Arsenic and its Connection to Type 2 Diabetes

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/08/19/arsenic.diabetes.ap/index.html

1) I found this article while searching CNN for something interesting. We already had to worry about all the pollutants in our water, but now we have to worry about arsenic, which is poisonous and affects the production of ATP, a major force in creating and transferring energy among cells ? Even more upsetting is that arsenic doesn't only cause poisoning but also is said to be a factor contributing to Type 2 Diabetes. Although some argue the validity of the connection between arsenic and diabetes, it still remains certain that arsenic does exist in our drinking water. The only way to prevent ingesting large amounts of inorganic arsenic is to raise water safety standards. However, whether these standards would be taken into immediate effect or not would make all the difference. Water, one of the most vital elements of life has become deadly, kind of ironic isn't it?

2) I suppose this article was intended for an audience who has interest in pollutants and their effects on human health. I can tell this is the intended audience because of the attention paid to supporting evidence and the terminology used.

3)This article interests me because I am a science nerd. I love anything dealing with science and how it affects human kind.

4)I knew there were many pollutants in water which come from pollution but also natural sources. The pollutants in water only become a problem when high levels exist because they can lead to poisoning, cancer, and now, diabetes.

5) The three things I learned:

• Seafood contains nontoxic organic arsenic.
• Arsenic can get into drinking water as minerals dissolve, but it is also produced from coal burning and copper smelting.
• The United States lowered arsenic standards for public water systems to 10 parts per billion in 2001 because of known cancer risks.

6) Supposedly arsenic levels in water have caused health problems in other countries such as Bangladesh for many years. This leaves me with one question, if arsenic levels have led to problems, then why aren't more researchers studying the effects of arsenic on the human body. If arsenic can cause diabetes, what else can it do?