Who is at risk of harm from arsenic poisoning?
Tobacco itself contained high levels of arsenic until recently, due to the extensive use of arsenic-based pesticides in tobacco farming. In the past, people exposed to arsenic in the workplace were at greatest risk of arsenic poisoning. People involved in the mining, processing or smelting of arsenic ores and people involved in the manufacture or use of arsenic-containing pesticides often inhaled arsenic on the job. Their risk of developing lung cancer was high, and even higher if they also smoked cigarettes. Tobacco itself contained high levels of arsenic until recently, due to the extensive use of arsenic-based pesticides in tobacco farming. Workers who inhaled arsenic on the job often came into contact with arsenic through the skin as well. European vineyard workers until the 1940s used arsenic-based pesticides extensively; many developed skin cancer as well as other illnesses. Because of concerns about the effects of arsenic-based products on human health and the environment, many
