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Arsenic Poisoning through Ages
Published in M. Manzurul Hassan, Arsenic in Groundwater, 2018
Agricultural inputs such as pesticides, desiccants, and fertilizers are major sources of arsenic in soils (Jiang and Singh, 1994; Saxe et al., 2006: 281). The use of arsenic-containing fertilizers and pesticides represents an historic and continuing addition to background concentrations of arsenic in soils. From the late 1800s and until the introduction of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), several arsenic compounds (e.g., lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, magnesium arsenate, zinc arsenate, zinc arsenite, and Paris green) were extensively used as pesticides in orchards (Merry et al., 1983; Smith et al., 1998a: 150). Early in the 20th century, pesticides including lead arsenate and calcium arsenate were commonly applied to turf grass (e.g., golf courses, sod farms) and agricultural crops (e.g., apple orchards, vegetable fields) (Alden, 1983; Welch et al., 2000). Arsenical pesticides were also widely used in livestock dips to control ticks, fleas, and lice (Vaughan, 1993). Paris green was used as an insecticide from 1867 to 1900, and it was effective in controlling Colorado potato beetles and mosquitoes (Cullen, 2008: 61; Peryea, 1998). Through the early 1900s, lead arsenate, another arsenic-based pesticide, was widely used as a pesticide for apple and cherry orchards. It is noted that arsenite of lime and arsenate of lead were used widely as insecticides until the discovery of DDT in 1942 (Murphy and Aucott, 1998).
Product: Alfa-Tox
Published in Charles R. Foden, Jack L. Weddell, First Responder’s Guide to Agricultural Chemical Accidents, 2018
Charles R. Foden, Jack L. Weddell
FIRST AID Eye ExposureIf lead arsenate gets into the eyes, flush with water for at least fifteen minutes while holding open the upper and lower eye lids. Get medical attention if irritation occurs. Contact lens should not be worn when working with chemicals.Skin ExposureIf lead arsenate gets on the skin, flush with water. If liquid soaks through the clothing, remove contaminated clothing and flush contaminated skin area with water. Get medical attention if irritation occurs.BreathingIf lead arsenate has been inhaled, give victim a tablespoon of salt in a glass of warm water and repeat until vomit is clear. Then give two tablespoons of epsom salts or milk of magnesia in water and plenty of milk and water. Keep victim warm and at rest. Get immediate medical attention.SwallowingIf lead arsenate has been ingested, and victim is conscious give victim a tablespoon of salt in a glass of warm water and repeat until vomit is clear. Then give two tablespoons of epsom salts or milk of magnesia in water and plenty of milk and water. Keep victim warm and at rest. Get immediate medical attention.
Metals
Published in Mary K. Theodore, Louis Theodore, Introduction to Environmental Management, 2021
Mary K. Theodore, Louis Theodore
Arsenic is likely familiar to most people as a poison used by villains in mystery novels and movies to kill their innocent victims. Many movie buffs can relate this statement to the Oscar award-winning movie in the early 1940s titled Arsenic and Old Lace starring Cary Grant. But, although arsenic is a poison, its more detrimental effect is its ability to cause cancer. Lead arsenate was used as a pesticide in farms and gardens but now has been replaced by synthetic pesticides. Arsenic compounds are found in the home; typical products containing arsenic are rat poison and plant killers. However, most products now contain little or no arsenic [2].
Phytomanagement of trace element polluted fields with aromatic plants: supporting circular bio-economies
Published in International Journal of Phytoremediation, 2023
Anabel Saran, Diego Much, Jaco Vangronsveld, Luciano Merini
Pesticides used in agriculture and horticulture often contain considerable amounts of copper sulfate and lead arsenate (Missimer et al. 2018). The application rate of such pesticides is low, and most of the residual pesticides are dispersed in the environment through precipitation and runoff. However, improper disposal of pesticide waste and stocks caused many long-term polluted sites with high concentrations of pesticides (Alvarez et al. 2017). Defarge et al. (2018) reported that in glyphosate-based herbicides in particular As, Cr, Ni, Pb and Co were detected. Many sites are co-polluted with trace elements and pesticides, like cotton growing areas in Pakistan (Tariq et al. 2016), fields in San Luis Potosí, México (Perez-Vazquez et al. 2015), the Bandama Golf Course in Gran Canaria Island (Estevez et al. 2016), coffee plantations (Loland and Singh 2004) and rice fields (Bian et al. 2014).
Heavy metals in municipal waste: the content and leaching ability by waste fraction
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2019
The use of lead in decorative paints has noticeably reduced, while lead sulfur and lead chromate remain in demand because of low cost and good anti-corrosion properties [22]. Today, most household paints usually contain less than 90 ppm of lead. Lead may be discarded in municipal waste or directly with residual paints or along with dust, for example, during the walls processing. Lead naphthenate and lead oxide Pb3O4 are used in alkyd paints to accelerate drying and in primer paints to prevent corrosion. Many organometallic lead compounds (e.g. lead arsenate AsHO4Pb) are still used in pesticides [7]. Glass is another source of lead: lead (II) oxide is used to strengthen the color and brightness of glass. Besides, lead-antimony and lead-acid batteries contain much lead. Lead is sometimes added to the zinc anode of household batteries to reduce corrosion. Some authors [20] have found lead oxides in lead crystal glass. Also, lead-silicate glass is used in fluorescent lamps. The release of lead from other WEEE was reported by Lincoln et al. [23]. For example, an old monitor or TV with cathode-ray tube contains 1–3 kg of lead accounting up to 10% of the total lead in household waste [18, 24]. According to Morf et al. [17], the average lead concentration in e-waste is 2.9 g kg−1. Some lead compounds (e.g. lead sulfide) are used in transistors of electrical devices, as well as in some cosmetic products, e.g. creams [17]. It is important to know which compounds are soluble and therefore pose a greater danger to the environment. Among lead compounds mentioned above, very low solubility have lead arsenate and lead sulfate have very low solubility while, other substances are insoluble.
In vivo and in vitro methods for evaluating soil arsenic bioavailability: relevant to human health risk assessment
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2018
Karen D Bradham, Gary L Diamond, Michele Burgess, Albert Juhasz, Julie M Klotzbach, Mark Maddaloni, Clay Nelson, Kirk Scheckel, Sophia M Serda, Marc Stifelman, David J Thomas
The largest sources of As into the environment include commercial agricultural products such as pesticides/insecticides, herbicides, desiccants/wood preservatives, feed additives, and as an impurity in phosphate fertilizer. While agricultural usage of As-based pesticides has declined significantly, it was not uncommon in the mid-twentieth century for the United States to consume nearly 20,000 tons of pesticides in the form of lead arsenate, calcium arsenate, copper acetoarsenite (Paris-Green), As acid (H3AsO4), monosodium methanearsonate, disodium methanearsonate, and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA, cacodylic acid, Agent Blue) (Lansche 1965; Thompson 1973; USDA 1970). Lead arsenate was a popular insecticide during the first half of the twentieth century because of its low toxicity to plants and great effectiveness for controlling codling moth in commercial apple orchards. Smaller but still substantial amounts were used on deciduous tree fruits other than apple, in home gardens and orchards, for mosquito control, and on lawns and golf greens (Peryea 1999). Arsenic an herbicide, sodium arsenite was widely used since the late 1800s as a non-selective weed killer (USDA 1970). Sodium and calcium versions of monomethylarsenate (MMA) and DMA are widely employed herbicides and are the active ingredient in consumer products including Weed-B-Gone Crabgrass Killer. Arsenic acid (Desiccant L-10) was extensively used as a cotton desiccant for many years to defoliate cotton to allow seeding of the next cotton crop (Rosen and Liu 2009). Arsenic has been utilized as a wood preservative since the early 1900s. Fluor-chrome-arsenic-phenol was the first wood preservative and, later, chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and ammonical copper arsenate dominated the industry (USDA 1974). As a feed additive, the most recognized organic arsenical is Roxarsone (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylarsonic acid), which was used as a growth enhancer in chicken production. Poultry manure containing Roxarsone was often applied to land as fertilizer, thus adding As to agricultural soils.