Abstract :
Water pollution is a major problem in modern life. Almost all the heavy metals are toxic at
higher concentrations and some are lethalat very low concentration. Arsenic is a naturally occurring
element present in water, food and soil, but now-a-days this element is one of the rapidly emerging
serious environmental pollutants; released into the environment through industrial and agricultural
usage. In many parts of India, the ground water is contaminated with arsenic. The genesis of arsenic
pollution is not understood fully, yet it is thought that natural geological weathering is mostly
responsible for the dissolved arsenic in ground water. Arsenic exposure to human causes
degenerative, inflammatory and neoplastic changes in skin, respiratory system, blood, lymphatic
system, nervous system and reproductive system. There is no particular remedial action for chronic
arsenic poisoning. Nearly 100 million people are to be affected by arsenic diseases like spots on the
skin, high blood pressure, diabetes, skin cancer, cancer of urinary bladder, kidney and lungs. Low
socio-economic status and malnutrition may increase the risk of chronic toxicity. There is a strong
relationship between chronic ingestion of arsenic and deleterious human health effects. Safe
drinking water and well-nourished food is essential for the prevention of chronic arsenic toxicity.
Balance nutritious-supplements play a major role in the prevention of chronic arsenic poisoning. In
this review article, authors tried to provide an overview of some of the major effects documented in
the scientific literature.
Keyword :
Arsenic, Human health, India, Prevention, Toxicity.