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The Effects of Arsenic in Drinking Water and Arsenic in Ground Water

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element present in rocks and soil. Many industries pertaining to wood preservation and the production of semi-conductors and insecticides also give off arsenic as part of their process, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)..

As a result, arsenic also contaminates many groundwater sources, mostly from minerals that dissolve into the water from rock and soil. Without proper treatment and filtering, this arsenic can end up in your drinking water and affect your health in several ways.

  1. Chronic poisoning

    • Inorganic arsenic--not to be confused with organic arsenic, present in fish and much less harmful--is highly toxic and can harm you even if ingested in small doses. Chronic arsenic poisoning usually occurs after long-term exposure to drinking, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). At first this can cause skin lesions like hyperpigmentation (darkening of the skin) and hyperkeratosis (thickening of the skin). The WHO also lists peripheral neuropathy--usually described as a sensation of pins and needles on hands and feet--anemia and general weakness as potential symptoms.

    Cancer risk

    • Cancer poses the biggest risk by far of ingesting arsenic through drinking water. For instance, the Department of Health and Human Services and the EPA have determined that "inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen" and that ingestion of arsenic has been linked to cancer of the skin, liver, bladder, lungs, kidneys and prostate. A study made by Dr. Tom K. Hei and colleagues at Columbia University in 2000 suggested that arsenic causes cancer by fostering the formation of free radicals, which in turn trigger cancer-starting mutations in cells.

    Acute poisoning

    • When the arsenic content in water gets particularly high levels, acute poisoning may occur. According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, hepatic necrosis (a severe form of hepatitis), acute renal failure, encephalopathy (brain disease), and a wide range of cardiovascular problems prove just some of the potentially fatal symptoms.

      U.S. water supplies that comply with the EPA regulation regarding the maximum legal content of arsenic in drinking water--currently set at 10 parts per billion (ppb)--have made such effects unlikely, according to the agency. However, a New York Times article recently reported that more than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegally high concentrations of arsenic.

    Benefits

    • Despite all of the harmful effects associated with inorganic arsenic, it can also deliver some surprising benefits. A report published in the New England Journal of Medicine back in 1988 showed that low doses of arsenic trioxide, a particularly strong arsenic compound, can induce complete remissions in patients with acute promyelotic leukemia, a rare form of leukemia.

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