Arsenic in the Environment, Part 1

A comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of one of the deadliest toxins and its impact on ecological and human health. Part one contains a thorough treatment of the chemical nature of arsenic, its environmental behavior and its measurement through contemporary analytical methods. Part two deals with the latest findings from a wide range of international research groups into the repercussions of arsenic exposures on human health and the ecosystem. Partial table of contents:

Arsenic: Historical Perspectives (J. Azcue & J. Nriagu).

Arsenic Distribution in Soils (H. Yan-Chu).

Arsenic Mobilization and Bioavailability in Soils (D. Bhumbla &R. Keefer).

Mobilization of Arsenic in Contaminated River Waters (W. Mok &C. Wai).

Removal of Arsenic in Drinking Water Treatment (M. Jekel).

Biotransformation of Arsenic in the Freshwater Environment (S.Maeda).

The Chemical Forms of Arsenic in Aquatic Organisms and TheirInterrelationships (D. Phillips).

Arsenic in Several Chinese Estuaries and Coastal Seas (L. Xiankun,et al.).

Arsenic in Vegetation of Wetlands (M. Otte & W. Ernst).

Arsenic Minerals Formed at Low Temperatures (F.Schaufelberger).

Index. JEROME O. NRIAGU is a professor in the Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, the University of Michigan, and an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo. For many years he was a research scientist with the National Water Research Institute, Burlington, Ontario. He is the editor of the Wiley Series in Advances in Environmental Science and Technology and has edited, among many other volumes, Nickel and Human Health, Food Contamination from Environmental Sources, Gaseous Pollutants, and Aquatic Toxicology. Dr. Nriagu received BSc and DSc degrees from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, an MS from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a PhD in geochemistry from the University of Toronto. He has published extensively in leading geochemical and environmental science journals and has received a number of awards for his work. lie is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Far from unusual, arsenic exposure is actually a common occurrence, a natural consequence of eating poultry or seafood, using an insecticide, or handling treated plywood. The ubiquitousness of arsenic, particularly in minute quantities, is a fact of modern life that has few professionals concerned. Yet arsenic poisoning resulting from high-dose exposure is a real, everpresent health problem, second only to lead poisoning. Arsenic in the Environment is a two-volume work that presents the most complete and up-to-date investigation of arsenic available. Part I covers cycling and characterization. Part II: Human Health and Ecosystem Effects examines the complex and potentially deadly chemistry of arsenic and reveals its effect on human health and the surrounding ecosystem. Beginning with a clear, detailed chemical analysis of arsenic as well as its biochemical effects, the book proceeds to examine, through contributions from some of the world’s leading researchers, new and unexplored aspects of the legendary toxin:

• Health effects of environmental arsenic
• Toxicity and metabolism of inorganic and methylated arsenicals
• Human carcinogenicity and antherogenicity induced by chronic exposures to inorganic arsenic
• Effects of arsenic on DNA synthesis of human lymphocytes
• Estimation of human exposure to and uptake of arsenic found in drinking water
• Arsenic hazards to plants and animals
• Arsenic compounds in marine organisms

Featuring detailed case studies of chronic arsenic poisoning in Mexico and China, the book sheds light on the pervasive health threat of arsenic poisoning. Full of up-to-date findings and illuminating insights into the chemical, biological, and ecological behavior of one of the world’s deadliest poisons, Part II of Arsenic in the Environment is an essential reference for toxicologists, medical researchers, public health officials, and industrial hygienists interested in monitoring and controlling arsenic’s potentially lethal effects.