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Tuy Phong
English Writing 1B
25th November 2012
Arsenic Poisoning
In his research, Hendrik Ball, a member of Victorian Political History organization,
questioned about the death of Emperor Napoleon. He believed that Napoleon was poisoned to
death. According to Ball, in 1885, after being defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon
Bonaparte was banished to the island of St. Helen with an entourage. During his time in the
island, Napoleon often suffered from severe stomachache that finally developed to an ulcer. After
his death, people found out that there was a small amount of arsenic in his hair. Arsenic is very
poisonous to animal and human, and caused a lot of food-borne illness in history due to its
particular properties: Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral found in soil, bedrock, and water.
In its pure form, arsenic is a silver-gray or white brittle metal. Arsenic has no odor and is almost
tasteless (Wisconsin Poison Control Center). There was a case of deliberate poisoning by
arsenic described by Satin in his book "Death in the Pot". It was the Esing Bakery incident
happened on the morning of January 15, and the targeted victims were white Westerners in Hong
Kong. From knowing the habit of Westerners of eating bread in the morning, Chung Ah-Lum,
the owner of Esing Bakery has mixed arsenic into bread flour to killed foreigners in Hong Kong.
According to the author, this incident was a warning about ways that terrorists could use to kill a
community under certain circumstances such as culinary customs through food poisoning. In this
research essay, we'll learn a lot of useful information about this toxic chemical, such as its
properties, how people can be exposed to arsenic, about specific symptoms of arsenic poisoning,
and how to prevent us from arsenic exposure.

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First of all, we should know what is arsenic? Where does it derive from? And what are its
significant properties? In the website of Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, this
toxic chemical is defined: Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the
earth's crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur to form
inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic in animals and in plants combines with carbon and
hydrogen to form organic arsenic compounds (Pr. 1). From that definition, arsenic seems to be
everywhere. In his book, Element of Murder, John Emsley wrote, Arsenic can enter the body
via the skin, lungs, or stomach, although the latter is the only way that would-be poisoners could
hope to kill their victim. From the stomach arsenic passes into the blood stream and so moves
around the body, quickly ending up in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs (95). We may
consume arsenic in our daily diet. Following information gathered from Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry website regarding the physical and chemical properties of
arsenic and some common inorganic and organic arsenic: Arsenic is referred to as a metalloid in
the periodic table. It is often found in the alpha-crystalline metallic form with steel gray color
and brittle solid. There are two forms of arsenic compound, organic compound and inorganic
compound. Inorganic compound is more toxic to human health than organic compound. In short,
arsenic is present everywhere in human environment. Next part, we will learn about thresholds of
arsenic to human health.
In this section, we will concentrate on three concern questions: What levels of arsenic that
our body can tolerate without any symptoms of poisoning? How much arsenic does it take to
make us be ill? And what is the lethal dose of arsenic for a normal person? Correct answers for
three above questions depend on some conditions, such as weight, age, etc. According to Emsley,
the average person, weighing 70 kg, contains around 7 mg of arsenic, which represents a level

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of 0.1 parts per million. Our blood contains less than this, but our skeleton contains more, and
the level in hair is generally about 1 parts per million (95). This is the allowable level of arsenic
for an average person. Based on Emsleys research, even if arsenic is necessary for the human
body in a very small amount, we still have to avoid exposing to arsenic as much as possible.
However, he also added that it is fortunately for us since our body quickly response to the excess
amount of arsenic by rapidly getting rid of it: Arsenic is quickly removed by the liver, and at a
rate that is more than enough to remove the daily surplus we consume (95). However, when our
bodies suddenly absorb a large amount of arsenic, the excretion cant take place in the regular
way. Another author is Hans Marquardt in his book, Toxicology, pointed out: For humans, the
minimal lethal dose of arsenic trioxide can be estimated to 70-180 mg (equivalent 1 3 mg
As/kg body weight) (764). As we mentioned in the first section about the deliberate poisoning
by Esing Bakery owner, Satin reported: On the morning of January 15, 1857, hundreds of Hong
Kongs foreigner residents were stricken with acute arsenic poisoning. Fortunately, as Emsley
once said, the human body immediately responds to the sudden large dose of arsenic, so the evil
plan of these Chinese murders had partly failed for the following reason: In the zeal to kill as
many as people as possible, the perpetrators has used far too much arsenic so that it acted more
as an emetic, causing everyone to vomit up most of the material consumed (Satin 145).
Consequently, we learned about arsenic properties and its toxic thresholds for human health.
As we mentioned, arsenic is all around us in the environment and we are all inevitably
exposed to small doses. It is difficult to detect arsenic since it is generally odorless and flavorless
so we need to learn about common symptoms of arsenic poisoning. In his research, Emsley
summarized each stage of arsenic poisoning accompanied by typical symptoms: when a person
exposed to large amounts of arsenic, either through eating or drinking, common symptoms will

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appear within 15 minutes of exposure. Sometimes, symptoms may be delayed as the lower
concentration: The initial vomiting brings no relief and soon starts again. The victim may
complain of thirst and a sore mouth and throat, and experience difficulty in swallowing (Emsley
96). However, Emsley added that if a person exposes a less than lethal dose, these typical
symptoms of arsenic poisoning are vague and nonspecific. It is likely an ordinary food
poisoning, and for this reason it was most unlikely for a doctor to diagnose arsenic poisoning
and why to some murders it seemed the perfect poison (96). We recall Esing Bakery incident.
Satin told that the Governor Bowring had been reported about the poising after his family
finished their bread breakfast on that fateful morning. It was too late and the tragic outcome had
occurred: He wrote: It left its effect for some days in racking headaches, pains to the limb and
bowels. Sadly, his wife, Lady Bowring, never fully recovered and died later that year (Satin
145). In case the victim consumes a large dose of arsenic, there are some typical symptoms at the
second stage, the body next attempts to eject the poison by emptying the bowels, and diarrhea
begin after about 12 hours, eventually becoming watery (Emsley 96). According to the author of
Death in the Pot, as the poison's effects progress, the victim will go into shock and finally die
within a few hours. If death does not occur at this stage, it will happen a few days when the
kidney fails, death usually occurs within 12- 36 hours but some poor soul have lingered for four
days (Emsley 96). In summary, depending on the concentration of the toxin and physical
conditions of the patient, typical symptoms of arsenic poisoning show quickly or slowly in each
stages of poisoning progress.
It is important to know about the presence of arsenic in food and drinking since this
directly influences to our health. In the Minimal Risk Level for Toxic Substance list on Agency
for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry website, the minimal acute level of arsenic is 0.005

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mg/kg/day and the minimal intermediate level is 0.0003 mg/kg/day. These are minimal levels to
estimate our daily level of arsenic exposure on food and drinking. On February 16, 12012 Joseph
Blumberg wrote on Dartmouth University website that: Dartmouth researchers and others
have previously called attention to the potential for consuming harmful levels of arsenic via rice,
and brown rice syrup may be the latest culprit on the scene (Pr. 3). Two scientists, Borak and
Hosgood, at the U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health wrote that:
About 90% of the arsenic in US diets comes from seafood, of which only a small proportion
occurs in inorganic forms; the great majority consists of complex organic compounds that
generally have been regarded as non-toxic (Pr. 1). The Bulletin No. 17 of the Alaska State of
Epidemiology made a detail: Consumption of seafood can raise urine arsenic to as high as 2000
mg/L and urinary excretion can last for up to 5 days following ingestion, depending on the
chemical form (Pr. 5). In addition, UK Food Standards Agency did a survey on imported
seaweed and they found out one of seaweed variety, called hijiki, covers up an amount of
inorganic arsenic that can cause cancer for people who habitually consume seaweed. Moreover,
the Environment Protection Agency sets up the standards for drinking water at .010 parts per
million (10 parts per billion). This regulation protects customers from the risk of exposure to
toxic arsenic from drinking water provided by public service companies. In short, arsenic can be
found in many foods. Higher levels of arsenic are generally found in seafood but in the organic
form. Since arsenic is everywhere so it can enter the water supply from soil or from industrial
and agricultural pollution. If people use drinking water from private wells, they should perform
tests on drinking water to eliminate arsenic poisoning.
Finally, we should also learn some methods of treatment for arsenic poisoning. According
to Dr. Worden, if a person suffers from an acute case of arsenic poisoning, he should wash any

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affected skin with water and takes off any contaminated clothing. In case of food poisoning, Dr.
Worden recommends that: The patient may need a stomach wash out or irrigation of the bowel
with polyethylene glycol to prevent absorption of the arsenic into the gut. Other supportive
measures include oxygen, intravenous fluids, blood transfusions and cardiac medication if the
heart starts to fail (Pr. 7). In case of long-term toxicity, Dr. Worden advises that the best method
is to remove the source of contamination, such as contaminated water. In summary, first aids for
acute poisoning cases are necessary to increase the survive ability. Furthermore, long-term
treatment requires a combination of complex methods with professional expertise.
During human history, there were many cases of food poisoning. A significant numbers
of cases were deliberate poisoning and some incidents were accident. Esing Bakery incident can
be considered as deliberate one. The United States is a country that terrorists always consider as
their primary target for their terrorist activities. Chemical terrorism might aim to food poisoning,
and arsenic is a potential culprit due to its properties of odorless and colorless. As an educated
person, we should prepare ourselves knowledge about food poisoning to prevent illness and
injury that would result from chemical terrorism. In addition, we should be smart consumers
when choosing to buy safe food. Many people believe genetically modified food to be unsafe for
human consumption and hazardous to the natural environment. The New York Times best selling
author Jordan Rubin stated in the foreword Praise for Genetic Roulette: No danger to our health
is greater than foods containing genetically modified organisms. Its difficult for us to prevent
food-borne illness from genetically modified foods and potential risks from this kind of food
because they are not labeled. Its really a kind of deliberate food-poisoning in our era.

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Works Cites
Arsenic in Drinking Water. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 06 Mar. 2012. Web.
25 Nov. 2012. http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/arsenic/index.cfm
Arsenic in Seaweed. Food Standard Agency UK. 27 July 2004. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/surveillance/fsis2004branch/fsis6104
Arsenic Poisoning or Not?. State of Alaska Epidemiology. 17 Nov. 1998. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/bulletins/docs/b1998_22.htm
Blumberg, Joseph. Organic Food Sweetener May Be a Hidden Source of Dietary Arsenic.
Dartmouth University. 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://now.dartmouth.edu/2012/02/organic-food-sweetener-may-be-a-hidden-source-ofdietary-arsenic/
Borak, J. Hosgood, HD. Seafood arsenic: implications for human risk assessment. U.S. National
Library of Medicine National Institute of Health. 07 Nov. 2006. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17092619
Emsley, John. Elements Of Murder : [A History Of Poison]. n.p.: Oxford University Press,
2005. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 23 Nov. 2012.
Marquardt, Hans. Toxicology. n.p.: Academic Press, 1999. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).
Web. 24 Nov. 2012.
Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) for Hazardous Substances. Agency for Toxic Substances &
Disease Registry. 03 May 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mrls/mrllist.asp#3tag
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Wisconsin Poison Control Center. 21 Mar. 2012.
Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/arsenic/index.html

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Satin, Morton. Death In The Pot. New York.: Prometheus Books. 2007. Print.
Worden, Jeni. Arsenic Poisoning. BBC Health. Jan. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2012.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditions/arsenic_poisoning.shtml#treatme
nt_and_prevention