Arsenic and health: a relationship that needs surveillance

Under the point of view of human health, the arsenic (As) is a paradox element: it is a natural component of the organism where probably it is essential, it is considered carcinogenic, being part of Group 1 of the IARC and it is also used as medicine against some types of cancer. This ambiguity displays the necessity of understanding the real biological mechanisms of the processes involving this element into the body. It is known that this mechanism is complex and suffers influence of several environmental and genetic factors. Thus, this article focuses some gaps in the current knowledge and presents some results that justify the importance of structuralizing at national level a program of health surveillance that must be initiated for determining the relative concentrations of the arsenic species in foods consumed in Brazil.