The School of Marine Sciences and Department and Molecular and Biomedical Sciences present
Dr. Brian Jackson
Dartmouth University
Arsenic is a non-essential element and, at elevated concentrations, the inorganic forms of arsenic are toxic to life. However, arsenic also has a rich biochemistry and approaching 100 organo-arsenic compounds, including arseno-sugars and arseno-lipids, have been identified in marine and terrestrial life. Synthetic arsenic-based antibiotics have been used in livestock farming and inorganic and simple methylated arsenic compounds have been widely used as pesticides and herbicides on US agricultural soils. In this talk, the range of arsenic compounds in nature will be surveyed and the analytical methods for determining the individual species will be described. The range of arsenic species encountered in food, their concentration and the potential effects on human health will be discussed.
Hosts: Susan Brawley and Julie Gosse
For more information, contact Susan Brawley at brawley@maine.edu.