After virtually eliminating arsenic as a useful tool for homicide, science now faces challenges in doing the same for natural sources of this fabled old “inheritance powder” that contaminates water supplies and food, threatening more than 35 million people worldwide.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of a popular book documenting arsenic’s horrific history as a poison highlighted that situation at a far-ranging symposium on arsenic here today during the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The following topics were among the two dozen presentations at the “Arsenic Contamination in Food and Water” symposium (abstracts appear below):
- Poisoner’s cupboard: The long (and sometimes homicidal) history of arsenic in everyday life.
- Arsenic in rice and rice products.
- Remediation of arsenic contamination of groundwater in Asia and USA.
- Development of a method for assessing perinatal exposures to heavy metals using residual dried blood spots from newborn screening programs.
- Pick your poison? Arsenic in harvested country foods, edible mushrooms and wine from Canada.
- Low, slow and Next Gen impact: Arsenic, human health and cancer risks.
“Because of its sinister, homicidal uses, arsenic — a naturally occurring element found in the Earth’s crust — became world-renowned as the ‘inheritance powder,’” explained Deborah Blum, the plenary speaker for the symposium. “What made arsenic such a good homicidal poison is the same thing that makes it dangerous in environmental exposures — it gives no warning,” said Blum, who is at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It’s mostly tasteless, it’s odorless, and it’s colorless. The symptoms of arsenic poisoning, especially if given in small doses over a long time, mimic those of natural diseases, so for a long time, people got away with it. Arsenic became one of the great historical poisons in human history.”
Blum described how arsenic remained largely the poisoner’s first choice until the 19th century, when manufacturers started using it in pesticides, candies, jewelry and even in wallpaper to give it a deep green color. It even found uses in patent remedies and as an additive in certain foods. It was all over the place and easy for anyone to get.
“At the start of the 19th century, scientists started realizing that they had to put a stop to this free-wheeling, murderous situation,” she explained. “That’s when the big revolution happened — scientists finally figured out how to detect arsenic in the body. Slowly, people realized they couldn’t easily get away with it anymore, and arsenic became more difficult to obtain — manufacturers stopped adding it to common household products.”
Other speakers in the symposium focused on the ongoing problem of arsenic contamination in the 21st century. Arsenic occurs naturally in elevated concentrations in the soil in certain areas of the world. It sometimes leaches into drinking water supplies and food. Recent reports in the news media have drawn attention to its presence in apple juice and rice, and in groundwater in Bangladesh and Chile.
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- Martinelli’s Apple Juice Recalled in More Than 30 States Over ‘Elevated’ Arsenic Levelson May 9, 2024 at 10:29 am
Martinelli’s is recalling nearly 25,000 cases of its apple juice after testing discovered elevated levels of inorganic arsenic. Here's what you need to know.
- Lawmakers introduce bill to limit heavy metals in baby foodon May 9, 2024 at 7:39 am
Heavy metals include lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium ... Back in 2019, a study by the nonprofit Healthy Babies Bright Futures found that 95% of baby foods tested were contaminated with toxic heavy ...
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US lawmakers plan to introduce a bill Thursday that aims to limit the amount of heavy metals found in baby food through stronger regulation and enforcement by the US Food and Drug Administration.
- Over 20,000 Cases of Apple Juice Recalled Due to Contamination Concernson May 8, 2024 at 4:28 pm
The ongoing recall affects approximately 25,000 cases of the additive-free Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice From U.S. Grown Fresh Apples 1 Liter (33.8 fl oz.), all of which have best-by dates of ...
- Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice recalled over elevated arsenic levelson May 6, 2024 at 9:00 pm
S Martinelli & Company of Watsonville, CA, is recalling nearly 25,000 cases of Martinelli's Gold Medal Apple Juice because of elevated levels of ...
- More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart recalled over E. coli contaminationon May 2, 2024 at 6:14 am
More than 16,000 pounds of ground beef sold at Walmart stores across the US have been recalled over a possible E. coli contamination, the US Department of Agriculture said. The beef comes from ...
- Kroger and Target Shoppers, Take Caution: Apple Juice Recalled Over Arsenic Levelson May 1, 2024 at 11:58 am
A lot of Martinelli's apple juice has been recalled due to elevated arsenic levels. The juice was sold at Kroger, Target, and other stores.
- Apple juice sold in Florida stores recalled for arsenic. Here's what you should knowon May 1, 2024 at 9:52 am
Public health alert issued over ground beef that may be contaminated with E ... in 29 states after salmonella outbreak Arsenic may be in food since it is in the environment where foods are ...
- Apple juice sold in Florida stores recalled for arsenic. Here's what you should knowon May 1, 2024 at 8:51 am
The Martinelli's apple juice recalled due to levels of arsenic higher than FDA guidance levels was sold at Publix, Target, Winn-Dixie and Whole Foods.
- Apple juice sold at Kroger, Whole Foods, Target recalled due to high arsenic levelson May 1, 2024 at 4:48 am
The recall of juice sold at Kroger, other stores comes after Maryland found samples tested above the guidance level for inorganic arsenic.
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- Arsenic in Community Water Raises Type 2 Diabetes Riskon May 9, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Exposure to drinking water contaminated with arsenic below the current regulatory limit is associated with an elevated risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in urban US communities, with the correlation ...
- Martinelli’s Apple Juice Recalled in More Than 30 States Over ‘Elevated’ Arsenic Levelson May 9, 2024 at 10:29 am
Martinelli’s is recalling nearly 25,000 cases of its apple juice after testing discovered elevated levels of inorganic arsenic. Here's what you need to know.
- Eric Adams said their water was safe. Public housing residents say they’re getting sick.on May 7, 2024 at 4:00 am
After a tenant in Manhattan was treated for arsenic poisoning, she and her neighbors are demanding tests of their tap water.
- IIT-M’s copper balls to detect arsenic pollution in wateron May 2, 2024 at 3:44 pm
Nano-sized copper balls developed by IIT Madras researchers can detect extremely low concentrations of arsenic pollution in water. The sensors emit red luminescence and can detect arsenic in water ...
- Poison in the Water: 17 News special reporton April 30, 2024 at 6:00 pm
A state audit of safe drinking water found that more than 240 failing systems in the state have been unable to meet drinking water standards for at least three years — more than 150 failing for five ...
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a water sample taken in Doña Aana County contained levels of arsenic that exceeded the federal maximum containment level. Residents were later warned of the effects of drinking contaminated water ...
- Majority-Latino city endures years of toxic water in health ‘crisis’on April 18, 2024 at 2:01 am
Joseph Monge carries in water bottles he had to drive over the ... Joseph's father, who died in February, had elevated arsenic levels, records show. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) SUNLAND ...
- Tens of millions of people in this country drink arsenic-contaminated water. It could get a lot worseon March 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
“Within one generation (they) changed the drinking water behavior of an entire population,” said Seth Frisbie, a chemist and professor emeritus at Norwich University, who has spent decades researching ...
- How arsenic-polluted water is turning rice into a toxic stapleon March 21, 2024 at 4:11 am
But it is extremely harmful if consumed, and arsenic contamination has been linked to serious health conditions including cancers, skin lesions and diabetes. While drinking water is heavily ...
- Arsenic in your foodon May 8, 2023 at 9:06 am
Organic rice baby cereal, rice breakfast cereals, brown rice, white rice—new tests by Consumer Reports have found that those and other types of rice products on grocery shelves contain arsenic ...
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