Arsenic is a form of gray, silver, or white carcinogen. It is particularly hazardous because it has no taste or smell, making it possible for one to be exposed to it without realizing it. Arsenic poisoning, also known as arsenicosis, occurs after ingesting or inhaling high doses of arsenic.
Despite being a naturally occurring substance, arsenic can also be found in inorganic (or “man-made”) compounds that are utilized in manufacturing, mining, and agriculture.
Arsenic poisoning is very common as an occupational hazard and sometimes a malicious act of another person. In either of these scenarios, legal animation can help immensely prove the source of the arsenic exposure and the effect on the victim.
What are the Sources of Arsenic Poisoning?
Common sources of exposure to arsenic poisoning are drinking polluted water, using sullied water in the irrigation of food crops and the preparation of food, eating contaminated food, smoking tobacco, and industrial processes.
Arsenic, in its inorganic form, is highly toxic. Thus, long-term exposure to the substance can result in chronic arsenic poisoning, with skin lesions and skin cancer being the most noticeable symptoms.
In any of these scenarios that can expose one to arsenic poisoning, the intent, whether malicious or negligent, must be taken into cognizance. This way, it would be easier to access justice. Legal animation can be used to make this process smoother.
Here are the common sources of arsenic poisoning:
- Drinking water and food preparation
The source of arsenic’s biggest threat to public health is tainted groundwater. Many nations, including the United States of America, naturally contain high quantities of inorganic arsenic in their groundwater.
The sources of exposure are drinking water, crops irrigated with polluted water, and food cooked with contaminated water.
Other food sources of arsenic include fish, shellfish, pork, chicken, dairy products, and cereals, though exposure from these sources is often considerably lower than exposure from contaminated groundwater.
Arsenic is primarily present in seafood in its less hazardous organic form.
2. Industrial Processes
Arsenic is employed in industry as an alloying agent and in producing glass, pigments, textiles, paper, metal adhesives, wood preservatives, and ammunition.
Additionally, the tanning of hides uses arsenic and, to a lesser amount, insecticides, feed additives, and medications.
3. Tobacco
Because tobacco plants can absorb arsenic that is naturally present in the soil, people who smoke tobacco may also be exposed to tobacco’s natural inorganic arsenic content.
Additionally, when tobacco plants were treated with lead arsenate pesticides in the past, there was a substantially increased risk of elevated arsenic exposure.
The Catastrophic Health Effects of Arsenic Poisoning
The effects of arsenic poisoning are varied and usually depend on how high the dosage of exposure is. Thus the health effects of arsenic poisoning can be largely divided into acute and chronic effects.
In both cases, it is important to bring the culprit that caused the exposure to the book to uphold justice and reduce the spread of arsenic in the community.
Legal animation can be used to depict these effects in court to enable one to secure an easier win.
Acute Effects
Acute effects occur when a person has been exposed to a large dose of arsenic, whether given maliciously or ingested, inhaled, or contacted in other ways, including at a workplace.
This type of poisoning usually gives off the most obvious and immediate symptoms, ranging from minor to fatal.
Acute effects of arsenic poisoning include vomiting, bloody diarrhea, throat and stomach pain, shock, seizure, and in some extreme exposure, coma and death.
In the case of Buenoano v. State, Mr. Buenoano was murdered by his wife through arsenic poisoning. The wife had intentionally added arsenic to his food, causing him to suffer nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Two weeks later, the acute poisoning came to the fore, causing him to suffer fluid overload and pulmonary congestion. He shortly died of cardiovascular collapse and renal failure.
In a case like this, medical animation can be utilized to portray the proximate effect of the malicious poisoning and the acute effect on the victim. It can also be used when a person is exposed to acute poisoning in a work environment.
Chronic Exposure
Chronic effects usually occur when someone has been exposed to lower levels of arsenic over a long time.
Some of the chronic effects of arsenic exposure are as follows:
- Skin problems
Some people can have mild symptoms of arsenic poisoning in the form of hyperpigmentation, wherein dark spots appear on the skin, or the skin appears to have blotchy coloring.
In many others, there may be hyperkeratosis which also means the thickening of the skin.
Hyperkeratosis occurs when the body produces a high level of keratin. Keratin is a protein that makes certain body parts tougher than other parts. Thus, this condition can appear in random patches, usually on the hands and feet.
- Cancer
Cancer is brought on by genetic changes that enable cells to divide uncontrollably despite their normal ability to act in an ordered manner and respond to bodily cues. It may happen in several different organs.
The types of cancer that have been associated with high arsenic exposure are those that are typically only noticed after ten years of chronic exposure to arsenic.
The types of cancer that appear due to arsenic poisoning are skin, lung, bladder, kidney, and liver.
- Circulatory problems
People exposed to arsenic can also undergo circulatory problems, specifically those associated with blood vessels and pressure. Some circulatory issues that can be encountered include high blood pressure, circulatory system failure, gangrene, loss of limbs, and Blackfoot disease.
Conclusion
A legal animation is a great tool used in different court cases, including arsenic poisoning cases. It is important to approach a legal animation company that is capable and credible to ensure that an admissible animation is created based on accurate and available facts.
