ENVR 10 |
| K. J. Reimer, W. R. Cullen, I. Koch, V-M. Lai, and S. Sylvester. |
| Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) often contain significant levels of toxic elements, including arsenic. Arsenic metabolism and excretion were studied after a one-time ingestion of Niu Huang Jie Du Pian (bezoar detoxifying pills). The pills contained arsenic in the form of realgar and, although the total arsenic that was present in a single pill was high (28 mg), the low bioaccessibility of this form of arsenic predicted that only 4% of it was available for absorption into the bloodstream (corresponding to 1 mg of arsenic per pill). The species of arsenic that were solubilized were inorganic As(V) and (III); therefore the appearance of DMA and MMA in urine indicated that the inorganic arsenic was being metabolized as has been reported by others. Two arsenic excretion peaks were observed, with an initial peak several (4-8) hours after ingestion corresponding to the excretion of predominantly As(III) and a larger peak at 14 hours corresponding predominantly to DMA and MMA. No methylated As(III) species were observed. Facial hair analysis, used for the first time in this study, revealed that arsenic concentrations did not increase significantly as a result of the ingestion, although a small maximum in concentration was observed at approximately two weeks after ingestion. Under typical usage scenarios, the risk of cancerous and non-cancerous effects from the ingestion of these pills was calculated to be unacceptably high, even when bioaccessibility was incorporated. This is consistent with cases reported in the literature of adverse effects associated with the regular use of arsenic-containing TCMs. |
|
Occurrence, Chemistry, Toxicity and Remediation of Arsenic
8:00 AM-11:00 AM, Sunday, 26 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- B218, Oral
Division of Environmental Chemistry |