Patel et al. 2023 — Arsenic in the environment: contamination, mobility, sources, and exposure
This comprehensive review published in RSC Advances surveys arsenic contamination across environmental compartments — air, water, soil, and sediment — globally, alongside analytical methods for total and speciated arsenic. The review covers both natural (geogenic) and anthropogenic sources, documents human health effects from chronic exposure via multiple routes, and summarizes atomic spectrometric detection approaches. Key environmental maxima reported include up to 1,660 ng/m³ arsenic in urban air particulate matter, up to 2,000 mg/L in groundwater, and up to 4,600 mg/kg in soil near industrial sources. The review notes that inorganic As(III) is more toxic than As(V), which in turn is more toxic than organic arsenic species, reinforcing the speciation imperative for risk assessment.
Key numbers
- Air (urban): max 1,660 ng/m³ As (fine particulate)
- Groundwater: max 2,000 mg/L As
- Soil: max 4,600 mg/kg As (near industrial sources)
- Sediment: max 2,500 mg/kg As
- WHO drinking water guideline: 10 µg/L
- Analytical LOD values reported: generally <1 mg/L for atomic spectrometric methods
- Countries with recognized arsenic groundwater contamination: 21
Methods (brief)
Review of multiple analytical methods including AAS, AFS, ICP-MS, HPLC-ICP-MS (for speciation). LOD summary across methods provided. No single primary dataset; synthesis of published literature values.
Implications
Certification: Environmental context for arsenic in food — geogenic groundwater arsenic is a primary driver of rice and vegetable contamination. Relevant to understanding regional variation in crop contamination. Courses: Excellent overview source for arsenic contamination mechanisms, speciation toxicity hierarchy, and exposure routes. App: Not directly applicable (no food concentration data). Microbiome: No microbiome content.