Arsenic

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 KING of Poison
and
Poison of KINGS

Simón Bolívar (24 July Napoleon Bonaparte (15

1783 – 17 December August 1769 – 5 May 1821), a
1830), a Venezuelan French statesman and military
military and political leader who rose to prominence
leader. Paul Auwaerter, during the French Revolution. It
infectious diseases has been suspected by modern
specialist studied notes of scientists that napoleon later
Bolívar's symptoms and illness came up from arsenic
concluded that he might poisoning caused by copper
have been poisoned by arsenite.
using arsenic Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simón_Bolívar

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 What is Arsenic?
▪ “Elemental arsenic is a naturally-occurring
silver-gray solid metalloid. The element
(zero valence) form, which rarely exists in
nature and has low solubility, is seldom a
cause of human toxicity “(1Kosnett MJ et
al.2005).
▪ Arsenic has atomic number 33 and relative
mass 74.92
▪ Inorganic As is a human carcinogen (2EPA,
1984)
▪ It is odorless and tasteless
▪ Non magnetic
▪ Poor conductivity of heat and electricity
1Kosnett MJ et al. Critical Care Toxicology. Diagnosis and Management of the Critically Poisoned Patient. Elsevier Mosby. 2005.
2U.S.Environmental Protection Agency. Health Assessment Document for Inorganic Arsenic. EPA/540/1-86/020. Environmental Criteria and
Assessment Office, Office of Health and Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC. 1984.
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 General Forms of Arsenic
Arsenic generally occurs as As(III) or As(V)
Inorganic forms:
• Arsenic trioxide AsIII2O3,
• Arsenic pentoxide AsV2O5, TOXIC
• Sodium arsenite NaAsIIIO2,
• Sodium arsenate Na2HAsVO4,
• AsIII(OH)3,
• AsVO(OH)3

Organic forms: LESS

• Monomethylarsonic acid (MMAV) CH3H2AsO3, TOXIC
• Dimethylarsonic acid (DMAV, cacodylic acid) (CH3)2As(O)OH,
• Arsenobetaine (fish) (CH3)3AsVCH2CO2

The organic compounds are less toxic than the

inorganic compounds
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 Source of Arsenic
Natural occurrence Anthropogenic
▪ Widely distributed ▪ Mining and
in earth’s crust smelting

▪ Volcanic activity ▪ Cattle and

sheep dips

▪ Often ▪ Industrial uses

concentrated in (ammunition
sulfide mineral production, wood
bearing deposits preservative,
(e.g. gold and semiconductor,
copper) etc.)
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 Effect on health
• Acute arsenic poisoning • Chronic arsenic poisoning
❑ Nausea ❑ Affect the structure of
❑ Vomiting cardiovascular
❑ Blood in urine ❑ Risk of cancer
❑ Cramping muscle ❑ Night blindness
❑ Hair loss ❑ Heart disease
❑ Stomach pain ❑ Skin color change
❑ Convulsions ❑ Eye inflammation
❑ Organ failure ❑ Hyperkeratosis and
❑ Comma to death (interferes with hyperpigmentation
glycolysis)

The effect of arsenic poisoning on hands and feet
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/bengali/india-arsenic-
03162017161559.html
Arsenic contamination put people at risk of serious
diseases including cancer
https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/alarmingly-high-
arsenic-level-found-in-pakistan-groundwater/822401/
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Arsenic contamination in groundwater around the world

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic_contamination_of_groundwater
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 Arsenic contamination in Bangladesh

▪ The arsenic contamination in groundwater in

Bangladesh is one of the largest population
poisoning in the history.
▪ The contamination spread to 59 of the 64
districts in Bangladesh.
where arsenic concentration above the
national quality standard (50 ppb).
▪ Around 43,000 people die every year due to
arsenic-related illness.
▪ The source of arsenic contamination that
enters groundwater in Bangladesh is still
controversial and unknown.
▪ But recently, It is widely believed that a natural
geological source caused the high arsenic
levels in the groundwater which suspected due
to abstraction water from quaternary confined
and semi-confined alluvial or deltaic aquifers.
Source: https://www.iwapublishing.com/news/arsenic-
contamination-groundwater-bangladesh-environmental-and-
social-disaster

Source: https://www.bgs.ac.uk/arsenic/bangladesh/

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 Arsenic issue in Japan
Toroku arsenic disease

• Toroku is a small village located in Miyazaki

Prefecture in Kyushu Island.
• The mine workers hammered the
arsenopyrites ores and molded with bare
hands before bringing them to kiln to burn.
• The kiln generated smoke and ashes which
contained arsenic and the mine workers
disposed the ashes into the Toroku river
which was used for rice irrigation. The
arsenic-contaminated water from Toroku
river flowed into small irrigation canals in the
local communities
• Several vegetation and animal such as tress,
mushrooms, wild bees, and livestock died
People protest against the mine company in Toroku mysteriously. Several people who lived near
Source: https://ejatlas.org/conflict/toroku-miyazaki-prefecture-japan
the kiln had suffered blackened skin and bad
coughs, and some of them died. The other
impact was also found many cases of lung
cancer among the local people.
Source: https://ejatlas.org/print/toroku-miyazaki-prefecture-japan

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 Arsenic issue in Japan
Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident

• The Morinaga Milk arsenic poisoning incident

occured in 1955 and caused around 100 infants
died.
• The arsenic was accidentally added to dried milk
through an industrial grade of monosodium
phosphate additive.
• This poisoning also caused thousands of other
The infants who had the symptoms shared the same
characteristic: they were bottle-fed from the
infants suffered illness
Morinaga milk brand.
Source:
• Some symptoms affected the infants are strange
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Morinaga_ sickness, diarrhea or constipation, vomiting,
Milk_arsenic_poisoning_incident
swollen abdomen, and darkening of skin color.
• The infants who had the symptoms shared the
same characteristic: they were bottle-fed from
the Morinaga milk brand
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morinaga_Milk_arsenic_poisoning_incident

Morinaga dry milk

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Collected_Morinaga_Dry-milk.JPG
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