The spreadsheet should be completed by early June. The World Health Organization has a standard for arsenic in drinking water of 10 parts per billion. Arsenic is also the twelfth most common element in the human body. Arsenic is added to the environment by weathering of rocks, burning of fossil fuels, smelting of ores and manufacturing. It is widely distributed in nature and is mainly transported in the environment by water.
Arsenic exposure can cause a variety of adverse effects.
The severity of the effect depends on the level of exposure. Acute high-dose oral exposure to arsenic typically leads to gastrointestinal irritations accompanied by difficulty in swallowing, thirst, abnormally low blood pressure, and convulsions. Death may occur from cardiovascular collapse at very high doses. Evidence exists that long-term exposure to high arsenic levels increases the risk of cancer. When exposure is by inhalation, the primary effect is increased risk of lung cancer.