ABSTRACT
Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that is ubiquitous in surface water and groundwater in trivalent and pentavalent form. Ingestion of As contaminated water is a public health problem world-wide (Roychowdhury et al. 2002, Meharg and Mazibur 2003). At chronic exposure, As accumulates in the human body and high levels causes skin affections. The epidemiologic evidence of people with a long ingestion of inorganic As, via drinking water, is the sole/palm hyperkeratosis, whose main manifestation is skin pigmentation and callosities, located in hand palms and sole feet. Arsenic in water and its degree of contamination and occurrence of skin illnesses have been reported in India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Vietnam, Argentina, and Mexico (Cebrian et al. 1994, Das et al. 1994, Frederick et al. 1994, Brown and Chen 1995, Armienta et al. 1997, Dhar et al. 1997, Smith et al. 1998, Chakraborti et al. 2002).
