How is arsenic used?

 

 

Arsenic compounds have been used in many ways, including:

• As a preservative in pressure-treated lumber
• In pesticides
• As a preservative in animal hides
• As an additive to lead (such as in lead-acid batteries) and copper
• In some glass manufacturing
• As arsine gas to enhance electrical junctions in semiconductors

Although arsenic can be poisonous in higher doses, it has also been used in some medicines.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, arsenic was commonly used to treat diseases such as syphilis and psoriasis. 

A form of arsenic is still used to treat an uncommon blood cancer known as acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Arsenic occurs in large quantities in the earth's crust and in trace quantities in rocks, soil, water and air. Exposure to high levels of arsenic can cause cancers and other disorders. 

Boiling water contaminated with chemicals such as nitrates or toxic elements such as arsenic is a bad idea, so there may be circumstances when re-boiling water is a problem this is really only a problem in a few rural areas where water quality isn't monitored.

Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a form of groundwater pollution which is often due to naturally occurring high concentrations of arsenic in deeper levels of groundwater.

It is a high-profile problem due to the use of deep tube wells for water supply in the Ganges Delta, causing serious arsenic poisoning to large numbers of people. 

A 2007 study found that over 137 million people in more than 70 countries are probably affected by arsenic poisoning of drinking water. 

Arsenic contamination of ground water is found in many countries throughout the world, including the USA.

Approximately 20 major incidents of groundwater arsenic contamination have been reported. 

Of these, four major incidents occurred in Asia, in Thailand, Taiwan, and Mainland China.