Abstract
Arsenic and arsenic-containing compounds are considered human carcinogens. Both natural sources and anthropogenic activities such as mining, pesticide, glass and microelectronics manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals constitute the sources of environmental and/or occupational exposures. Cardiovascular diseases, developmental abnormalities, neurologic and neurobehavioral disorders, diabetes, hearing loss, anemia, leukopenia and eosinophilia, and various types of cancer have all been associated with human exposure to arsenic. Research has also pointed out significantly higher standardized mortality rates for cancers of the bladder, kidney, skin, liver, and colon in many areas of arsenic pollution. Both acute and chronic exposures have been reported in several countries where drinking water is contaminated with high concentrations of arsenic. Recent epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between arsenic exposure and the increased cancer incidence in humans. This chapter discusses the toxicological properties and the potential mechanisms of arsenic-induced toxicity, with a special emphasis on arsenic-induced carcinogenesis.
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