Arsenic - Hilliker/Mantel

Arsenic
Arsenic is a Chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33, and an atomic mass of 75.



Arsenic can be found in common household items such as tobacco smoke, laundry detergent, treated wood, seafood, beer, and even in your own drinking water. ("Arsenic Poisonings," 2010g Symptoms and Treatments) Arsenic is a powerful toxin. Prolonged exposure to low levels can change the colour of ones skin, and cause warts and corns to grow. Exposure to high levels will cause death.("Arsenic," 2011)



Physical Properties:
Colour- tin-white and quickly tarnishes to dark grey or black.
Lustre- metallic but the tarnish will often dull the lustre.
Transparency- crystals are opaque.
Hardness - 3-4.
Odour- Odourless.
("THE MINERAL NATIVE," 2011)

Chemical Properties:

Highly Poisonous.
Reacts in moist air to from arsenic oxide.
When heated in moist air, arsenic ignites arsenic trioxide - actually tetraarsenic hexaoxide (As₄O₆₎
Arsenic does not react with water.
("Webelements arsenic," )

Uses:
Poison
Electrical Conductor
Semi-Conductor(Bentor, 2009)
Chemotherapy

Symptoms of Arsenic Poisoning:
Symptoms may begin with headaches, confusion and drowsiness. As the poisoning progresses, convulsions and change in the colour of fingernails may begin. When the poisoning becomes acute, symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, blood in the urine, cramping muscles, hair loss, and stomach pain. Arsenic can also ultimately cause death.("Arsenic Poisonings," 2010 Symptoms and Treatments)

Hands of a person who has been poisoned with arsenic.

Precautions to take to keep Yourself from Becoming Poisoned:

• NEVER burn treated wood which contains arsenic
• NEVER lick or chew treated wood
• NEVER use treated wood for mulch or compost
• NEVER use treated wood for cutting boards or counter tops
• NEVER store animal feed in treated wood
• NEVER make a beehive from treated wood
• Do not allow sawdust to collect from treated wood
• after working with treated wood wash any skin that may have touched it ("arsenic treated wood," 2002)

Arsenic Poisoning Treatment:

If you suspect someone has accidentally ingested arsenic immediately give them 5 charcoal tablets. Give them 5 charcoal tablets again 15 minutes later. These should be administered while going immediately to the emergency room. If you know that your diet contains a lot of arsenic (i.e. because of drinking water, eating a lot of seafood, drinking a lot of beer) you should try and have as much sulfur in your diet as possible. Sulfur can eliminate some of the arsenic from your body. Sulfur-rich foods include eggs, legumes, garlic, and beans. You should also try and have a fibre rich diet if you suspect you ingest a lot of arsenic. Fibre rich foods include whole-grains and fruits. ("Arsenic Poisonings," 2010 Symptoms and Treatments)

Is Arsenic ALL Bad?:

The answer is NO! Arsenic Trioxide is often used in chemotherapy to treat cancers of bone marrow, as well as leukemia. It has been shown to help the three year survival among these patients. Leukemia patients treated with chemotherapy that included arsenic trioxide had a 77% rate of three year survival. Patients treated without arsenic trioxide only had a 59% rate. ("Reuters")

Should Arsenic be banned in ALL products:

Our opinion is that arsenic should be banned in any product where it is intentionally added, such as treated wood. However, if arsenic is found in a product and is naturally occurring in that product, or cannot be removed from the product (i.e. shellfish, beer) then the product should be tested regularly to ensure it is safe for human consumption. Arsenic Trioxide should definately not be banned for use in chemotherapy, because it can help save lives.

A link about the dangers of Arsenic: http://www.essortment.com/arsenic-poisoning-symptoms-treatments-63413.html

("Arsenic - periodic table of videos," 2008)

REFERENCES

Arsenic. (2011). Medline plus (u.s. national library of medicine). Retrieved April 12, 2011, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/arsenic.html

Arsenic - periodic table of videos . (2008). [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2AbKwAvyos

Arsenic Poisoning Symptoms And Treatments. (2010). Essortment. Retrieved April 13, 2011, fromhttp://www.essortment.com/arsenic-poisoning-symptoms-treatments-63413.html
arsenic treated wood precautions. (2002). Retrieved from http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/summer02wood.html

"Arsenic trioxide boosts survival in leukemia." Reuters 04 06 2007: n. pag. Web. 28 Apr 2011. .

Bentor, Y.B. (2009). Periodic Table: Arsenic. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/as.html

THE MINERAL NATIVE ARSENIC. (2011). Amethyst galleries'. Retrieved April 14, 2011, from http://www.galleries.com/minerals/elements/arsenic/arsenic.html

Webelements arsenic. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.webelements.com/arsenic/chemistry.html