Arsenic is a widely distributed organic element found in many ores, soils and mineral waters. Arsenic cannot be destroyed, only its form can change. In history, arsenic has been used more than any other poison. As a poison of choice, arsenic has little smell and taste, nearly undetectable by the victim (Arsenic, 2004). Arsenic has been classified as a Class A human carcinogen because of the increased risk of mortality. It has been found to affect multiple internal organs including the liver, kidney, lung, bladder, and increased incidence of skin cancer. Arsenic interferes with the body's physiological behaviors, ranging from the actions of enzymes, essential cations, and transcriptional events in cells (Bennett 1-2, 2000). With arsenic being a natural toxin, it is impossible to simply stop the pollution of it. Arsenic likes to be found in our drinking water, so we must take a closer look to this element with the health risks associated with it. We will by finding out where it comes from, the health risks from poisoning, how much of it is safe to consume, and assess what we can do as a solution to arsenic problem in our drinking water.
             First, we must look at how arsenic seeps into the ground water. Arsenic is found throughout the Earth's crust and finds its way into water through the dissolution of minerals, ores, and the erosion of rocks. Once arsenic is in the environment, it can get into the ground water during the phase of the water cycle in which the water travels down through the soil and rock toward the water table (WHO: Arsenic in Drinking Water, 2004). Ground water can contain arsenic in different forms including particulate-bound and dissolved phases, filtered and unfiltered (Focazio, Michael J., et al 12, 2000). Arsenic has recently been used industrially in the production of glass and semiconductors, in wood preservation, and added to metal alloys to make them harder and more resistant to heat (Arsen...