It is a known cancer-causing agent, and can be ingested through food that has been grown in contaminated soil, and can also be absorbed through the skin. If small amounts are absorbed over a period of time, it can result in chronic arsenic poisoning. This poisoning can produce: nausea, headaches, changes in skin colorization, scaling of the skin, anorexia, and white lines across the fingernails. If large amounts of arsenic are consumed, this can lead to vomiting and renal failure, and even death, as noted by McAndrew, in 1999.
Franzblau and Lilis go beyond McAndrews' 1999 description of arsenic poisoning. They show chronic arsenic poisoning as resulting in nonmalignant cutaneous changes, as McAndrews notes, including hyperpigmentation and hyperkeratoses, as well as renal toxicity; however, it also has been known to cause skin cancers, 'Blackfoot disease' - a disease of arsenic-induced peripheral vascular insufficiency that leads to gangrene, hepatic toxicity, peripheral neuropathy, and hermatopoietic toxicity.
Franzblau and Lilith state that much of the classic description of arsenic poisoning comes from suicidal or homicidal ingestion. In addition to McAndrews' 1999 description of symptoms, ingestion can also lead to abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that may be bloody. The researchers further specify that ingestion of water containing less than 1,000 ?g/l of arsenic, over several years, can lead to poisoning.
Myoung-Jin and Yejin concur with McAndrew's 1999 findings that much arsenic contamination comes from mine tailings. These researchers used the Jingok mine in Bongwha, Korea for their study regarding the vertical distribution of arsenic and heavy metals, through leeching into the ground and ground water. Nearby paddy fields were found to have an extremely high concentration of arsenic, and as testing was conducted at increased distances from the mine site, the levels fell dramatically.
These findings are similar to those found in the Deloro mine site, with arsenic contamination occurring beyond the mine site itself, as far away as Moira Lake.
McAndrew's 1999 findings of the method of contamination of Deloro specifically through the arsenic-containing...
Activated Alumina is the latest type of polymer bead is infused with iron oxide in an attempt to develop a one-step coagulation process for arsenic removal in drinking water (American Chemical Society, 2006). This technology is still under development and will be available in the future, as a potential answer to the arsenic problem at the Deloro Mine. The primary technologies being used in arsenic removal rely on coagulation and
Natural overburden includes silty clay, silty peat, and silty sand (CH2MHILL, p. 3-2). Overburden is generally thin, averaging 3 meters in most areas, but can go up to 9 meters at times (CH2MHILL, p. 3-2). Native soils primarily reside in areas of low topography. This topography allows for constant movement and shifting of overburden. Rainy seasons create excessive water flows, which travel down slopes to the low-lying areas and into
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