How green is Arsenic?

~ Greencard for: Arsenic ~
	Weight:	1	Kg
	Lifespan:	0.6	Years
	Enegy to make:	1.3	Kwh
	Energy use:	0	Kwh per year
	Co2 footprint	1.4	Kg
	Chemical footprint:		High
	Waste footprint:	12	%
	Carbon offset:	0.02	Trees

Arsenic is a semi-metallic element, chemists through the ages have formulated arsenic compounds into artist's colors and dyes, glass, alloys of lead, copper and brass, pesticides, cosmetics, tonics and even medicines. Although use in pressure treated wood has been banned, organic arsenic herbicides are still in use on cotton and turf, including golf courses, lawns, school yards and athletic fields.

What goes into Arsenic

Arsenic is used as an additive for metallurgical purposes due to its semi-metallic properties. Examples include: adding 2% to lead to produce lead shot where the addition increases sphericity; a 3% addition to lead alloys increases mechanical properties and high temperature properties; and 0.15-0.50% addition to copper for high temperature applications. Arsenic compounds are used as semiconductors. In particular gallium arsenide (GaAs) is used in diodes, transistors and lasers. Indium arsenide (InAs) is used in infrared detectors and Hall effect applications. Arsenic has also been used as a timber preservative.

Chemical contamination

Human exposure to arsenic can cause both short and long term health effects. Short or acute effects can occur within hours or days of exposure. Long or chronic effects occur over many years. Long term exposure to arsenic has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidneys, nasal passages, liver and prostate.

Factoids [2]

In 1989, EPA began to phase out household ant poisons containing sodium arsenate because of the danger of ingestion by small children. The EPA Office of Pesticide Programs has restricted the use of inorganic arsenic to pressure-treated wood. It has also cancelled all registered uses of inorganic arsenic for nonwood preservative purposes.

Lead hydrogen arsenate is used as a herbicide and pesticide. Similarly chromated copper arsenate or Tanalith is used to treat timber and wood products.

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