Arsenic: Exposure Sources, Health Risks, and Mechanisms of Toxicity

Although used in pesticides and wood preservatives, arsenic is potentially fatal at high levels and creates a toxicological concern around the world according to one study, over 140 million people in more than 70 countries are affected by arsenic contamination of drinking water. Exposure to high levels of arsenic also occurs in workplaces and near hazardous waste sites, and long–term exposure is often associated with several types of cancer and death from other chronic diseases. Despite the known effects of arsenic and regulatory guidelines to deal with it, there are increasing reports and evidential research that indicate more health risks and growing concerns. This book discusses arsenic s fundamentals, exposure sources, epidemiology and disease, and toxic mechanisms. It illustrates the chemistry, toxicology, and health effects of arsenic using novel modeling techniques, population studies, experimental data, and future perspectives. It illustrates the chemistry, toxicology, and health effects of arsenic so that readers will come away with an understanding about the potential health risks and ways that toxicological research can improve and contribute to characterization and risk assessment of arsenic exposure. An invaluable resource and reference for toxicologists, environmental chemists, and risk assessors; this book offers: Population studies, mammalian and invertebrate models, and pharmacokinetic and toxicokinetic models Discussion of outcomes, epidemiology, real–life examples, and modes of action for arsenic–induced diseases, like lung cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases Future perspectives on special topics, like extrapolation from experimental models to human exposures, biomarkers for phenotypic anchoring, and pathology of chronic exposure