Tips & Warnings. Steam the tamales in a specified steamer basket. If you have a steamer pot or basket that does not use a stove top for heating, you will need to pour boiling water into the base of the pot and cover with a lid for 1 to 2 hours. Make reference to the instruction manual provided for your particular model to verify.
Arsenic is a trace element that occurs naturally in very small amounts in the diet. Its exact functions are not known. The estimated adult daily intake of arsenic from a typical diet is 12-50 mcg. A dietary requirement of 12-25 mcg/day has been suggested.
Arsenic is a metalloid. A metalloid is an element that has properties of both metals and non-metals. Metalloids occur in the periodic table on either side of the staircase line that starts between boron and aluminum. When heated in air, arsenic combines with oxygen to form arsenic oxide (As 2 O 3).he toxic properties of arsenic compounds made them useful as rat poison. However, they are seldom used for this purpose today. Safer compounds are used that do not present a threat to humans, pets, and the environment. Today, the most important use of arsenic is in the preservation of wood.