Arsenic (As) là phân phối rộng rãi trong môi trường và được biết đến là có độc tính cao đối với con người. Cả hai hoạt động tự nhiên và do con người gây ra kết quả trong các đầu vào quan trọng của môi trường. Quá trình tự nhiên như xói mòn và thời tiết của các loại đá vỏ trái đất dẫn đến việc phá vỡ và di chuyển của thạch tín từ các khoáng chất sulfua chính, và các nồng độ nền của asen trong đất liên quan đến bản chất của các loại đá mẹ. . | 6 Arsenic in the Environment A Global Perspective Prosun Bhattacharya and Gunnar Jacks Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm Sweden Seth H. Frisbie Better Life Laboratories Inc. Plainfield Vermont Euan Smith and Ravendra Naidu CSIRO Land and Water Glen Osmond South Australia Australia Bibudhendra Sarkar The Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada 1. INTRODUCTION Arsenic As is widely distributed in the environment and is known to be highly toxic to humans. Both natural and anthropogenic activities result in the significant input of As to the environment. Natural processes like erosion and weathering of crustal rocks lead to the breakdown and translocation of arsenic from the primary sulfide minerals and the background concentrations of arsenic in soils are strongly related to the nature of parent rocks. An extensive range of anthropogenic sources may enhance concentration of As in the environment. Some of Copyright 2002 Marcel Dekker Inc. these activities include industrial processes that contribute to both atmospheric and terrestrial depositions such as mining and metallurgy wood preservation urban and industrial wastes and applications of sewage sludge and fertilizer 13 . Among the two modes of As input the environment is mostly threatened by anthropogenic activities. The fate of As accumulated in the surface environment depends essentially on its retention and mobility in the host medium soil and groundwater and is most vulnerable for biota. Arsenic is known to be essential for life in small amounts 4 but sufficiently high exposures to inorganic As in natural environments such as water sediment and soil have proved to be toxic for plants animals and humans. Arsenic exposure caused by groundwater used for drinking in different parts of the world 5 6 has emerged as an issue of great concern. However As ingestion might also occur through consumption of foods and locally from air. High levels of As exposure are commonly observed
