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The arsenic (As) cycle is the biogeochemical cycle of natural and anthropogenic exchanges of arsenic terms through the atmosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Although arsenic is naturally abundant in the Earth's crust, long-term exposure and high concentrations of arsenic can be detrimental to human health. [1] [2]
Long-term exposure can result in thickening of the skin, darker skin, abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart disease, numbness, and cancer. [1] The most common reason for long-term exposure is contaminated drinking water. [3] Groundwater most often becomes contaminated naturally; however, contamination may also occur from mining or agriculture. [1]
Gold mining can contaminate groundwater with arsenic, because the element typically occurs in gold-containing ores. Gold processing releases arsenic from mine tailings, and contaminated groundwater may be unsafe to drink for decades. [6] Arsenic that is naturally occurring can contaminate the soil, just as it does the groundwater.
As a result, the adsorption of arsenic is reduced and dissolved arsenic accumulates in groundwater. That is why the arsenic content is higher in reducing environments than in oxidizing environments. [171] The presence of sulfur is another factor that affects the transformation of arsenic in natural water. Arsenic can precipitate when metal ...
Arsenic is a common natural contaminant of well water and is highly carcinogenic. Iron oxide adsorption treatment for arsenic in groundwater is a commonly practiced removal process which involves the chemical treatment of arsenic species such that they adsorb onto iron oxides and create larger particles that may be filtered out of the water stream.
Arsenic poisoning is a global problem arising from naturally occurring arsenic in ground water. The evidence that arsenic may be a beneficial nutrient at trace levels below the background to which living organisms are normally exposed has been reviewed. [3]
In natural waters, the dissolved oxygen content is the main factor influencing reduction potential. Arsenates occur in oxygenated waters, which have a high pe, while arsenites are the main arsenic species in anoxic waters with a low pe. [16] A Pourbaix diagram shows the combined influence of pH and pe on arsenate speciation.
Arsenate is the major arsenic form in oxidizing environments; however, in one study, bacteria from arsenic-contaminated soil at a smelter site was able to reduce As(+5) to As(+3) under anaerobic conditions at arsenic concentration as high as 75 mg/L. [3] Arsenate-respiring bacteria and Archaea have also recently been isolated from a diversity of natural environments, including freshwater ...