In environmental terms, the 19th century was the age of arsenic. The uses of this element are almost too numerous to mention—embalming, cosmetics, glass and gunshot manufacture, pyrotechnics, taxidermy, weed and rodent control, and particularly in medicine, both by prescription and self-medication. Arsenic was characterized as a ‘‘therapeutic mule’’. For centuries, it was used for murder being ...

Retired former workers of Matsuo Arsenic Mine of Miyazaki prefecture in Japan were subjected to extensive medical examination. The number of retired workers subjected to examination were 61 of 208 workers who were engaged in the works of the mine and were tracked down by the work rolls. These workers left the mine more than 15 years prior to the time of the examination. The main works in the mi...

Arsenic-induced polyneuropathy is traditionally classified as an axonal-loss type, electrodiagnostically resulting in low amplitude or absent sensory and motor responses, relatively preserved proximal and distal motor conduction rates, and distal denervation. We report four patients with a subacute onset progressive polyradiculoneuropathy following high-dose arsenic poisoning. In three patients...

Arsenic exposure from burning high arsenic-containing coal has been associated with human skin lesion and cancer. However, the mechanisms of arsenic-related carcinogenesis are not fully understood. Inactivation of critical tumor suppression genes by epigenetic regulation or genetic modification might contribute to arsenic-induced carcinogenicity. This study aims to clarify the correlation betwe...

Background: Arsenic toxicity as a result of consumption of hair removal agent has been rarely seen in last few years in comparison with the past. Case Presentation: In this case report, we presented a middle age woman referred to medical toxicology department due to epigastric pain and diarrhea following ingestion of hair removal agent. Urinary test for arsenic was positive. ECG changes and ele...

In Bangladesh as many as 57 million people drink water with arsenic levels that exceed the 10-ppb limit set by the World Health Organization. Arsenic occurs naturally in high concentrations in groundwater in Bangladesh. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka now report that ponds resulting from...

One hundred and four workers ingested excessive levels of arsenic in an accident caused by leakage of pipeline in a copper-smelting factory. Clinical examinations were performed by physicians in a local hospital. Excreted urinary arsenic species were determined by cold trap hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. In the initial toxic phase, gastrointestinal symptoms were predominant ...

The contamination of groundwater by arsenic in Bangladesh is the largest poisoning of a population in history, with millions of people exposed. This paper describes the history of the discovery of arsenic in drinking-water in Bangladesh and recommends intervention strategies. Tube-wells were installed to provide "pure water" to prevent morbidity and mortality from gastrointestinal disease. The ...