A study of US governmental data, published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that even ‘low-level’ arsenic exposure is a high risk factor in Type-2 diabetes. A median arsenic concentration of 7.1 micrograms per litre was found in the urine of 788 American adults. This adds to past evidence that arsenic is a potent carcinogen (as if we needed convincing that arsenic might not be good for you). The current World Health Organisation and EPA safety standard for arsenic concentration in water is 10 ppb (parts per billion), although the current Bush administration originally attempted to delay the EPA regulations from coming into effect.

Why is there arsenic in the water you might ask? Well, it does occur naturally in groundwater, and if not efficiently removed, it’ll stay there. It is however also an industrial waste product of coal burning and copper smelting. So, there’s a point of political activism, eh? Maybe developed nations should be able to have drinking water free from poison?

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