United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Publication 9230.0-05FSa
September 1992
&EPA
Superfund Fact Sheet:
Arsenic
Office of Emergency and Remedial Response
Hazardous Site Control Division (5203G)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
Many chemicals are found at Superfund hazardous waste sites. The Superfund
Program's mission includes identifying the chemicals, evaluating their potential
health effects on the people who live, work, or play nearby, keeping the public
informed, and supervising the cleanup of the site.
This fact sheet is one in a series produced by the Superfund Program. It is
intended for readers with no formal scientific training. It is based on a toxico-
logical profile prepared in 1989 by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (U.S. Public Health Service).
What Is arsenic?
Arsenic is a grey-colored, natural element in the earth's crust, but its pure form
is not common in the environment. It is usually found combined with other
elements, mainly oxygen, sodium, chlorine, or sulfur. Some of these compounds
occur naturally, others are man-made.
The main uses of arsenic in the U.S. are in pesticides and in wood preservatives.
Arsenic is also a by-product of copper smelting and other metal-making pro-
cesses. Arsenic used to be a constituent of some household products such as
paints and dyes, and in medicines for asthma and psoriasis, but these are no
longer in general use.
How are people
exposed to arsenic?
Arsenic is all around us. We all take in low levels of it, mostly in the food we eat.
We are exposed to smaller amounts of arsenic from drinking water and air,
although the amount in water can vary significantly, depending on regional
geology. The U.S. Geological Survey has found that the majority of surface and
ground waters contain less than 10 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic. This level is
five times less than the current EPA standard for public drinking water, which
is based on specific recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. Lev-
els of exposure higher than typical environmental background levels may occur
in the following situations:
• In some areas, natural mineral deposits are high in arsenic, and this may
result in higher tlu. usual levels of arsenic in drinking water. Most drinking
water contamination is due to naturally-occurring arsenic.
• Arsenic, released to the atmosphere during industrial activities such as burn-
ing coal, copper smelting, or other mining processes, has resulted in appre-
ciable local soil pollution. Nearby residents may be exposed to higher arsenic
levels as a result of releases to the air. Superfund sites with a mining or
smelting history may retain high levels of arsenic in soil or water.
• Some waste-chemical disposal sites contain large quantities of arsenic. Im-
properly stored, arsenic may escape into ground water and potentially reach
nearby wells used for drinking water.
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• If adequate safety procedures are not followed, people who manufacture or use
certain pesticides and wood preservatives may be exposed to excessive arsenic.
Widespread application of pesticides (e.g., in orchards, fields, or along road-
ways) may lead to water or soil contamination and possibly additional arsenic
exposure to communities.
• The toxicity of arsenic depends on its chemical form. When heated, as in the
smelting process, or in incinerators, arsenic in can be converted from rela-
tively low to more toxic forms.
• Exposure is now less of a problem from products that are no longer in general
use—arsenic-based paints, dyes, and medicines. Disposal sites for these prod-
ucts, however, may be a source of contamination.
In conducting site investigations, EPA may determine that although arsenic is
found at a site, there is little chance that people will come into contact with it. If
there is no probability of exposure to the arsenic, and there is no reason to
believe that there will be in the future, then the arsenic at the site poses no risk.
The type of health problems an individual might experience depends on the
chemical, how much of the chemical a person is exposed to and how long the
exposure lasts. Some chemicals are harmful in small amounts and other chemi-
cals are not harmful even in very large amounts.
How does arsenic get
Into the body?
Arsenic enters the body principally by the ingestion of food or, less frequently,
water. In general, arsenic compounds that are soluble in water are more quickly
absorbed through the stomach and intestines and cause more adverse health
effects than those that are not water soluble. Small amounts may enter the
body through the skin, but usually not in dangerous quantities.
If you have any reason to believe that you have been exposed to harmful levels
of arsenic you should contact your physician.
Is there a medical test
to determine exposure
to arsenic?
Although EPA does not generally conduct tests, measurement of arsenic in hair
or fingernails is sometimes used to detect chronic, long-term, high-level intake,
but this method is not very reliable for detecting low-level exposure. Measuring
the level of arsenic in urine is the best way to determine intake within the
previous one to two days. However, some common tests do not distinguish
nontoxic forms, such as fish arsenic, from toxic forms, so a high concentration of
arsenic in urine may not necessarily indicate that a health problem exists.
A common indication of toxic arsenic ingestion is a pattern of skin abnormali-
ties, including the appearance of dark and light spots on the skin, and small
corns on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and the torso.
How can arsenic affect
people's health?
The toxicity of arsenic, a recognized poison since ancient times, depends mainly
on its chemical form and how it enters the body. In addition, people vary greatly
in the amount of arsenic they can tolerate. When arsenic is taken by mouth, it
commonly irritates the digestive tract leading to pain, nausea, vomiting, and
diarrhea and causes facial swelling, muscular cramps, and blood vessel damage.
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Other effects, typical of longer-term ingestion of arsenic, include decreased pro-
duction of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart function, blood vessel dam-
age, liver and kidney injury, and impaired nerve function, and a "pins and
needles" feeling in the feet and hands. Skin abnormalities, mainly associated
with long-term ingestion of arsenic, are generally considered to be pre-cancer-
ous. There is evidence from animal studies that high oral doses during preg-
nancy may damage the fetus, but this has not been thoroughly studied in people.
Breathing arsenic dusts or fumes sometimes produces the same health effects as
those of oral doses, but effects are usually mild. A greater concern is the in-
creased risk of lung cancer from inhaled arsenic. Evidence comes mostly from
people exposed to high levels of airborne arsenic in the workplace, but lower
levels may also increase the possibility of getting lung cancer.
Direct skin contact with arsenic compounds, frequently from arsenic dusts in the
air, may result in mild to severe irritation of the skin, eyes, and throat.
Several studies indicate that arsenic may be a nutritional requirement in ani-
mals, but a beneficial role in human has not been established.
What recommendations
has the Federal
government made to
protect human health?
The Federal government has taken a number of steps to protect people from
arsenic. EPA has established limits on the arsenic released into the environ-
ment from factories that manufacture or use arsenic. EPA also has restricted or
canceled many of the uses of arsenic in pesticides and is considering further
restrictions. EPA has established a permissible level for arsenic in drinking
water; this value is currently under review by the Agency. The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has also set permissible levels for
airborne inorganic and organic arsenic.
At specific Superfund sites, EPA makes every effort to monitor arsenic levels
and safeguard public health. EPA investigators determine if there are excessive
levels of arsenic, what risks they pose for people, and how the cleanup can bring
arsenic levels to approved limits. While the cleanup is underway, temporary
safety measures may be needed. For example, if arsenic has made its way into
drinking water, an alternate source may have to be supplied, or if arsenic has
entered the food chain, consumption of affected fish, animals, or milk may have
to be banned.
Where can I get more This fact sheet has been designed to provide general information on arsenic.
Information on this More information about arsenic at a specific site is available from the Commu-
chemlcal? njty Relations Coordinator (CRC) for each EPA region. Community Relations
Offices are listed on the back of this fact sheet.
For additional technical details contact EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at
1-800-426-4791, or see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's
Toxicological Profile for Arsenic. Information on obtaining this profile is avail-
able by calling the Agency's Toxicology Information Service, at (404) 639-6000.
The information service is accessible 24 hours per day by touchtone phone.
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Regional Superfund Community Relations Offices
Region 1
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 1 (RPA-74)
#1 Congress Street
Boston. MA 02203
(617) 565-3425
Region 2
Community Relations Branch
External Programs Division
EPA Region 2 (2-EPD)
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
(212) 264-7054
Region 3
Superfund Community Relations
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 3 (3EA21)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 597-9905
Region 4
Superfund Community Relations
Waste Management Division
EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-2643
Region 5
Superfund Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 5
Metcalfe Federal Bldg.
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
(312)353-2073
Region 6
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 6 (6H-SS)
1445 Ross Avenue
12th Floor, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75270
(214) 655-2240
Region 7
Community Relations
Office of Public Affairs
EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City , KS 66101
(913)551-7003
Region 8
Community Relations Branch
Office of External Affairs
EPA Region 8 (80EA)
1 Denver Place
999 18th Street, Suite 1300
Denver, CO 80202
(303)294-1144
Region 9
Superfund Community Relations
Hazardous Waste Mgmt. Division
EPA Region 9 (T-1-3)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)744-2178
Region 10
Community Relations Section
Hazardous Waste Division
EPA Region 10 (HW117)
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 553-6901
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (5203G)
Washington, DC 20460
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