Latest Metalloids Stories

HOUSTON -- Sediment left in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina contains an alarming level of contaminants and it could make people sick unless it is cleaned up, an environmental group said on Thursday.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disagreed with the report and a state toxicologist said the group's findings were fundamentally flawed and held the city to an unattainable standard.The Natural Resources Defense Council recently conducted tests on samples of sediment around the...

Blacksburg, Va. "“ What happened to the chicken when she crossed the road is less important that what happens to what she eats when it is used as fertilizer. Organic arsenic is fed to poultry to prevent bacterial infections and improve weight gain. A little bit of arsenic is taken up by the tissue and the majority of it is excreted in urine. Poultry litter -- the wood chips, feathers, droppings, and urine from under poultry houses -- is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous, so is a logical...

LONDON -- Scientists have found high levels of arsenic in the hair of King George III and say the deadly poison may be to blame for the bouts of apparent madness he suffered. In 1969, researchers proposed the strange behavior of the monarch who reigned during the American Revolution resulted from a rare hereditary blood disorder called porphyria. However, a study this week in The Lancet medical journal found high concentrations of arsenic in the king's hair and contends the severity and...

By Alison McCook NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some children with particular genetic patterns appear to process arsenic differently, suggesting that they may be more -- or less -- vulnerable to its effects, according to new study findings. Researchers found that children who carry a certain variation of the CYT19 gene tend to break down arsenic differently than children with different variations of the same gene. "If people metabolize arsenic differently," Dr. Walter T. Klimecki told Reuters...

Children with a particular variation in the CYT19 gene metabolize arsenic differently than adults with the same genetic variant, according to a new research report. The findings have important implications for the safety of drinking water worldwide and the use of arsenic as a cancer drug.Arsenic, a heavy metal found around the globe, including the potable water supplies in many parts of Arizona and the West, has long been known to cause diseases such as circulatory and neurological disorders...