Arsenic acid is an inorganic multi-use substance mainly used as a dessicant and wood preservative for non-food applications. It has a high aqueous solubility but little else has been published regarding its environmental fate and behaviour. It has a moderately toxicity to most fauna. Arsenic acid is highly toxic to mammals if ingsted and is a carcinogen.
Data alerts
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement.
A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data
;
B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data
;
C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data
;
D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data
;
E1 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 1 = Positive
?Possibly, status not identified
Reproduction / development effects
Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor
Neurotoxicant
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
XNo, known not to cause a problem
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
Respiratory tract irritant
Skin irritant
Skin sensitiser
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
No data found
Eye irritant
Phototoxicant
 
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
No data found
 
General human health issues
Highly toxic - injection may cause muscle weakness, fatigue, anorexia, weight loss. Class A oncogen IARC Group 1 carcinogen May cause hyperpigmentation &/or hyperkeratosis
Handling issues
Property
Value and interpretation
General
Can react with many different materials including some fabrics, galvanised and other metals releasing toxic gases Corosive to metals
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242