Even in low and moderate levels, the element is harmful

high inorganic arsenic exposure to diabetes has been established earlier by studies in Bangladesh, Taiwan and Mexico. But the effect of low and moderate levels of arsenic was unknown. A study in the us has found that inorganic arsenic, even at low levels, may cause diabetes. Found in mineral deposits in rocks and soil, arsenic leaches into groundwater, which when supplied for drinking, can be harmful, say researchers of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, usa.
The researchers studied data from the us National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2003-04 for 788 adults. They found that individuals with diabetes had higher levels of inorganic arsenic compared to those without diabetes. Apart from contaminated drinking water, flour and rice can also contain small quantities of inorganic arsenic, if grown or cooked in areas with arsenic contaminated soil or water.
The study says that 8 per cent of the public water supply system in the us may exceed arsenic levels of 10 micrograms per litre, the us Environmental Protection Agency