How does arsenic affect the body?
After ingestion arsenic is aborted and distributed in to various organs of the body including skin. It alters various physiological function of the body leading to disease manifestations. What are the symptoms? When do they begin to appear? The symptoms may appear after many months to years, depending on the duration and amount of arsenic consumed. The most widely noted effects of prolonged arsenic consumption are hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin) and hypopigmentation (white spots), and keratosis (a condition where the skin hardens and develops into raised wart-like nodules). Systemic manifestations which are found due to arsenicosis in West Bengal are chronic lung disease including bronchitis and bronchiectasis, peripheral neuropathy, swelling of legs, liver enlargement including noncirrhotic portalfibrosis, anaemia, gangrene of toe and finger, weakness, chronic diarrhoea and conjunctival congestion. Cancer occurs in skin, urinary bladder and lungs. Is arsenicosis contagious?
