Everything you need to know about Arsenic

Impact on the Human Body

We have been discussing arsenic for around five years now. It is 33 on the periodic table. That number has appeared in the press almost daily since 2020.

Many people have been in contact during that time, sending hair results, blood and urine analysis results. These tests were almost always positive for arsenic, but also for other toxic metals such as lithium, mercury, uranium, aluminium and lead. Some people even had abnormally high levels of essential metals such as calcium and magnesium.

Hair tests show that exposure to a chemical has taken place, but they cannot tell us how much arsenic or other toxic metals are being held in the organs. Research shows that arsenic levels in the liver can be 50x the level of arsenic found in the hair.

When doctors look at a patient they often diagnose different diseases for different parts of the body, as if hyperkeratosis on the skin has nothing to do with cystitis in the urinary tract, or palpitations of the heart. Can these and other symptoms be linked?

Each part of our body can be affected by arsenic. The organs, hormones and even our skin. This article goes through some of the conditions caused by arsenic. This list is by no means exhaustive. As new conditions are identified as being connected to arsenic exposure, they will be added to updates. If you want to know about a specific condition please ask in the comments.

Disclaimer: We are not medical doctors, and this article does not constitute medical advice. It is for entertainment purposes only. Please speak to your qualified doctor or consultant if you need medical attention.

Lungs

Arsenate replaces phosphate in the cell membranes, weakening the cells, which leads to them popping or leaking under pressure. Exposure to inhaled arsenic can cause a cytokine storm, excessive flooding of the lungs with cellular fluids and a drowning-like effect. The lungs become vulnerable at altitude, underwater, at speed, or in heat or pressure. Arsenic can form an acid in the lungs, leading to further damage of the lung lining and a burning sensation. Arsenic can be taken up by the blood as it is absorbed through the lung lining. A strong association has been made between exposure to arsenic and a number of chronic lung diseases. Lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, non-malignant lung disease, bronchiectasis (scarred and thickened bronchi), bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, and even tuberculosis have been associated with arsenic exposure. The earlier the exposure, including exposure in the womb, the lower the life expectancy. Signs of arsenic inhalation include light headedness, dizziness, persistent cough or no cough, watery mucus, a burning sensation in the lungs and sensation of tightness in the lungs. Asthma and other lung conditions will be exacerbated.

Heart

Arsenic, particularly arsine gas, flows from the lungs straight to the heart. It causes inflammation of the capillaries and vessels supplying the heart muscle, potentially starving the heart of oxygen. Palpitations, a fast heartbeat and a feeling of not being able to get enough air are some of the earliest signs that arsenic has been inhaled. Arsenic can cause QT prolongation, myocarditis and pericarditis. These conditions have been reported in patients undergoing arsenic trioxide treatment for leukemia. Arsenic can also cause damage to the inside of the ventricles, atria and valves that keep blood flowing in the right direction at the right volume. Arsenic affects the supply of nitric oxide to the heart. Nitric oxide keeps the blood vessels relaxed and dilated. Excess ionised metals in the blood stream caused by arsenic trioxide have been shown to cause cell death from stress to the endoplasmic reticulum. As arsenic infects more heart cells, the weaker the heart muscle can become. Coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and cardiovascular disease have all been associated with chronic arsenic exposure.

Photo by Carlos Felipe Ramírez Mesa on Unsplash

Liver

Injury can occur to the liver at a cellular and structural level with exposure to arsenic. Arsenic exposure can cause portal hypertension. That is high blood pressure in the portal vein that carries blood to the liver from the digestive system. The belly can swell as increasing amounts of water are retained in the abdomen due to injury to the liver. Arsenic can cause veins to swell and lead to haemorrhage. This type of variceal haemorrhage has a high mortality rate. Arsenic induced liver disease also includes cirrhosis, enlarged liver, non alcoholic fatty liver disease, toxic hepatitis and types of liver cancer including hepatic angiosarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Arsenic compromises all of the detoxification pathways of the liver, making it harder for the body to clear toxins.

Pancreas

Arsenic can easily embed itself in soft tissue organs like the pancreas. Cell and tissue death can occur together with inflammation and pancreatic duct obstruction. Arsenic can also reduce production of insulin and amylase, the enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates, while raising glucagon levels. Type two diabetes can often develop with arsenic exposure. Pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer have both been associated with arsenic exposure. Pancreatitis can be either acute (sudden) or chronic. The condition is incredibly painful and can lead to death. The damage caused by arsenic to the pancreas makes it vulnerable to changes in heat, pressure and to ionising radiation. Arsenic trioxide is used to treat a form of leukemia APML and has been shown to trigger pancreatitis in some patients. Pancreatitis resolves after arsenic treatment is stopped.

Spleen

Enlargement of the spleen, oxidative stress, inflammation and suppression of the immune system are all effects of exposure to arsenic. Potentially arsenic exposure could cause injury and rupture to the spleen depending on the level of exposure. Arsenic accumulates easily in the spleen as it does other soft tissues such as the pancreas and the brain, causing permeability, haemorrhage, and blood clots.

Stomach

Exposure to arsenic in food can lead to acute vomiting. Arsenic destroys protein and carbohydrate digesting enzymes in the stomach. Arsenic holds open channels in cells, allowing calcium to flow in and out uncontrollably, increasing the release of the hunger hormone to the point that eating does not suppress the sensation of hunger. Arsenic can also form an acid, which can erode the stomach lining. Arsenic works to destroy Vitamin B12 by neutralising the protein that protects it, exposing the stomach to ionised cobalt. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach ionises other inorganic metals from food additives, including calcium and magnesium. Ionised metals in the stomach also cause damage to the stomach lining. Arsenic together with ionised metal overload can contribute to a range of stomach issues including ulcers, reflux and bacterial overgrowth of h. Pylori.

Small intestine

Arsenic can cause extensive damage to the lining of the small intestine. It can also deactivate the cascades of signalling between hormones and proteins that are used to get the food from the top to the bottom of the digestive tract. The mucus layer that protects the cells underneath is rich in double sulphur bonds (disulphide). Arsenic sticks to these, eroding the mucus and impairing digestion. The underlying cells are then destroyed with more arsenic accumulation. Arsenic reduces the small intestine's capacity to produce a wide variety of cells that help the gut function correctly. Arsenic is a key driver in small intestinal leakiness, or leaky gut. The damage it does allows undigested food and pathogens to enter in to the blood stream and sometimes into the central nervous system. Cancer of the small intestine can also be caused by arsenic exposure. Arsenic can cause a systemic overload of ionised calcium by allowing it to penetrate the leaky gut wall. Consumption of calcium additives in food, drink, supplements and medicines can all contribute to calcium overload.

Large Intestine

Arsenic can cause paralysis of the gut, where the muscle movements that usually move food along the small and the large intestine do not work. This can lead to obstruction where food starts to build up and impact. Constipation may be a sign that arsenic is affecting your gut. Gut paralysis and arsenic's erosion of the gut lining can lead to diseases like diverticulosis. This is where pockets appear in the weakened parts of the wall of the colon. Faeces can gather in them and increase the chances of bowel perforation. Arsenic is known to cause bowel cancer and cancer of the rectum. Arsenic can also cause rice water diarrhoea in acute exposure and kill off gut bacteria.

Bladder

Arsenic is known to cause cancers of the bladder and urinary tract, by making changes to the cells of the bladder lining. Arsenic in drinking water has been tied to an increased incidence of bladder cancer. Cystitis, which is the inflammation of the bladder, overactive bladder, incontinence and other bladder conditions can be caused or exacerbated by arsenic. Increases in calcium in urine, due to the action of arsenic on the integrity of the gut wall, can also contribute to these bladder conditions.

Kidneys

The Kidneys take the major brunt of exposure to arsenic, as they are the main pathway for excretion of heavy metals and metalloids. The kidneys remove between 20-70% arsenic over a 24 hour period. Arsenic that is not removed can either be incorporated into the kidney tissues, or make its way around the body in the blood to be incorporated into blood vessel walls and other tissues. Arsenic can cause kidney injury by causing inflammation, creating reactive oxygen species, which can lead to fibrosis and scarring of kidney tissue. The metalloid can reduce the rate of blood filtration through the kidneys, leaving uric acid in the blood and protein in the urine. Arsenic can encourage build up of calcium which in turn encourages the formation of kidney stones. Arsenic exposure causes chronic kidney disease, cancer of the kidneys and kidney failure. Damage to the kidneys takes place at a cellular level and is accompanied by inflammation, pain and swelling.

Reproductive tract

Arsenic is known to interrupt the hormonal pathways of both males and females. Accumulation of arsenic in the body can lead to infertility through damage to stores of eggs and damage to developing sperm. Arsenic can cause heavy and mid cycle bleeding by causing damage to the womb lining through reactive oxygen species and the build up of high levels of calcium. Arsenic has been known to induce spontaneous abortion. Women with uterine fibroids have been found to have higher levels of arsenic in their body in controlled experiments. Cancers of the uterus, ovaries and testicles are also known to be associated with exposure to arsenic. Not only can arsenic interfere with the correct recombination of DNA at the point of fertilisation, but it can also pass from the mother to the baby through the placenta, causing direct damage to the developing unborn baby.

Bones

Arsenic enters the bones through the blood supply to the marrow in the long bones and hips in adults. It can prevent the maturing of osteoblasts, which normally develop into the different cells that form bone. The toxic metalloid also damages cells in bone marrow at a DNA level. Arsenic exposure has been shown to increase conditions like osteoporosis (holes in the bone matrix) and osteopenia (bone loss). Arsenate mimicks phosphate and can be incorporated into the phosphate/calcium bone matrix. This weakens the bone, causing fractures and bone loss. Phosphate is required to hold calcium in the bone matrix, but is being lost due to arsenic exposure. Blood and urine tests cannot differentiate between phosphate and arsenate. Doctors may incorrectly prescribe more calcium, when really more phosphate is needed to overcome the losses caused by arsenate damage.

Muscle

Muscle and connective tissue can atrophy when exposed to arsenic. Muscle cell membranes, like other cells, are built of phospholipids. Arsenate can replace the phosphate, which in turn weakens the cell membranes. Arsenic causes reactive oxygen species which can damage muscle cells. Muscle cells are dependent on energy from mitochondria. Arsenic interrupts energy production by preventing oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria, causing mitochondrial myopathy, weak limbs and muscle tone, which in turn can cause muscle wasting. Patients being treated for leukaemia with arsenic trioxide can develop mitochondrial myopathy, which can persist over time. The same myopathy effects on the muscle cells, can be experienced throughout the body. ME or chronic fatigue syndrome (CSF) have not been directly linked to arsenic, but other toxic metals have been linked, including cadmium. CFS patients also suffer from mitochondrial myopathy. It is likely that these conditions are linked to exposure to arsenic.

Skin

The skin is the largest organ and serves as an escape route for toxins. The most common skin condition associated with arsenic is arsenical hyperkeratosis. Arsenic is pushed to the skin and begins to promote excess skin growth. This results in hard flaking patches of skin particularly at pressure points. People exposed to arsenic develop hard skin on their feet, hands, elbows and knees. The skin can become so hardened and inflexible, that it can split and bleed. People exposed to arsenic can also develop an abnormal darkening of the skin. Arsenic building up in the skin can also lead to various forms of skin cancer and non cancerous lesions. Prolonged exposure to heat, from the sun or other sources, together with arsenic, can create changes in DNA which can lead to cancer. Rebalancing the diet by introducing phosphate rich foods and removing additive-based calcium can help restore supple and healthy skin, as can reducing exposure to arsenic.

Nails

Our nails often go unchecked when considering health status, deficiencies and exposure to toxins. The classic tell tale sign of poisoning with arsenic is called a Mees line. This shows on the nail as a band of white. If poisoning is low level and chronic there may be a lot of white and not a lot of pale pink. Arsenic causes nails to split and flake easily as phosphate, which helps hold our tissues together, is lost to arsenate. Finger tips can also start to harden and split. Ridges can appear along the nail from side to side or from the top of the nail to the base. Distinct white spots are said to be down to the loss of zinc from the cells.

Hair

We have discussed hair loss at great length in this article. Arsenic can cause considerable hair loss in both men and women. The mechanism behind excess hair fall is due to the damage arsenic does to the hair follicle through reactive oxygen species and inflammation. It can destroy the cells that are in charge of growing new hair follicles. Arsenic can prevent the normal formation of hair by sticking inappropriately to proteins used in the cycle of hair growth. Arsenic can also cause damage to the sebaceous gland in the hair shaft, which helps keep hair and scalp supple by producing sebum. Hair becomes brittle and breaks easily. Hair tests for minerals can be misleading as they only show the levels of metals that reach the hair. Levels in the organs can be many times higher than levels in the hair.

Hormones

Arsenic is a well known endocrine disruptor. It does this by attaching itself to the hormones themselves and to many hormone receptors, which are usually rich in disulphide bonds. The cascade of signalling by hormones can be interrupted at any point. Arsenic damages hormone-producing cells both directly and via reactive oxygen species. Arsenic is known to disrupt the production of insulin, hormones in the digestive cycle, the reproductive cycle, the thyroid and even the hormone vasopressin. Vasopressin controls the fluid balance in the body, regulating blood pressure. It binds to Vasopressin-neurophysin 2-copeptin which stops the loss of too much water through the kidneys. The copeptin is full of disulphide bonds and can be deactivated by arsenic. Arsenic can also affect our sleep by reducing the production of melatonin.

Central Nervous system

Arsenic can open the CNS up to attack, by degrading the lining of the gut and other mucus membranes. Pathogens, bacteria and toxins can make their way into the CNS if the mesentary is leaky. The mesentary is a round flat shaped organ at the back of our digestive organs and connects our guts to our blood stream and CNS. Arsenic has already been shown to be a driver for Shingles, which is the development of a blistering and painful rash along one or more branches of the CNS. In tests comparing Cerebrospinal Fluid and blood, arsenic trioxide achieved a concentration of 17.7% in the CFS compared to levels in the blood. This level is statistically significant. Arsenic in the CNS can cause 'polyneuropathy, EEG abnormalities and, in extreme cases, hallucinations, disorientation and agitation'. Arsenic has also been shown to cause 'motor paralysis, foot and wrist drop, tremors, severe pain and ataxia'.

Brain

The brain is extremely vulnerable to arsenic, particularly inhaled arsine gas. The gas can penetrate the olfactory bulb from the nasal passage, embed itself in cells in the bulb, and migrate further into the brain. Ingestion of arsenic can also affect the brain. Neurons become contaminated, which can cause them to misfire. They also become susceptible to overload of calcium as arsenic holds the calcium channels open. Reactive oxygen species, caused by the presence of arsenic, destroy brain cells. There is a strong association between arsenic exposure and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinsons. Children exposed to arsenic have been shown to develop various neurological and behavioural issues together with 'lower IQ scores, slower processing speeds, and impaired memory and language skills'. In a study from Chile, children were shown to be more likely to develop behavioural problems like ADHD, with exposure to arsenic and lead. Exposure to arsenic in adults can cause mood and mental disorders including depression, psychosis and schizophrenia. The adult brain contaminated with arsenic, develops signalling issues. Destroyed synapses in the brain can lead to deficits in learning, memory and the ability to move around. Arsenic can cause both neurotoxicity and excitotoxicity and can result in brain swelling, seizures, coma and in some cases death.

Blood

Arsine gas is a small enough gas molecule it can pass through the lung wall and directly into the blood stream. There it binds easily to disulphide bonds on the surface of red blood cells. Arsenic in the blood is responsible for red and white blood cell death, and reduction in available haemoglobin and damage to the walls of veins, arteries and capillaries. If the mesentary is leaking, arsenic can pass through the gut wall, entering the blood stream together with undigested food, pathogens and bacteria. Arsenic in the blood can lead to sepsis, clotting, haemorrhage, anaemia, overload of unbound ionised metals, high blood pressure and loss of oxygen in the blood (cyanosis). Whilst arsenic trioxide is a treatment for leukaemia, it is possible that leukaemia and other blood disorders can also be caused by arsenic exposure. High calcium in the blood can be found in patients with leukaemia and other cancers. Both arsenic and an arsenic-induced overload of ionised metals can damage and pop red and white blood cells.

Immune System

The lymphatic system carries lymph around the body to lymph nodes. Lymph is not pumped around like blood but instead depends on the movement of the human body to be moved. Excess fluid around the cells is absorbed into the lymphatic system, where B Cells, T Cells and natural killer cells are stored ready to fight infection. Arsenic can destroy or contaminate immune cells B, T and natural killer cells. macrophages, monocytes and other immune cells. Arsenic can degrade the lymphatic system itself through inflammation and reactive oxygen species. Lymphocytes are vulnerable to contamination or cell death as are all the different types of cells in the human body.

Our immune system relies heavily on Immunoglobulins. These are proteins that stick to pathogens and signal to B Cells that a pathogen is present and needs to be hunted down and removed from the body. However, all Y shaped immunoglobulins are formed with disulphide bonds. Arsenic will stick to them easily and stop the cascade of signalling to the B-Cells. When we have a cold or other cleansing type illness, it can sometimes stop abruptly around 2-3 days in. This is because too much arsenic has been released into the blood from dead cells and the immunoglobulins become overwhelmed, stopping the immune response. An incomplete immune response allows toxins, bacteria and other pathogens to accumulate in the system over time, gradually making it harder for the immune system to get on top of.

Autoimmune diseases are often attributed to the body attacking itself. Disease should be attributed instead to the body being unable to clean itself of toxins, leading to many supposedly autoimmune conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and IBS.

No part of the human body goes unaffected by exposure to arsenic, but we are all individuals. While some people will experience symptoms in their urinary tract, bladder and kidneys, other people may experience more symptoms in their cardiovascular system. So it is possible to have a whole set of symptoms, some of which seem completely unrelated, that are all linked to exposure to arsenic.

Reducing exposure, particularly to arsine gas, is nowhere near as straight forward as we would like. Simple things like not sleeping in a bedroom with the windows open is hard to achieve on a hot summer’s night. We cannot see it or smell it, so keeping track of our exposure comes down to recognising the initial symptoms listed above quickly and heading indoors.

Watching out for odd flight patterns is also useful, but not everyone has the time and inclination to watch ADSB Exchange or Flight radar all day long. When we top up our suntans in sunny weather, we are also sometimes topping up our arsenic levels. It is almost impossible to avoid exposure to the gas whilst it is being dispersed. Arsenic has become a fact of life for many countries around the world.

There are many more conditions that can be tied to arsenic exposure. If you want to know about the arsenic connection to a specific condition, just post in the comments below.