Arsenic as an environmental and human health antagonist: A review of its toxicity and disease initiation

Arsenic is a naturally occurring and ubiquitously present metalloid in soil, water, food, and the environment. Arsenic exposure to human through various sources such as contaminated groundwater and other human activities have become a significant global concern. This is because arsenic has been shown to exhibit extreme toxic potential with serious health implications. Its exposure to humans is linked to myriads of disorders and this represents a major threat to the health, economic, and social well-being of people, especially, in the less-developed countries of the world. Major diseases that have been linked to arsenic poisoning are diabetes, hyperkeratosis, cancer, hypertension, and neurodegeneration, etc. Meanwhile, to date, there is no specific or approved remedy for arsenic poisoning. Chelation therapy for the management of arsenic poisoning is fraught with several side effects which limit its clinical usefulness. In this review article, we tried to provide an insight into some of the key scientific details that are documented in the literature as regards arsenic toxicity. These include its physicochemical properties, means of exposure, and possible mechanism of arsenic-induced toxicity. Furthermore, we also beamed our searchlight on the effect of arsenic on some major organs of the body. Online search Engines such as Google®, Scholar google®, SciFinder®, and PubMed® were used for literature search. Scientific journals that relate to the objective of this review without restriction to the year of publication were considered. This study revealed the significance of arsenic toxicity and its contribution to health-related challenges. Therefore, it is pertinent for policy Makers to increase awareness of arsenic toxicity and formulate guidelines for a cleaner environment. This will significantly reduce the incidence of arsenic-induced non-communicable diseases.