Arsenate and Phosphate - Chemical Look-alikes
The finding of high arsenic content in some wells located near goldbearing deposits of the Fairbanks mining district has created special concern because of possible health problems. Arsenic can cause skin and mucous membrane cancer and can damage small blood vessels, thereby leading to heart disease, kidney failure, brain damage and decreased tolerance to cold. Young people seem to be affected more than the elderly.
An arsenic atom will readily combine with four oxygen atoms to form the arsenate molecule. The arsenate molecule is a chemical look-alike to the phosphate molecule, similarly formed from phosphorous and oxygen. Phosphorous is an important element for living organisms. It forms nerve tissue, bones and teeth. Also, it makes up a part of the membrane tissue that surrounds living cells and transports the energy that fuels muscle contraction.
The cells recognize the shape of the phosphate molecule and readily absorb it. Unfortunately, the shape of arsenate is so nearly identical that cells do not distinguish between arsenate and phosphate. Thus, if substantial concentrations of arsenate are provided to the body, the damaging arsenate is taken into cells instead of the phosphate which the cells need. This substitution of the bad for the good perhaps explains why arsenic poisoning can retain its latency over the years, especially in children since their bodies are rapidly growing.
