Arsenic
Heavy metalIARC Group 1A metalloid in contaminated water, pesticides, treated wood, and combustion/burn-pit smoke.
Where it comes from in service
Contaminated base water supplies, pesticide handling, burn pits, and some industrial processes.
How it harms the body
Arsenic interferes with cellular energy production and damages DNA, which is why it is a recognized cause of several cancers.
It injures small blood vessels and peripheral nerves and can cause characteristic skin changes.
How long it stays in you
Cleared from blood within days, but chronic intake produces ongoing low-level body burden; hair and nails reflect past exposure.
Where it goes — tap an organ to go deeper
ATSDR and IARC link arsenic to cancers of the skin, lung, and bladder, to peripheral neuropathy, and to cardiovascular effects.
Chronic arsenic exposure raises long-term cancer risk and can produce progressive nerve and skin disease.
What to ask your clinician about
- •Speciated 24-hour urine arsenic (separates seafood arsenic from toxic forms)
- •Skin and neurological evaluation
Bring this to your clinician and your VSO — they decide what testing and care, if any, is right for you. For general, whole-person ways to support your body, see Whole health.
Sources: ATSDR ToxFAQs: Arsenic · IARC Group 1 · VA / ATSDR. Drafted from the government's and science's own record — VA presumptive lists (PACT Act, 38 CFR, Camp Lejeune), ATSDR ToxFAQs, IARC, and NTP. Sources are cited on every page, and this library has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician or toxicologist. This is documentation to bring to your clinician and VSO — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a determination of service connection. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.