Consequences of acute and chronic exposure to arsenic in children

Arsenic is a toxic chemical and may cause adverse health effects in children and adults. It is known to affect the nervous, gastrointestinal, and hematological systems and cause skin and internal cancers in people exposed to levels greater than 300 ppb in their drinking water. For most people, the major exposure to arsenic comes from food (8 to 14 microg inorganic arsenic per day), but when the arsenic level in water is elevated, drinking water becomes the predominant source of exposure. Because it is very difficult to limit arsenic exposure from food, it would be wise to limit arsenic exposure from those more controllable sources. Pediatricians should ascertain the levels of arsenic in drinking water of patients with high arsenic levels, using the supplier or, in the case of private wells, a professional water-testing laboratory assay. The Safe Drinking Water Act does not cover private wells or those water systems with less than 15 hook-ups or those that serve less than 25 people. Pediatricians should instruct parents to use prepared baby formulas or prepare them using water with the arsenic removed and to curtail playing time for younger children in places that have sand containing large amounts of arsenic. Such procedures will limit arsenic exposure to a minimum.