Arsenic has had many applications through several industries for centuries. As of now it is currently used for pharmaceuticals, wood preservatives, and agricultural chemicals. Arsenic is also included in mining, metallurgical, glass-making, and semiconductor industries. In the 1970s Arsenic was used much more than it was today.
It was used to help treat medical conditions such as chronic bronchial asthma, leukemia, and organic arsenic psoriasis. Inorganic arsenic is a component in “pressure-treated” wood used for outdoor applications. Arsenic had the ability to make wood more durable in a variety of different weather conditions. Although arsenic made the wood more durable it was banned because the arsenic treated wood killed anything that was planted inside of it (Example: Garden). Not only did arsenic get banned for pressure treating wood but in 2003 it was also banned from being used for residential applications due to this reason.
Arsenic is just a dangerous chemical for all living things due to the fact that breathing in the chemicals from this chemical can cause cancer. At a high dose, arsenic poisoning can cause shock, general paralysis, and then death within a few hours. At a low dosage it can cause nausea, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. In history, specifically agriculture, the chemical arsenic has been used in herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, defoliants, soil sterilant and cotton desiccants. The EPA declared the cancellation of arsenic in the use of pesticides in 2013.
Arsenic is used in the making of alloys, particularly with lead and copper. . The US has been the number one user of Arsenic, but since the EPA banned arsenic in certain production procedures, the consumption rate of 90% went to 50%.
