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Open Access
Copyright: The authors. This article is an open access
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Review Article
14. Arsenic: it's extent
of pollution and toxicosis: An animal perspective
- Debashis Roy, Tapan Kumar Das and Shalini Vaswani
Vet World. 2013; 6(1): 53-58
doi:
10.5455/vetworld.201 3.53-58
Abstract
Arsenic poisoning is now considered as one of the
biggest environmental disaster and a major public
health issue. Incidence of arsenicpoisoning has
been reported from many parts of the world. While
Bangladesh and West Bengal (India) account for the
most of the incidence, occasional reports from
Mexico, Taiwan and mainland China have also
appeared.It is a natural metalloid found in low
concentrations in virtually every part of the
environment as it is used in a wide variety of
industrial applications, from computers to
fireworks. Ground water arsenic is the major
source of poisoning in animals and human. About
80% of ingested arsenic is absorbed and
metabolized in liver and then excreted through
urine and faeces while upon chronic exposure, it
is deposited in liver, kidney and skin. Human
populations are also being exposed to this poison
by consuming the milk of affected animal.Inorganic
forms of arsenic are more toxic compared to
organic forms. Acute toxicity is rare in nature in
comparison to chronic toxicity, which is prevalent
in contaminated areas. Most non-ruminants are more
susceptible to intoxication than ruminants.
Chronic exposure of arsenic in animals and human
beings causes severe adverse effects in the form
of lowered immunity, diseases and production
performances. Keywords: Acute toxicity,
arsenic, chronic toxicity, immunity
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