What levels of arsenic are people generally exposed to?
We are all exposed to low doses of arsenic every day because arsenic is naturally present in drinking water and food. The amounts of arsenic that most adults ingest in food and water have been estimated to range from 5 to 22 micrograms per day. (A microgram equals one millionth of a gram.) These levels are generally regarded as safe. In comparison, the exposures typically due to arsenic in soil are much lower. These exposures are further limited by the fact that people don’t generally ingest soil during daily activities and due to the presence of grass cover over soils in residential yards.
