Maria Argos

Maria Argos (Photo: Jenny Fontaine)

Maria Argos’ research looks at how environmental and genetic risk factors impact health. Her main focus is on the toxic metal arsenic – where it is found, how it enters the food and water supply, and how it affects human health. Argos recently reported that people who eat gluten-free diets, which often substitute rice flour for wheat, rye and barley flours, may be ingesting more arsenic, which bioaccumulates in rice. She also studies the effects of arsenic in drinking water among children and adults in Bangladesh, and how environmental exposure to toxins may affect metabolic syndrome in children in the U.S.

Subject areas:

• Health effects of arsenic and other toxic metals
• Environmental and genetic factors in health