Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Marsh test was invented in the 1830s to detect the presence of arsenic. This sensitive chemical test allowed authorities to identify arsenic in bodies and food, ending its frequent use for murder.
The word arsenic originates from the Syriac word zarnika and the Arabic al-zarnīkh meaning orpiment. It derives from the Persian word zar meaning gold and the Greek arsenikos meaning male or virile before becoming the English term.
One account of the 1821 death of Napoleon implicates arsenic poisoning involving wallpaper. The wallpaper production from the late 18th century used dyes made from arsenic to increase pigment brightness.
The Environmental Protection Agency set the maximum concentration in drinking water at 10 ppb effective the 23rd of January 2006. The FDA set the same standard for bottled water in 2005.
Researchers reported the discovery of a strain of the bacterium Halomonas designated GFAJ-1 in 2010 that was allegedly capable of substituting arsenic for phosphorus. Subsequent studies published in 2011 and 2012 contradicted these findings and the original paper was retracted in 2025.