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Q: Levels of Arsenic and Carbon Monoxide in My System
I did have levels of arsenic and carbon monoxide in my system, which has effected cognitive, muscular, as well as respiratory functioning. I was a smoker and I was wondering if there could be any chemical that I could have been given or I could have taken in error that would have acted as a "magnet" for the poisons found in cigarettes while I was smoking. Need this to see if we can stop the progression of the damage that is being now.

Dr. Keti:

It is difficult to pinpoint a particular chemical or compound which you may have been given in error " that would have acted as a "magnet" for the poisons found in cigarettes " while you were smoking.
The reason is that it would be difficult to define clearly the damage caused to the organs by smoking only before any substances that may have precipitated that damage were introduced.
Also high levels of arsenic or Carbon Monoxide(CO) may be found in blood levels because of environmental causes.
Combustion processes, which generate gaseous and particulate complex mixtures, are responsible for the major part of urban air pollution.
Emissions from automotive sources are estimated to be nowadays the main cause of carcinogenic risk for people living in urban areas of industrialized countries.
Increasing vehicle traffic also contributes to the presence in urban air of valuable concentrations of asbestos fibers and benzene, both well-known potent carcinogens.
For many important pollutants such as CO, NO2, and others, the air pollution exposure depends crucially on the location and activity of the individual: indoor versus outdoor, smoking versus not smoking, etc.
Arsenic contamination has been identified in many nations of the world including the United States. Consumption of food and water are the major sources of arsenic exposure for the majority of US citizens, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is thought that the weathering of rocks and erosion end up depositing the naturally-occurring arsenic in ground water.

Also herbal products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the same way medications are.
This means that you cannot be assured of the purity and potency of herbal products as you can about medications. Unfortunately, many herbal remedies from India are made with lead, mercury, arsenic, and even gold.
Exposure to arsenic at high levels poses serious health effects, as it is a known human carcinogen and can increase the risk of skin, bladder and lung cancer.
In addition, it can affect the vascular system in humans and has been associated with the development of diabetes.
The effects of arsenic poisoning may not show up until about 10 years after initial exposure. (NEW YORK, Sep 12 (Reuters Health)), SOURCE: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2000;78:1093-1103.
There are some encouraging news on using low dose arsenic in a form of arsenic trioxide.
Researchers say low doses of arsenic trioxide are well tolerated in people and do not appear to accumulate in the body over time.
Arsenic, a poisonous metallic element, can induce remission in leukemia patients, according to a small study conducted by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
A compound commonly found in traditional Chinese medicine has proven effective in fighting lymphoma.

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Q: Levels of Arsenic and Carbon Monoxide in My System I did have levels of arsenic and carbon monoxide in my system, which has effected cognitive, muscular, as well as respiratory functioning. I was a smoker and I was wondering if there could be any chemical that I could have been given or I could have taken in error that would have acted as a "magnet" for the poisons found in cigarettes while I was smoking. Need this to see if we can stop the progression of the damage that is being now.

Dr. Keti:
It is difficult to pinpoint a particular chemical or compound which you may have been given in error " that would have acted as a "magnet" for the poisons found in cigarettes " while you were smoking. The reason is that it would be difficult to define clearly the damage caused to the organs by smoking only before any substances that may have precipitated that damage were introduced. Also high levels of arsenic or Carbon Monoxide(CO) may be found in blood levels because of environmental causes. Combustion processes, which generate gaseous and particulate complex mixtures, are responsible for the major part of urban air pollution. Emissions from automotive sources are estimated to be nowadays the main cause of carcinogenic risk for people living in urban areas of industrialized countries. Increasing vehicle traffic also contributes to the presence in urban air of valuable concentrations of asbestos fibers and benzene, both well-known potent carcinogens. For many important pollutants such as CO, NO2, and others, the air pollution exposure depends crucially on the location and activity of the individual: indoor versus outdoor, smoking versus not smoking, etc. Arsenic contamination has been identified in many nations of the world including the United States. Consumption of food and water are the major sources of arsenic exposure for the majority of US citizens, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is thought that the weathering of rocks and erosion end up depositing the naturally-occurring arsenic in ground water.		Also herbal products are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the same way medications are. This means that you cannot be assured of the purity and potency of herbal products as you can about medications. Unfortunately, many herbal remedies from India are made with lead, mercury, arsenic, and even gold. Exposure to arsenic at high levels poses serious health effects, as it is a known human carcinogen and can increase the risk of skin, bladder and lung cancer. In addition, it can affect the vascular system in humans and has been associated with the development of diabetes. The effects of arsenic poisoning may not show up until about 10 years after initial exposure. (NEW YORK, Sep 12 (Reuters Health)), SOURCE: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2000;78:1093-1103. There are some encouraging news on using low dose arsenic in a form of arsenic trioxide. Researchers say low doses of arsenic trioxide are well tolerated in people and do not appear to accumulate in the body over time. Arsenic, a poisonous metallic element, can induce remission in leukemia patients, according to a small study conducted by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. A compound commonly found in traditional Chinese medicine has proven effective in fighting lymphoma.

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