Arsenic News

In Part 1, we learned that millions of people are showing signs of arsenic poisoning linked to contaminated groundwater in India, particularly in Bihar State in the eastern part of the country. In Part 2, we look at the sources of that arsenic.

Belfast - A review of samples taken of baby rice food has found over half of the products on shelves to contain illegal levels of inorganic arsenic. The food is out-of-step with European Union regulations.

Patna - In Bihar, India, literally millions of people are showing signs of arsenic poisoning, which can be linked to cancer, due to continually drinking contaminated water.

A water crisis of monumental proportions has hit southern Asia, affecting over 750 million people in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At least 60 percent of their groundwater is contaminated with salt and deadly levels of arsenic.

Dhaka - Twenty million poor Bangladeshis are still drinking water contaminated with arsenic, two decades after the potentially deadly toxin was discovered in the supply, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

Scientists have identified a transporter protein in rice that shifts arsenic in to vacuoles. This mechanism helps to prevent the toxic element from traveling into grains.

When is a state secret no longer considered secret? How about when the secret has grown so bad that there is fear that irreparable damage to the environment and to the population as a whole will result in consequences for which there is no remedy.

Yellowknife - Barren tundra, "nothingness," frigid space – just some of the ways most Canadians would describe the northern territories.

Stockholm - A chinese herbal remedy has posed a very serious health threat as workers in Sweden's National Food Agency have found arsenic in it.

Delaware - Levels of arsenic in rice presents a major toxicity risk to millions of people. Scientists are experimenting with a new bacterium to see if the organism can reduce arsenic deposits down to a safe level.

Houston - Rice can be found in a lot of food we consume: pasta, syrup, flour and beverages. A new investigation found that the little grain you eat actually contains different levels of arsenic and inorganic arsenic.

Beef consumers who were shocked to discover they were routinely eating pink slime now must face news that the chicken industry also routinely feeds chickens with reprocessed chicken feathers, which tested positive for arsenic and other ingredients.

The FDA says they’ve been testing arsenic in apple juice for years, and it’s safe to drink, in a press release. The statement follows claims by Dr. Mehmet Oz that apple juice contains arsenic, which the FDA has criticized as being "irresponsible".

In spite of the recent discovery of life being able to be supported with arsenic as a key element, finding funding for space exploration is iffy.

Washington - The astrobiology finding revealed the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using arsenic, suggesting that NASA could start to look for life on planets previously ignored.

Dhaka - The World Health Organisation calls it "the largest mass poisoning of a population in history" as a new study shows up to 77 million Bangladeshi's were poisoned by their country's water supply.

The poisoning of almost the total population of Bangladesh is so bad, the WHO regards it as the biggest disaster ever, way beyond the terrible and catastrophic events we know by the names Chernobyl or Bhopal ...

After a series of brain tumors in Cameron Missouri, several tests were done on the soil. The tests have confirmed that there are levels of potential concern.

Scientists have discovered ancient bacteria that rely on arsenic rather than water to grow during photosynthesis. This process probably dates back a few billion years.

genetically engineered rice plants that resist the uptake of toxic metals could boost production and ease the shortage of this staple crop in countries where irrigation with contaminated groundwater has created soils with toxic levels of arsenic.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Loblaws Inc. are warning the public not to consume certain pear juices for toddlers because these products may be contaminated with arsenic

In a twist that seems unlikely arsenic is being used to treat patients with a rare form of leukemia. Arsenic has been used for over 2,000 years in China but now the West sees that in this case it works.

Scottish researchers have reported finding elevated levels of inorganic arsenic in rice grown in the South Central United States. Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen and is also believed to play a role in causing other diseases.