Environmental effects of arsenic

Another intensively studied element in speciation analysis is arsenic. The biological and environmental effects of arsenic species and their transformation pathways have been studied in numerous papers.40- 42 Both arsenite and arsenate accumulate in living tissues because of their affinity for proteins, lipids and other cellular compounds.43 Arsenic species can undergo transformation via... 

Substantial arsenic may leach into adjacent soils from wooden structures with CCA or other arsenic-bearing preservatives. Townsend et al. (2003) has shown that 65 surface soil samples from underneath nine CCA-treated wood structures in Florida, USA, contain 1.18-217 mg kg-1 of arsenic when compared with control soils that average only 1.36 mg kg-1 (Table 3.20). In a study involving ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate wood preservatives, arsenic concentrations generally fell to background levels within 150-300 mm away from 19 utility poles in Virginia, New York, and Florida, USA ((Morrell, Keefe and Baileys, 2003) Table 3.20). The environmental effects of arsenic-bearing wood preservatives are further discussed in Chapters 5 and 7. 

K.S. Squibb, and B.A. Fowler, The toxicity of arsenic and its compounds, in Fowler, B.A., ed., Biological and Environmental Effects of Arsenic, Amsterdam Elsevier Science, 233, 1983. 

Pershagen G The epidemiology of human arsenic exposure, in Biological and Environmental Effects of Arsenic. Edited by Fowler BA. Amsterdam, Elsevier, 1983, pp 199-232... 

WooLSON EA (1983) Chapter 2. In Fowler BA, ed. Biological and environmental effects of arsenic, pp. 51-139. Elsevier Amsterdam. 

Woolson, E.A. (1983). Emissions, cycling and effects of arsenic in soil ecosystems, in Fowler. B.A. (ed). Topics in environmental health, Vol. 6, Biological and environmental effects of arsenic. 

Japanese Arsenic Scientists Society (IASS), Arsenic Chemistry, metabolism and toxicity [4]. The JASS symposia resulted in successive volumes as special issues of Applied Organometallic Chemistry, entitled "Natural and industrial arsenic" [5-7] and "Environmental and industrial arsenic" [8,9]. Fowler [10] and Nriagu [11,12] have edited books devoted to the biological and environmental effects of arsenic. Chapters of interest appear in a book edited by Brinckman Bellama [13], and some useful reviews have been published by Phillips [14] Phillips Depledge [15] Maeda Sakaguchi [16] Cullen Reimer [ 17] Maeda [18] Maeda and Takeshita [19] andTakeshitaand Maeda [20]. Arsenic compounds in marine environments are described in many of these books and reviews, but few describe those in freshwater environments. 

Interaction effects of arsenic with other carcinogens, cocarcinogens, promoting agents, inhibitors, and common environmental contaminants... 

This chapter presents specific information with regard to the effects of environmental and occupational exposure to arsenic on inflammatory processes, the immune system, and host defense. While the focus is on the in vivo and in vitro effects of arsenic on host immune responses (e.g., immunotoxicity and hypersensitivity) and their relationship to clinically observed manifestations of arsenic toxicity (e.g., inflammation and skin cancer), information on the potential mechanisms through which arsenic may exert its biological effects is also provided. 

The term heavy metal refers to any metallic chemical element that has a relatively high density (nsnally specific density of more than 5 g/mL) and is toxic or poisonous at low concentrations. Examples of heavy metals include arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and thallium (Tl). The sources, uses, and environmental effects of several exemplary specific metals are discussed briefly here. 

Arsenicals of recent interest include the wood preservatives chromated copper arsenate (CCA) (Chapter 5). Because of the concern over the potential toxic effects of arsenic in the preservative, in an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the wood preservative industry voluntary phased out the use of CCA in wood for residential use in 2003 (Katz and Salem, 2005). However, CCA-treated wood can still be used in industrial applications. A problem in the future will be how to safely dispose of CCA-treated wood (Chapter 7). 

What are the environmental effects of this heavy use of pesticides (insecticides and herbicides) After heavy rains on the island, large numbers of dead fish have been found in the ocean, and washed up on the shore near the potato farms. The suspected cause is the leaching of sodium arsenite and other pesticides used in the potato fields. Sodium arsenate is a chemical used to kill both weeds and insects. If the poisoning of the ocean waters continues, Prince Edward Island s unique seafood industry will come to an end. 

Environmental and health effects of radionuclides are summarized by Siegel and Bryan, (see Chapter 9.06). Potential environmental effects of hydrocarbons and organic chemicals are addressed in other chapters, and will not be discussed here. Environmental and health effects of arsenic, selenium, and mercury are addressed in greater detail elsewhere in this volume, including Chapters 9.02 and 9.04. Further information on the environmental geochemistry of metals is presented by Callender (see Chapter 9.03). 

This review describes factors concerning the safety and environmental effects of organic arsenic, antimony and bismuth compounds. The factors involve the production and use of the elements, toxicity, pollution, metabolism (alkylation), health effect assessment, fate and so on. 

Carcinogenic Effects of Arsenic Compounds in Drinking Water U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1987, EPA/600/S1-87/007. 

Many environmental problems in water result from chemical species that are present in only trace quantities. Consequently, chemical analysis and detection have made major contributions to discovering and understanding these problems. Examples include the problems of bioaccumulation of certain chemicals, persistent organic pollutants, pesticide residues, and the health effects of arsenic and lead as well as other trace metals. 

Anke M, Krause U and Geoppel B (1987) The effect of arsenic deficiency on growth, reproduction, life expectancy and disease symptoms in animals. In Hemphill DD, ed. Trace Substances in Environmental Health XXI, pp. 533-550. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 

The next eight chapters will be devoted to the ecotoxicology of groups of compounds that have caused concern on account of their real or perceived environmental effects and have been studied both in the laboratory and in the field. These are predominantly compounds produced by humans. However, a few of them, for example, methyl mercury, methyl arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), are also naturally occurring. In this latter case, there can be difficulty in distinguishing between human and natural sources of harmful chemicals. 

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