Seaweed is a hyper-accumulator of arsenic, having concentrations in the 10-150 mg/kg range. Arsenic is present primarily in the form of a variety of arsenosugars, as well as dimethyl As and inorganic As. The toxicity of As is highest for inorganic As, and varies between organic species, necessitating complete speciation analyses. There has been recent growth of the seaweed harvesting industry in New England, both for consumption and for use as an organic fertilizer. In some of the seaweed products we have analyzed, the amount of inorganic As in a single gram of sample exceeds daily tolerable dose guidelines. The use of seaweed as a fertilizer has also been shown to significantly increase bioaccessible As in soils. A survey of As speciation seaweeds and seaweed products from New England was conducted to understand how to minimize As exposure from this source.

Arsenic species in seaweed harvested for consumption and for fertilizer

245th National Meeting (2013)

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