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Considering the advancements of the twenty first century, it certainly is farcical that
simple things like access to clean drinking water are not available to many people on Earth.
Anthropogenic environmental degradation has been to blame for many disasters on earth, which
includes arsenic contamination that is - and will continue - affecting people negatively (Arsenic
in Drinking Water, 2001). Agricultural irrigation, arsenic pesticides, and industrial irrigation are
prime examples, but there are also natural processes that exacerbate the contamination of arsenic.
Prevention of contamination is not widely taught (Arsenic Toxicity, 2010) and I feel that
researching and warning people that are doing the contaminating, as well as those being affected,
can substantially lower the rate dangerous and/or lethal levels of arsenic exposure. This pertains
to my future patients because one of my goals in life is to participate in a type of association like
Doctors Without Borders, and arsenic poison - heavy metal poisoning in general - is a big
problem in many third-world countries. My future patients could potentially be people who have
Acute and chronic arsenic exposure can bring about different symptoms, but both are
fairly common within regions of countries that are very poor and desolate; this does not mean
that it is an isolated issue among third-world countries. In fact, arsenic has been noted as a
worldwide problem that can possibly affect everyone. In addition, the goal of teaching
prevention rather than treatment is very relevant in this situation. Encouraging the education of
people who face these problems daily is vital to combating heavy metal poisoning in general, and
something that I strive to combat. I pride myself in standing for the trees because they do not
have voices to defend themselves. When I mention the trees, I mean the environment in general;
from global warming to the nominal by comparison death of nanobacteria in the ocean.
warming or air pollution, but what I can do is encourage the people around me to recycle their
paper, or conserve water and energy. However insignificant this may seem, it is a lot more than
what most people are doing today. Globally, the United States is behind many countries that are
substantially more environmentally sound and friendly. In addition, I can write about the
consequences of degradation in this research article that will educate whoever reads it. I am not
looking to change the world with this article, but changing the opinion of at least one person is a
To effectively solve a problem, it is vital to attack it at the root of the source. Arsenic
stems from many different sources including industrial processes. It is an infamous byproduct
of the smelting of many metal ores like cobalt, lead, and gold (Arsenic Toxicity, 2010, para. 5).
People exploiting the environment for monetary gain happens frequently, and the lack of any
real punishment has exacerbated the problem. The shortage of clean drinking water has also
encouraged the increase of drilling tube wells to find clean water in Bangladesh. Ironically, these
processes also account for a major portion of the documented occurrences of arsenic poisoning
into drinking sources (The Water Page, 2001, para. 4). The resulting positive-feedback loop
puts people in tough situations because stopping the drilling would result in inaccessibility to
water for a majority of the population, and continuing the drilling may satisfy water needs, but it
will only enhance the arsenic poisoning problem. Bangladesh has become synonymous with
mass arsenic poisoning because of natural processes like pyrite oxidation and oxyhydroxide
reduction that release arsenic (The Water Page, 2001, para. 7). In addition, agriculture has also
been a big contributor to arsenic contamination because the dangerous inorganic arsenic is
released during the manufacturing of widely-used pesticides (The Water Page, 2001, para. 6).
In their research, Flora, Bhadauria, Pachauri, & Yadav (2012) identify the following
Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) - is used to treat chronic arsenic poisoning in male Wistar rats.
The drug was given to the subjects orally or through intraperitoneal (IP) administration, and the
water-soluble lipophilic chelating agent has emerged as a promising drug for the treatment of
arsenic (Flora et al., 2012, para.1). Twenty five Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: the
control group that received saline, two groups that received MiADMSA orally, through doses of
50 or 100 mg/kg once daily, respectively, and the last two groups received MiADMSA through
hemoglobin (Hb) were recorded, the 50 mg/kg dose of MiADMSA was observed to be most
effective in reversing arsenic-induced altered biochemical variables in blood (Flora et al., 2012,
para. 24). Further blood tests revealed that initial decreases in Red blood cell counts and
hematocrit levels were reversed by the oral administration of MiADMSA (Flora et al., 2011,
para. 25). Renal and hepatic oxidative stress, defined as . . . a disturbance in the balance
between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidant defenses. . . (
Betteridge, 2000, p. 12) show a positive response to the drug treatment, indicating that the drug
treatment reduced the oxidative stress that arsenic poisoning imposes on body organs. On a
molecular level, oral administration of MiADMSA was able to help fix the damage caused by the
contamination of arsenic.
In conclusion, Flora et al., determine that both modes of administration were effective,
but IP administration is a better fit for acute arsenic poisoning, and chronic poisoning can be
better treated by oral MiADMSA treatment .The reason being that with chronic poisoning, the
arsenic is more likely to dissipate further into the cells, and the lipophilicity of MiADMSA
allows it to travel intracellularly to clean up the arsenic (Flora et al., 2011, para. 5). From the
pharmacokinetic analysis, it is noted that the oral administration of the drug is shown to stay
within the body longer, enabling it to better counteract the chronic arsenic exposure. From this
treatment for arsenic poisoning. Furthermore, the oral administration is a better treatment for
chronic arsenic exposure while the IP administration is better suited for the treatment of acute
In the article Effects of glutathione on the in vivo metabolism and oxidative stress of
arsenic in mice, Wang, Lin, Li, & Sun, (2016) set out to learn the role that Glutathione (GSH)
plays in Arsenic methylation - the primary method of metabolizing arsenic - as well as reducing
the levels of arsenic-related oxidative stress . The experiment performed consisted of 36 female
albino mice test subjects that were divided into six groups of six. All groups except the control
were given water that was contaminated with arsenic, and after ten days, the subjects were
injected intraperitoneally with different levels of GSH or Buthionine Sulfoximine (BSO). At the
end of the experiment, the mice were separated into individual cages, enabling 24 hour collective
urine test to before performed for further analysis. Percentages of iAs (inorganic arsenic),
monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) were measured in the urine
and liver to evaluate the effect of GSH or BSO on the methylation of arsenic (Wang et al., 2016).
Results showed that the total As ingested from drinking the contaminated water was 5.9
to 8.01 mg As/kg b.w./day (Wang et al., 2016, para 7). After the initial rise in arsenic species -
iAs, MMA, and DMA - in the liver, the GSH administration proved the best in decreasing the
arsenic levels. FMR (first methylation ratio) and SMR (second methylation ratio) were higher in
urine than in the liver - meaning that arsenic methylation happens in extrahepatic tissues as
well.FMR and SMR represented the capability of methylation from iAs to MMA, and from
MMA to DMA, respectively (Wang et al., 2016, para. 9). In addition, urinary FMR and SMR
are representative of the entire bodys methylation capability because arsenic metabolites are
ultimately excreted into the urine (Wang et al., 2016). In addition, the mechanism of arsenic
poisoning in the body is intertwined with arsenic-induced oxidative stress, thus GSH is a highly
effective medicine under both circumstances. It is clear through the results that exogenous GSH
consistently reversed the ill effects of arsenic poisoning that consisted of decreased of blood and
hepatic GSH, as well as a reduction of the mices overall antioxidant capacity. From this
promote arsenic methylation, accelerate arsenic excretion . . . and enhance the bodys antioxidant
Despite the effectiveness of the treatments mentioned above, there is no better treatment
in the world for any problem better than prevention. Perhaps the most overstated solution is to
find alternative sources of water to replace those that have elevated arsenic concentrations above
the 10 parts per billion or 0.01 milligrams per liter limit that the EPA and WHO deem safe for
consumption, respectively (The Water Page, 2001, para. 5). The fact that Bangladesh - and many
other third-world countries - place their limits to many water pollutants at least five fold of what
they are in more developed countries, is truly reflective of the global crisis that is occurring in
the world (The Water Page. 2001). To combat the variations in limits, it is important to have
globally uniform laws that are vital in fighting water pollution in general, and arsenic pollution
will follow suit. In addition, testing high risk areas for arsenic concentrations is important
because people need to be aware of what is in the water they are drinking. Demarcating unsafe
water sources can help reduce the rate of arsenic contamination. Education is the key to
prevention because knowledgeable citizens will know to stop any activity that exacerbates the
problem. They will also stay away from high risk areas in addition to educating the people
around them.
Arsenic exposure has notable health effects like skin lesions and secondary cancers. To
combat the residual effects of As,, the chemoprotective potential of Vernonia amygdalina
Adesokan, 2013, ?) is evaluated in the following experiment. Twenty male Wistar rats were
divided into four even groups; The first two groups were given two doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg
per body weight for seven consecutive days, then were given a single dose of sodium arsenic
intraperitoneally. The third group a was a negative control that received distilled water, the
fourth was a positive control group that only received sodium arsenite. As part of the analysis,
blood samples of the mice were examined for arsenic-induced micronuclei because small nuclei
while Pretreatment with 50 mg/kg V. amygdalina leaf extract significantly reduced sodium
examination of the mices livers revealed that the mice treated with V. amygdalina presented
with less necrosis than those that did not get the treatment. This is further explained because
The effects of V. amygdalina leaf extract discussed until here are important mediators to have
beneficial response to prevent liver fibrosis induced by sodium arsenite administration and may
have an impact in the prevention of diseases (Adetutu et al., 2013, ?). This was determined by
the analysis for GGT (Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) and ALP (Alkaline phosphatase)
because they are the main markers for liver damage. In the mice treated with V. amygdalina,
both GGT and ALP levels were normal after an initial rise due to the sodium arsenite. It is noted
that V. amygdalina may contain antioxidant compounds that combat the reactive species
generated by sodium arsenite, and as a result, it reduces the toxicity (Adetutu et al., 2013). The
known.
In analyzing treatments for arsenic poisoning, the usage of MiADMSA, GSH and BSO,
and the preemptive usage of V. amygdalina have been successful. The MiADMSA trials seemed
to give a legitimate option for both chronic and acute As poisoning. A subject group of twenty
five rats seems sufficient to give proper results. For the GSH and BSO trial, the methylation
capability was measured by the concentration of As species. In addition, it measured the effect
that each treatment had on the As induced oxidative stress because it is believed that oxidative
stress is closely related to the methylation capability of an organism. The subject size is
sufficient in this study as well, enabling the results to be more trustworthy. The results did
indicate that with appropriate administration the application of GSH and BSO would be
effective but some of the areas that need the treatment the most lack appropriate health centers
they can turn to (Adetutu et al., para 9). With many people struggling to feed their families, they
might disregard the treatment, hindering the successful effects of the treatments. A medication
The one prevention method studied is the preemptive treatment of Vernonia amygdalina
showed positive results by reducing the sodium arsenite-induced micronuclei of the bone marrow
blood in the mice. The subject size for this trial was of sufficient size, good enough to trust the
results. In addition to reducing genotoxicity, the treatment also reduced the hepatotoxicity of the
mice. It is important for people to know these possible treatments for Arsenic contamination
because it is a global problem. It might be more severe in desolate countries, but everyone can be
affected.
This data will influence my future career because as noted in the aforementioned
paragraph, a goal in life of mine is to participate in a program that helps people in third-world
location that I can be sent to, to possibly administer the treatments mentioned above.
Researching about the prevention methods has strengthened my desire to help people in need
because simple prevention methods can save many lives. If I can help save one person from a life
plagued with health effects from ingesting As, I will be ecstatic because it will just be the start
References
Adetutu, A., Oyewo, E. B., & Adesokan, A. A. (2013). Protective effects of Vernonia
oxidative stress
https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=1&po=5
Flora, S. J., Bhadauria, S., Pachauri, V., & Yadav, A. (2012). Monoisoamyl 2,
Wang, D., Lin, L., Li, X., & Sun, G. F. (2015). Effects of glutathione on the in vivo metabolism
and oxidative stress of arsenic in mice. The Journal of toxicological sciences, 40(5),
577-583. http://doi.org/10.2131/jts.40.577