Toxicity and Precautions
Arsenic and many of its compounds are especially potent poisons. Many water supplies close to mines are contaminated by these poisons. In the United States, the maximum allowed concentration in drinking water is 10 ppb and 5 ppb for bottled water. There is no standard for food, though in 2012 press coverage prompted calls for developing such. The People's Republic of China does have a food standard.
Elemental arsenic and arsenic compounds are classified as "toxic" and "dangerous for the environment" in the European Union under directive 67/548/EEC. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recognizes arsenic and arsenic compounds as group 1 carcinogens, and the EU lists arsenic trioxide, arsenic pentoxide and arsenate salts as category 1 carcinogens.
Arsenic is known to cause arsenicosis owing to its manifestation in drinking water, "the most common species being arsenate [HAsO2−
4; As(V)] and arsenite ".
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