Arsenic element danger and risk by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Toxic effects

Arsenic is a toxic element naturally present in some soils and water. Chronic arsenic poisoning occurs after long-term exposure to such tainted drinking-water and it has been linked to skin, liver and bladder cancers, skin lesions and cardiovascular disease. Chronic arsenic exposure affects 100 million people worldwide. The problem is especially severe in Bangladesh, where millions of shallow tube wells were installed from the 1970s to provide drinking water that was considered safe until 1993, when it was found to be contaminated with arsenic.

Folic acid, a vitamin found in leafy vegetables, can reduce arsenic levels in the blood of people who have suffered long-term exposure to the poison in groundwater.

Arsenic levels were high in the past
Samples of hair taken from people living in the early 1800s in Europe contain 100 times as much arsenic than the current average. Glues and dyes commonly used at the time are blamed for high environmental levels of the toxic element. The environment in which people lived in the 1800s caused the intake of quantities of arsenic that today would be considered toxic.

Nov. 30, 2011 -- Ten percent of store-bought apple and grape juice samples have more arsenic -- and 25% have more lead -- than the Environmental Protection Agency allows in bottled water, according to a Consumer Reports study.