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Arsenic


In the study by the Iowa department of health revealed that long-term exposure to arsenic could cause an increased risk of cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The strongest evidence shows a link between arsenic and skin, bladder, and lung cancer.(2) The biggest concerns are bladder and lung cancer. It usually takes about ten years for most of the cancers to develop. Another sign of arsenic poising is the pigmentation of the skin; it will change and become very thick. These effects lead to hyperkeratosis. Some of the other things that arsenic in the water causes are cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. It also can cause diabetes, reproductive problems, and immune and nervous system problems.(Cohen and O"Connor 277) Arsenic in the drinking water will cause an estimated 200,000 deaths around the world next year.(National Research Council 91) .
             Another major problem with arsenic in our drinking water is how it affects pregnancy outcomes. In an article from the Environmental Health Perspective they did a study on pregnant women of reproductive age (15-49) who were exposed to arsenic through drinking water. They compared the pregnancy outcomes in terms of live birth, stillbirth, spontaneous abortions and pre-term births. They had a total of 192 pregnant women in this study, 96 of them were exposed to arsenic over a period of five to ten years. The other 96 women were not exposed to the arsenic. The women that were exposed drank water that had been contaminated with a .10mg/L ratio of arsenic. In the study the women that were exposed had a higher rate of skin manifestation and they were twice as likely to have adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as spontaneous abortion, stillbirth and pre-term births. Arsenic also causes lots of children to have a lower birth weight. .
             The amount of arsenic in the water is a significant factor in how it affects your health.


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