Arsenic is a ubiquitous element which may be found in surface water, groundwater, and drinking water. In higher concentrations, this element is considered genotoxic and carcinogenic; thus, its level must be strictly controlled. We investigated the concentration of total arsenic and arsenic species: As(III), As(V), MMA, DMA, and AsB in drinking water, surface water, wastewater, and snow collected from the provinces of Wielkopolska, Kujawy-Pomerania, and Lower Silesia (Poland). The total arsenic was analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and arsenic species were analyzed with use of high-performance liquid chromatography inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). Obtained results revealed that maximum total arsenic concentration determined in drinking water samples was equal to 1.01 μg L⁻¹. The highest concentration of total arsenic in surface water, equal to 3778 μg L⁻¹ was determined in Trująca Stream situated in the area affected by geogenic arsenic contamination. Total arsenic concentration in wastewater samples was comparable to those determined in drinking water samples. However, significantly higher arsenic concentration, equal to 83.1 ± 5.9 μg L⁻¹, was found in a snow sample collected in Legnica. As(V) was present in all of the investigated samples, and in most of them, it was the sole species observed. However, in snow sample collected in Legnica, more than 97 % of the determined concentration, amounting to 81 ± 11 μg L⁻¹, was in the form of As(III), the most toxic arsenic species.

The concentrations of various trace elements in amniotic fluid (AF) change over the course of pregnancy, with gestational age and fetus growth. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations of selected essential and toxic elements in AF and their relations to maternal and fetal parameters. The study was carried out in 39 pregnant women, aged 34.6 ± 4.7 years, between weeks 16 and 26 of gestation. Amniotic fluid samples were obtained during the standard procedure of amniocentesis in high-risk patients for chromosomal abnormalities. An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) technique was used to determine the levels of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, Sr, U, and V in AF. Body mass and blood pressure were measured in all the women. The basic parameters of fetal development were also assayed. It was found that the age of the mother, the gender of the fetus, and the week of the pregnancy may affect the concentrations of mineral in the amniotic fluid. Moreover, several significant correlations between the essential and toxic elements and maternal and fetal parameters were observed. In particular, negative and positive correlations between fetal parameters and magnesium and copper levels in AF, respectively, were seen. The present findings demonstrate the association between minerals in AF and fetal development.