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Arsenic
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Poisoning Toxicology Environmental Health

Arsenic

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that can pose serious health risks through environmental exposure in air, water, and soil.

Overview

Arsenic is a natural element found in soil and minerals. Arsenic compounds are used to preserve wood, as pesticides, and in some industries. It can enter the air, water, and ground through wind-blown dust or water runoff.

Exposure Risks

You may be exposed to arsenic through the following ways:

  • Taking in small amounts via food, drinking water, or air.
  • Breathing sawdust or burning smoke from arsenic-treated wood.
  • Living in an area with high levels of arsenic in rock.
  • Working in a job where arsenic is manufactured or used.

Health Effects

Exposure to arsenic can cause many health problems. Being exposed to low levels for a long time can change the color of your skin and cause corns and small warts. Exposure to high levels of arsenic can cause death.

Source: Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Boiling water does not eliminate arsenic; rather, it evaporates pure water and concentrates the remaining arsenic, increasing the danger. Private well owners with elevated arsenic must install specialized water treatment systems such as reverse osmosis, ion exchange, or activated alumina filters, or switch to certified bottled water for cooking and drinking.
24-hour urine arsenic test is the diagnostic gold standard for evaluating recent exposure occurring within the past several days. Because non-toxic organic arsenic from recent seafood intake can artificially elevate total levels, clinicians order a fractionated or speciation urine test to measure toxic inorganic arsenic specifically. Blood tests are generally unreliable for routine screening because arsenic leaves the bloodstream within hours.
Long-term low-level exposure typically causes distinct dermatologic changes, starting with mottled hyperpigmentation often described as raindrops on a dusty road across the trunk and neck. Over years, it frequently leads to hyperkeratosis—thickened, corn-like rough papules or warts on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet—which carry a high risk of transforming into skin cancers like Bowen disease or squamous cell carcinoma.
cute poisoning is a life-threatening medical emergency presenting within hours of ingestion with severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, profuse watery or bloody diarrhea, garlic-scented breath, and cardiac arrhythmias. Emergency treatment involves aggressive fluid resuscitation, intensive care monitoring, and chelation therapy using agents such as dimercaprol (BAL) or succimer (DMSA) to bind and eliminate the metal.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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