Introduction
Arsenic, or chronic arsenic toxicity (CAT), has been shown to affect multi organ systems of the human body. Exposure to arsenic through food, water or air is all
modes of transmission but ingestion of inorganic arsenic from ground water is the primary cause of the disease. Many places throughout the world are exposed
to toxic arsenic concentrations in their water supply. Diagnosis and treatment is made difficult by the chronic nature of infection and variability of symptoms.
Incidence
Arsenicosis is a global problem. It affects countries of every socioeconomic type; however, the countries of Southeast Asia are the most affected. Nearly 31 million people are estimated to be exposed in India and Bangladesh and hundreds of thousands of clinical cases have been identified. The exact number of people who are affected from arsenic poisoning is not known with accuracy because symptoms often take years to develop and local health officials are poor at diagnosing Arsenicosis. Various countries throughout the world are similarly affected including the United States. The western part of the United States has some arsenic well water concentrations that are above the 10 part per
billion recommendations. It is still unclear whether toxicity exists at low
levels.
Affected populations typically poor people in Southeast Asia are most affected by this disease: they have no other source of water besides tube wells.
Additionally, the poor are less likely to be educated to understand the dangers or recognize the symptoms of Arsenicosis. There are specific regions that have
higher concentrations of arsenic depending on the underlying geologic strata.Arsenicosis is more prevalent in adults over 40 years of age. This has to do with the chronic nature of the disease. It can take as long as seven to ten years to develop symptoms.
Arsenic, or chronic arsenic toxicity (CAT), has been shown to affect multi organ systems of the human body. Exposure to arsenic through food, water or air is all
modes of transmission but ingestion of inorganic arsenic from ground water is the primary cause of the disease. Many places throughout the world are exposed
to toxic arsenic concentrations in their water supply. Diagnosis and treatment is made difficult by the chronic nature of infection and variability of symptoms.
Incidence
Arsenicosis is a global problem. It affects countries of every socioeconomic type; however, the countries of Southeast Asia are the most affected. Nearly 31 million people are estimated to be exposed in India and Bangladesh and hundreds of thousands of clinical cases have been identified. The exact number of people who are affected from arsenic poisoning is not known with accuracy because symptoms often take years to develop and local health officials are poor at diagnosing Arsenicosis. Various countries throughout the world are similarly affected including the United States. The western part of the United States has some arsenic well water concentrations that are above the 10 part per
billion recommendations. It is still unclear whether toxicity exists at low
levels.
Affected populations typically poor people in Southeast Asia are most affected by this disease: they have no other source of water besides tube wells.
Additionally, the poor are less likely to be educated to understand the dangers or recognize the symptoms of Arsenicosis. There are specific regions that have
higher concentrations of arsenic depending on the underlying geologic strata.Arsenicosis is more prevalent in adults over 40 years of age. This has to do with the chronic nature of the disease. It can take as long as seven to ten years to develop symptoms.