Essay On Arsenic

Many of us would like to understand what Arsenic is and why this element is in our drinking water. To begin with our introduction to Arsenic, we should all understand that it is a semi-metal element from the periodic table that we are mostly familiar with. It is odorless and has no type of specific taste to the human tongue. It is mostly sourced from natural deposits in the Earth, however, it’s also known to be sourced from agricultural and industrial practices all over the world. It is simply found in nature and in certain man-made products such as pesticides. Low levels are found in our soil, water, and our air. Plants tend to take in Arsenic as they grow which causes arsenic to find its way into our food and drinking water. There are several uses for Arsenic, mostly in the industrial world, where it is used as a preservative. About 90 percent of the industrial arsenic in the US is used to for the preservation of wood. Arsenic can also be found in paints, dyes, metals, soaps and within …show more content…
It is present in more than 200 different minerals. Only a third of the arsenic exposed to the atmosphere is originated from it’s natural source which is the earth itself. Inorganic arsenic is found in groundwater in several parts of the world. Arsenic levels in natural water are usually low, however in these several parts of our world, which includes, Argentina, Bangladesh, Chile, China, India, Mexico, and the United states, arsenic contact with groundwater is significant. Humans are exposed to high level of arsenic contaminated water through drinking water, consuming food that was prepared by contaminated water or consuming food that was irrigated using arsenic rich water by the agriculture sector. Arsenic occurs in all three states of matter, liquid, solid and gas, which makes it prone to accumulate almost anywhere on earth snow covered mountains, lakes, rivers and streams, as well as in the