Toxicological and hygienic characteristics of arsenic in drinking water (narrative literature review)

Abstract

This article systematizes information about the arsenic content in water, its harmful effects when consumed, and provides materials on assessing public exposure to arsenic and health risks assessment. The analysis of original studies on the content of arsenic in soil, water bodies, arsenic poisoning performed via bibliographic and abstract databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, RSCI (eLIBRARY.RU). Based on the results of a targeted search, sixty full-text reports were selected, of which 36 fully meet the specified inclusion criteria. Geochemical arsenic provinces have been found in many countries around the world, including Russia. In such territories, drinking water (mainly from underground sources) is the main route of arsenic entry into the human body, and arsenic contamination of drinking water sources is a leading hygienic problem. Minimal effective concentrations of inorganic arsenic in drinking water were identified: 0.0062 mg/L – coronary artery disease and hypertension; 0.00988 mg/L – cognitive decline in children; 0.023 mg/L – hyperkeratinization and pigmentation of the skin.Limitation. Most original studies fail to take into account risk factors that modify arsenic exposure, and exposure estimates are often based on single arsenic concentration measurements.Conclusion. The toxic effect of arsenic on the human body is generally known, but there are uncertainties associated with the chronic effects of low doses of this element. At the same time, the minimal effective concentration associated with the risk of circulatory diseases developing is 1.6 times lower than the maximal permissible concentration (MPC). It is advisable to justify different reference doses for individual critical organs and systems, especially for effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems, as well as to consider possible changes in the MPC of arsenic in drinking water.Contribution: Stepanyan A.A. – collection and analysis of literature sources, writing of the text; Kovshov A.A. – concept and design of the study, editing, formulation of conclusions; Isaev D.S. – processing of the material, editing; Shilov V.V. – editing. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Funding. The study had no sponsorship.Received: April 17, 2026 / Revised: June 1, 2026 / Accepted: July 1, 2026 / Published: September 28, 2026