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From: "HEALY, CHARLES E [FND/1000]" <>
Subject: RE: [APG] Arsenic
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2000 13:23:52 -0600


Paul,

Since I am both a toxicologist and a genealogist, I thought I'd respond to
your question about arsenic.

Arsenic has no taste that I am aware of, which is how it is so easily hidden
in foods. Accidental poisonings occur not because arsenic tastes sweet but
because it resembles food stuffs such as sugar. Let me bore you with some
details about arsenic (probably more than you want) from a basic toxicology
text (Cassarett & Doull's Toxicology, The Basic Science of Poisons, Fifth
Edition, Curtis D. Klassen, editor, 1996, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,
New York, p. 935).

"Arsenic is a ubiquitous element in the environment; it ranks twentieth in
relative abundance among the elements of the earth's crust and twelfth in
the human body. . . . There is some competition for arsenic absorption with
selenium, which is known to reduce arsenic toxicity; arsenic is also known
to antagonize iodine metabolism and inhibit various metabolic processes, as
a result affecting a number of organ systems. There are a number of sources
of arsenic, including drinking water, air, and pesticides, but arsenic
consumed via food is largely in proportion to the amount of seafood eaten
(74 percent of the arsenic in a market basket survey came from the
meat-poultry-fish group, of which seafood has the consistently highest
concentration). . . .

"Acute poisoning with arsenic often results from mistaking arsenic for
sugar, baking powder, and soda and adding it to food. The time between
exposure and symptoms is 10 min to several days, and the symptoms include
burning of the mouth or throat, a metallic taste, vomiting, diarrhea (watery
and bloody), borborigmi (rumbling of the bowels caused by movement of gas in
the GI tract), painful tenesmus (spasm of the anal or vesical sphincter),
hematuria [blood in the urine], dehydration, jaundice, oliguria, collapse,
and shock. Headache, vertigo, muscle spasm, stupor, and delirium may
occur."

I hope this helps.

Charles E. Healy, Ph.D., DABT
Generations Unlimited

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul L. Tripp [mailto:]
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2000 12:30 PM
To:
Subject: [APG] Arsenic


Here's a question:

Has anyone heard what arsenic TASTES like?

I'm writing about arsenic poisoning, in the food, and wonder how it was
hidden to the victim.

Is it sweet?

Paul Tripp


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