Inorganic Arsenic Compounds

Published under the joint sponsorship of the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Labour Office, WHO

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been considering a more stringent regulation of arsenic in water. A significant reduction in the maximum contaminant level (MCL) could increase compliance costs for water utilities. This book discusses the adequacy of the current EPA MCL for protecting human health in the context of stated EPA policy and provides an unbiased scientific basis for deriving the arsenic standard for drinking water and surface water. Arsenic in Drinking Water evaluates epidemiological data on the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health effects of arsenic exposure of Taiwanese populations and compares those effects with the effects of arsenic exposure demonstrated in other countries—including the United States. The book also reviews data on toxicokinetics, metabolism, and mechanism and mode of action of arsenic to ascertain how these data could assist in assessing human health risks from arsenic exposures. This volume recommends specific changes to improve the toxicity analyses and risk characterization. The implications of the changes for EPA’s current MCL for arsenic are also described.

Handbook of Arsenic Toxicology, Second Edition presents the latest findings on arsenic, including its chemistry, sources and effects on the environment and human health. The book discusses both acute and chronic effects, discussing many aspects of arsenic, from physical and chemical properties, exposure, epidemiology, organ toxicity, diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Fully updated and revised, this new edition includes new topics on risk assessment, molecular mechanisms of arsenic, advances in the integrated approach to testing, assessment and development, evaluation and application of high content predictive models, and new alternative methods (NAMS) in the context of Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs) to assess toxicology. This comprehensive resource allows readers to effectively assess the risks related to arsenic, providing them with all they need to know on arsenic exposure, toxicity and toxicity prevention. Brings together current findings on the effects of arsenic on the environment and human health Includes state-of-the-art techniques in arsenic toxicokinetics, speciation and molecular mechanisms Provides all the information needed for effective risk assessment, prevention and countermeasures

Having safe drinking water is important to all Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency's decision in the summer of 2001 to delay implementing a new, more stringent standard for the maximum allowable level for arsenic in drinking water generated a great deal of criticism and controversy. Ultimately at issue were newer data on arsenic beyond those that had been examined in a 1999 National Research Council report. EPA asked the National Research Council for an evaluation of the new data available. The committee's analyses and conclusions are presented in Arsenic in Drinking Water: 2001 Update. New epidemiological studies are critically evaluated, as are new experimental data that provide information on how and at what level arsenic in drinking water can lead to cancer. The report's findings are consistent with those of the 1999 report that found high risks of cancer at the previous federal standard of 50 parts per billion. In fact, the new report concludes that men and women who consume water containing 3 parts per billion of arsenic daily have about a 1 in 1,000 increased risk of developing bladder or lung cancer during their lifetime.

An in-depth review of arsenic and its affect on the environment and to man.

Topics in Environmental Health, Volume 6: Biological and Environmental Effects of Arsenic focuses on the properties, characteristics, and reactions of arsenic and its effects on the environment. The selection first tackles the mobilization of arsenic by natural and industrial processes and emissions, cycling, and effects of arsenic in soil ecosystems. Discussions focus on the effects of arsenic on plants and soil microorganisms, exposure through consumption, sources of arsenic, and mobilization of arsenic by natural processes and industrial activities. The publication then ponders on environmental reaction and analysis methods and arsenical metabolism and toxicity to freshwater and marine species. The text examines the metabolism of arsenic and epidemiology of human arsenic exposure, including acute and chronic effects by arsenic in man, absorption, tissue distribution and retention, and elimination and biological half-time. The publication then takes a look at the toxicity of arsenic and its compounds, as well as biological transformation of arsenic compounds in soil ecosystems and effects on plants; biotransformation of arsenic compounds and toxicity to freshwater and marine biota; and environmental transformation of arsenic in freshwater/marine ecosystems. The selection is a dependable reference for readers interested in the biological and environmental effects of arsenic.