Everyone knows arsenic is bad for you. Today we discuss where arsenic comes from, its history as a medicine, how much is bad for you, and how it got its awful reputation.

Welcome back, everyone. I hope you are all weathering the Coronavirus pandemic well.  I'm sure the world will survive this pandemiclike it has the others, but individually I hope you all stay safe and healthy.

Today’s topic is

Arsenic: who eats old lace anyway?

Arsenic as a medicine

As the world searches for a cure to the Coronavirus, could Imake a suggestion?  Let’s not tryarsenic.  Through the centuries, it seemsthat arsenic has been advertised as a cure for many major illnesses.  Since Hippocrates first recommended arsenicas a cure for ulcers and abscesses, it seems that arsenic was recommended forabout every conceivable illness.  It hasbeen used to “cure” skin conditions, stomatitis, gingivitis in infants, asthma,rheumatism, hemorrhoids, cough, a fever reducer, and an all-around great healthtonic. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2141.2009.07623.x

From 1910 till the introduction of penicillin, an arsenicderivative known as Salvarsan was the primary cure for syphilis, andindications are that it actually did a pretty good job of killing the bacteriawithout killing the patient, something that not all syphilis cures could claim.https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/magazine/early-solution

Today, arsenic trioxide is used to treat lymphoma andleukemia. https://pmj.bmj.com/content/79/933/391

However, arsenic is most famous as a cure for rich relativeswho were too stubborn to exit this world and leave behind a well-earned birthright.  A little sprinkle of some inheritance powderand suddenly the money started to flow again.

Arsenic is a metalloid element with an atomic number of 33.  While it can be naturally found as a pure element, it is often found bonded with sulfur or oxygen. 

Mankind has known about arsenic since before the Egyptiansused it to embalm their dead to preserve the bodies until heat and moisturecould prevent natural decay. 

Arsenic in groundwater

The most common natural way to encounter arsenic is throughcontaminated groundwater.  Whileoccasionally human activity is responsible for the presence of arsenic inwater, generally most contaminated wells are a result of the leaching ofnaturally occurring arsenic.  As a child,I remember having our well tested several times to determine arseniclevels.  The areas most affected bynatural arsenic in the US are the southwest, northwest, northeast, andAlaska.  Arsenic in groundwater can be ahazard because dangerous levels of arsenic don’t affect the taste of drinkingwater.  Generally, the only way to detectthese levels is through laboratory testing. 

The EPA limit for arsenic in groundwater is 10ppb.  They also estimate that 2% of water suppliesexceed 20ppb.  2ppb is a normal level,but levels of up to 1000 ppb have been found in drinking water.  https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=1&po=7

The USGS estimatesover 2 million people in the US may be drinking water high in arsenic. https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/arsenic-and-drinking-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

Arsenic contamination can also be from sources such asarsenic-treated lumber, coal-fired power plants, smelting, and mining activity.

Other sources of arsenic likely to be encountered inindustry include algaecides, cotton harvesting, glass manufacturing, herbicidesand pesticides, and treated lumber were common in the past.  Today, the electronics industry is one of themost significant modern users. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=1&po=5

Incidence of arsenic poisoning

In 2005, there were almost 1000 cases of exposure tonon-pesticide arsenic, with over ¾ of these being in adults.  For the 371 cases of exposure to arsenic