Progresses and emerging trends of arsenic research in the past 120 years

Abstract

Arsenic has been used for various purposes throughout human history, such as medicinal and industrial applications, while its health risks have only been gradually recognized in the 20^th century and have raised global concerns since the 1990s. Reviewing the progress of arsenic research from a scientometric viewpoint is of great value and importance to predict future trends in arsenic studies. Unfortunately, such review is lacking, which could possibly lead to a biased understanding of the role of arsenic in human health. In this study, we collected 61,988 published literatures on arsenic research in the past 120 years from Web of Science, on which scientometric analysis using CiteSpace and subsequent review were conducted. Our scientometric-based review demonstrated the progress in the past 120 years of arsenic research and identified emerging trends in recent years, emphasizing the health risks posed by arsenic, arsenic applications, and their interaction. The information summarized in this study will shed light on the wise and extensive use of arsenic, which could be a double-edged sword in human health.

Graphical abstract

Keywords:

• Arsenic
• arsenic application
• health risk

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China #1, 2, 3 under Grant 21876180, 21822605, 21677068; Guangzhou Science and Technology Plan Projects #4 under Grant 201710010173; National Key Fund #5 under Grant 21637002; Overseas Postdoc Recruitment Plan of Guangdong Province; The 100 Talents Project of Guangzhou University.