In arsenic poisoning

Colloidal saccharated iron is sometimes used in place of ferric hydroxide as an antidote in arsenical poisoning, but its adsorptive capacity depends on the alkalinity of the medium.4 Thus a commercial preparation containing 0-75 per cent, of sodium hydroxide was found to adsorb 12-57 per cent, of arsenious oxide (reckoned on the amount of iron present) addition of alkali increased the adsorption until, with 1-28 per cent, of sodium hydroxide present, there was a maximum adsorption of 27 per cent. The addition of acid correspondingly diminished the adsorption. A gel of ferric magnesium hydroxide, if prepared without boiling, also adsorbs arsenic from sodium arsenite solutions.5... 

It has been suggested that potassium ion channel alteration induced by arsenic may be related to hERG trafficking defects. ECG changes in arsenic poisonings have been... 

Graziano, J.H., Cuccia, D., Friedheim, E., 1978. The pharmacology of 2,3-dimer-captosuccinic acid and its potential use in arsenic poisoning. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 207, 1051-1055. 

Arsenic compounds must be considered extremely poisonous. Dust or fumes irritate mucous membranes and lead to arsenical poisoning. When swallowed they irritate the stomach and affect the heart, Hver, and kidneys. Nervousness, thirst, vomiting, diarrhea, cyanosis, and coUapse are among the symptoms of arsenical poisoning (3). In spite of the toxicity of arsenic compounds, there is evidence that arsenic is an essential nutrient for several animal species (4). 

The "arsenic poison" referred to in true-crime dramas is actually the oxide of arsenic, As203, rather than the element itself. Less than 0.1 g of this white, slightly soluble powder can be fatal. The classic symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning involve various unpleasant gastroin-... 

In the modern forensic chemistry laboratory (Figure B) arsenic is detected by analysis of hair samples, where the element tends to concentrate in chronic arsenic poisoning. A single strand of hair is sufficient to establish the presence or absence of the element. The technique most commonly used is neutron activation analysis, described in Chapter 19. If the concentration found is greater than about 0.0003%, poisoning is indicated normal arsenic levels are much lower than this. 

Urinary arsenic is routinely evaluated in victims of arsine poisoning. Urine arsenic in unexposed people is <50 figfL (Landrigan et al. 1982). These authors reported that 15.6 fig of arsine/m3 is associated with urinary arsenic of 50 jug/L. Other studies of urinary arsenic levels have also been reported, but the post-exposure time of measurement varies considerably, and there are no corresponding exposure correlates. Urinary arsenic levels in humans poisoned by arsine include 3.08 mg/L (Spolyar and Harger 1950), 1.14 mg/L, and 2.25 mg As/L (Elkins and Fahy 1967) 20 mg/L, 220 mg/L (24 h post-exposure) (Uldall et al. 1970), 130 mg/L, 175 mg/L (Uldall et al. 1970), and 0.43 mg As/L (24 h post-exposure) (De Palma 1969)... 

Lasch, F. 1958. Clinic and therapy in severe arsenic poisoning. Med. Klin. 53 787-789. 

Landrigan, P.J., R.J.Castello, and W.T.Stringer. 1982. Occupational exposure to arsine. An epidemiologic reappraisal of current standards. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health. 8 169-177. Legge, T.M. 1916. Arsenic poisoning. In Diseases of Occupations and Vocational Hygiene, G.M.Kober and W.Hanson, eds. Philadelphia, PA Blakiston. 

Episodes of arsenic poisoning are either acute or subacute cases of chronic arsenosis are rarely encountered, except in humans. 

Research results on arsenic poisoning in mammals (Table 28.6) show general agreement on eight points ... 

Accumulations of 1 mg/kg BW daily for 3 months in children, or 80 mg/kg BW daily for 3 years in adults produced symptoms of chronic arsenic poisoning... 

Tissue residues Residues, in mg total As/kg FW, liver or kidney in 2-10 range are considered elevated residues >10 mg/kg are indicative of arsenic poisoning (Goede 1985)... 

Chronic arsenic poisoning Lifetime cumulative absorption of 1 g As, or intake of 0.7-2.6 g/year for several years (in medications) can produce symptoms after latent period of 4-24 years (NRCC 1978)... 

Choprapawon, C. and A. Rodcline. 1997. Chronic arsenic poisoning in Ronpibool Nakhon Sri Thammarat, the southern province of Thailand. Pages 69-77 in C.O. Abernathy, R. Calderon, and W.R. Chappell (eds.). Arsenic. Exposure and Health Effects. Chapman Hall, London. 

Samad, M.A. and A. Chowdhury. 1984. Clinical cases of arsenic poisoning in cattle. Indian Jour. Vet. Med. 4 107-108. 

Selby, L.A., A.A. Case, G.D. Osweiler, and H.M. Hages, Jr. 1977. Epidemiology and toxicology of arsenic poisoning in domestic animals. Environ. Health Perspec. 19 183-189. 

---