Arsenic exposure through the food chain

Abstract:

Arsenic is a natural component of the earth present in soil, ground water and plants. Inorganic arsenic is regarded as being more toxic than organic arsenic compounds; in fact, the inorganic form is carcinogenic. Consequently, the potential adverse effects of arsenic in human health are determined by the intake of its inorganic fraction, and data reporting only total arsenic in food materials are difficult to interpret in terms of the ability to induce adverse effects. Epidemiological data indicate that the most important source of inorganic arsenic exposure comes from contaminated ground water. There is strong evidence of elevated arsenic levels in vegetables grown in fields irrigated with arsenic-contaminated water. It is well known that seafood contains a larger amount of arsenic than other foods and have been identified as a major source of arsenic in the human diet, although in fish and seafood arsenic is mainly in the organic form. Since the carry-over of arsenic in its inorganic form into the edible tissues of mammals and poultry is low, food derived from terrestrial animals contributes only insignificantly to human exposure. In this chapter, data for the arsenic content in different foods were collected and arsenic metabolism and the effects of arsenic exposure have been evaluated. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Año de publicación:

2011

Keywords:

• Toxicity
• Human
• food chain
• arsenic

Fuente:

scopus