Jul 2019

New research could help design algae that produces fuels and cleanup chemicals

It's a case of grand larceny that could lead to new fuels and cleanup chemicals. Ten species of red algae stole about 1 percent of their genes from bacteria to cope with toxic metals and salt stress in hot springs, according to a study in the journal eLife.

18 Jul 2019

Mother calls for protein shake regulation after daughter dies

A mother is calling on the health industry to regulate sales of protein powder and supplements after her daughter died in 2017 due to a protein-heavy diet.

15 Jul 2019

Exposure to airborne metal pollutants linked with greater risk of mortality

Although there is ample evidence that air pollution--specifically airborne particulate matter--is associated with an increased risk of premature death, it is still not known which specific particles are responsible for this effect.

30 May 2019

Arsenic in drinking water may lead to thickening of the heart's main pumping chamber

Drinking water that is contaminated with arsenic may lead to thickening of the heart's main pumping chamber in young adults, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

8 May 2019

Mining microbial treasures from human-made noxious sites

Filled with a noxious brew of copper, cadmium and arsenic, with a pH rivaling that of sulfuric acid, Montana's Berkeley Pit seems inhospitable to life.

8 May 2019

New study pinpoints better strategies to stem arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh

In what has been called "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history," some 40 million people in Bangladesh are drinking water that contains unsafe levels of arsenic.

8 May 2019

Drinking water contaminated with arsenic may lead to changes in heart structure

Drinking water that is contaminated with arsenic may lead to thickening of the heart's main pumping chamber in young adults, a structural change that increases the risk for future heart problems, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, an American Heart Association journal.

7 May 2019

Researchers discover new broad-spectrum antibiotic that contains arsenic

Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the biggest public health threats of our time. There is a pressing need for new and novel antibiotics to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide.

16 Apr 2019

Key gene involved in transmission of African sleeping sickness identified

Life scientists from UCLA and the University of Bern have identified a key gene in the transmission of African sleeping sickness -- a severe disease transmitted by the bite of infected tsetse flies, which are common in sub-Saharan Africa.

10 Apr 2019

Smartphone test detects unsafe arsenic levels in water

A smartphone device could help millions of people avoid drinking water contaminated by arsenic.

27 Mar 2019

UA researchers are developing new method to make drinking water safer

For decades, manmade chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were used in everything from carpets to frying pans to firefighting chemicals for their ability to repel water and oil.

26 Mar 2019

Pollutants appear to weaken immune system and increase pathogen virulence

Many people view pollutants and pathogens as separate causes of illness. However, recent research indicates that the two can interact, changing how people and animals respond to infectious diseases.

21 Mar 2019

$2.7 million grant supports UIC researchers to study role of arsenic in development of diabetes

A five-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will help researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago answer basic questions about the role of arsenic in the development of diabetes and examine the mechanisms by which selenoproteins – found in the human body in 25 different forms – counter the effects of arsenic.

11 Mar 2019