Editing Arsenic (section)

=== Exposure ===

Naturally occurring sources of human exposure include [[volcanic ash]], weathering of minerals and ores, and mineralized groundwater. Arsenic is also found in food, water, soil, and air.<ref>{{cite report |title=Arsenic toxicity exposure pathways |series = Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) |publisher = Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry |url = https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.html |url-status = dead |access-date = 2010-05-15 |archive-date = 4 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204174821/http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=7&po=7 }}</ref> Arsenic is absorbed by all plants, but is more concentrated in leafy vegetables, rice, apple and grape juice, and seafood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/arsenic-food-faq|access-date=2010-04-11 |date=5 December 2011|title=Arsenic in Food: FAQ}}</ref> An additional route of exposure is inhalation of atmospheric gases and dusts.<ref name="atsdr.cdc.gov">{{cite web |title=Arsenic |publisher=The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |year=2009 |url=https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/index.aspx?toxid=3 }}</ref>
During the [[Victorian era]], arsenic was widely used in home decor, especially wallpapers.<ref>{{cite AV media | title = How Victorians were poisoned by their own homes |series = Hidden Killers |publisher=Absolute Victory ([[YouTube]]) |medium=video |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvxnXOoFl20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211205/MvxnXOoFl20 |archive-date=2021-12-05 |via=Ghostarchive }}<br/>{{cite web |title=alternate arcived video |via=[[Internet Archive|Wayback Machine]] (archive.org) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvxnXOoFl20&gl=US&hl=en | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919033145/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvxnXOoFl20&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=2019-09-19 }}</ref> In Europe, an analysis based on 20,000&nbsp;soil samples across all 28&nbsp;countries show that 98% of sampled soils have concentrations less than 20&nbsp;mg/kg. In addition, the arsenic hotspots are related to both frequent fertilization and close distance to mining activities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fendrich |first1=Arthur Nicolaus |last2=Van Eynde |first2=Elise |last3=Stasinopoulos |first3=Dimitrios M. |last4=Rigby |first4=Robert A. |last5=Mezquita |first5=Felipe Yunta |last6=Panagos |first6=Panos |date=2024-03-01 |title=Modeling arsenic in European topsoils with a coupled semiparametric (GAMLSS-RF) model for censored data |journal=Environment International |language=en |volume=185 |pages=108544 |doi=10.1016/j.envint.2024.108544|doi-access=free |pmid=38452467 |bibcode=2024EnInt.18508544F }}</ref> Chronic exposure to arsenic, particularly through contaminated drinking water and food, has also been linked to long-term impacts on cognitive function, including reduced verbal IQ and memory.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=KAPAJ |first1=SIMON |first2=PETERSON ,HANS |first3=LIBER ,KARSTEN |last4=and BHATTACHARYA |first4=PROSUN |date=2006-10-01 |title=Human Health Effects From Chronic Arsenic Poisoning–A Review |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10934520600873571 |journal=Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A |volume=41 |issue=10 |pages=2399–2428 |doi=10.1080/10934520600873571 |pmid=17018421 |bibcode=2006JESHA..41.2399K |issn=1093-4529}}</ref>