A Review of the Effect of Drinking Water Contaminated with Arsenic on Liver Cancer

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Abstract
Arsenic (As) is a highly toxic and carcinogenic element. Drinking water and some foods (for example, rice, cereals, or fruit juices) are major sources of arsenic. Chronic arsenic poisoning, or arsenicosis, causes internal disorders, such as liver damage, as well as cancers. The purpose of this review study was to examine the epidemiological literature on the side effects of arsenic on liver cancer. Initially, 112 articles from January 1, 2000, to March 1, 2023, were found in the mentioned databases. Then, by removing duplicate items, 85 articles entered the stage of examining the title of the articles and removing irrelevant items based on the title of the article. After reviewing the full text of 38 articles, 14 articles were included in the study and used to investigate the effect of arsenic in drinking water on liver cancer. Many environmental pollutants, including arsenic, can cause many diseases in the human body. This metal can generally enter all body organs through the blood circulation system and affect them. The results of previous studies have shown that long-term exposure to arsenic causes disruption in normal liver function (hepatomegaly, sclerosis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis). Various mechanisms have been introduced for arsenic carcinogenesis. Among the important mechanisms that cause liver carcinogenesis by arsenic, the following can be mentioned: disturbance of the balance of liver enzymes, damage to the DNA wall, its destruction, inability to repair DNA, inappropriate function of estrogens, and liver apoptosis.

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