Adverse Health Effects in Children due to Arsenic Exposure

Arsenic, like most of the other toxic metals has been found in studies to be associated with neurologic, vascular, dematolgic, and carcinogenic effects, along with reproductive effects. A comparison of areas with higher levels of arsenic in the water supply found higher fetal and infant mortality in areas with higher arsenic levels and higher cancer rates. Some of the developmental effects documented to be caused by low level toxic metal exposure include developmental delays, growth problems, slower reaction times, diminished intellectual ability, behavior problems, poor balance and motor function, hearing loss, attention deficit disorder, etc. While cancer is usually the condition focused on, the neurological conditions caused are the most common effect.

According to an EPA/ATSDR assessment, the toxic metals lead, mercury, and arsenic are the top 3 toxics having the most adverse health effects on the public based on toxicity and current exposure levels in the U.S., with cadmium, chromium and nickel also highly listed.

Many similar studies measuring child hair levels of the toxic metals aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury have found that these toxic metals have significant effects on learning ability and cognitive performance, explaining as much as 20 % of cognitive differences among randomly tested children who have low levels of exposure not exceeding health guidelines for exposure to any of these metals. These toxic metals have been found to have synergistic negative effects on childhood development and cognitive ability.

These toxic metals have also been found to have significant effects on motor-visual ability and performance, as measured by the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test score. Arsenic, lead, and cadmium levels had the highest correlation with cognitive scores, while aluminum had a significant relation mostly with motor-visual performance and mercury had lesser but highly significant correlations to both. A combined hair level score for mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and aluminum was found to be significantly related to increased scores on the WPBIC subscales measuring acting-out, disturbed peer relations, immaturity, and the total score among a population of students with no known acute exposures.

Chronic exposure to arsenic at very low levels(below 10 parts per billion) have been found to cause cancer by a review by the National Academy of Sciencies.

Common sources of arsenic exposure include wood preservatives used in decks and playgrounds, antibiotics given to commercial livestock, air pollution, chemical processing, coal-fired power plants, defoliants, drinking water, drying agents for cotton, fish and shellfish, herbicides, insecticides, meats (from commercially raised poultry and cattle), metal ore smelting, pesticides, seafood (fish, mussels, oysters), and specialty glass.

References: www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/arsenic.html

Adverse neurological conditions in children in Florida and other states due to exposure to toxic metals such as arsenic are becoming much more common, and are well documented by medical tests by Medical Clinics such as the one at the following link: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/arsenicc.html