Nicky's+Page

Arsenic.
 * Arsenic** is the chemical element that has the symbol As, atomic number 33 and atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic is a notoriously poisonous metaloid. Arsenic and its compounds are used as pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and in various alloys. In 2005, China was the top producer of white arsenic with almost 50% world share, followed by Chile, Peru and Morocco.

=Poison. = In addition to its presence as a poison, for centuries arsenic was used medicinally. In China, it has been used for over 2,400 years as a part of it traditional Chinese medicine. In the western world, Arsenic was used extensively to treat syphilis before penicillin was introduced. It was eventually replaced as a therapeutic agent by sulfa drugs and then by antiniotics. Arsenic was also an ingredient in many tonics. In addition, during the Victorian era, some women used a mixture of vinegar, chalk, and arsenic applied topically to whiten their skin. This use of arsenic was intended to prevent aging and creasing of the skin, but some arsenic was inevitably absorbed into the blood stream. Some paints, most notably the popular Emerald Green, were based on arsenic compounds. Overexposure to these paints was a frequent cause of accidental poisoning of artists and craftsmen. One of the biggest unintentional cases of arsenic poisoning is in Bangladesh and called by the World Health Organization as the “largest mass poisoning of a population in history”.

=Photos. =

 Military Uses.
After WW1 the United States built up a stockpile of 20,000 tons of lewisite; a chemical weapon, acting as a blister agent and lung irritant. The stockpile was neutralized with bleach and dumped into the Gulf of Mexico after the 1950s. During the Vietnam War the USA used "Agent Blue" a mixture of sodium cacodylate and dimethyl arsenic acid as one of the rainbow herbicides to deprive the Vietnamese of valuable crops.

Testing.
Anyone who thinks they have been exposed to arsenic should be tested. The most reliable means of testing for arsenic is by sending your urine to a lab. This method is sometimes complicated by the fact that fish contains arsenic, so if you have recently eaten fish, the results may be exaggerated. However, it is also possible to send hair, fingernails, or blood to a lab. These methods of testing are not as reliable for small doses, however, they are more accurate to determine long term exposure.

 Videos. media type="youtube" key="a2AbKwAvyos" height="525" width="660" align="center"media type="youtube" key="W3Hvexu5SqM" height="525" width="660"