ICS EVIDENCE GOVERNANCE NOTEREGISTER · 2026

EVIDENCE BOUNDARY & STANDARDS DISPOSITION

The organoarsenical inertness assumption

Preserve arsenic species throughout evidence routing, make uncertainty visible, and prevent total-arsenic or generic organic-arsenic claims from answering an inorganic-arsenic question.

The controlling scientific record is the public Heavy Metal Index synthesis, supported by 8 named anchor sources and expressed for Arsenic, Inorganic arsenic.

ICS does not reproduce the source extraction here. Keeping the evidence on the independent index preserves source-level methods, units, species, basis, uncertainty, and review state. This note records only the institutional consequence of that evidence.

Preserve arsenic species throughout evidence routing, make uncertainty visible, and prevent total-arsenic or generic organic-arsenic claims from answering an inorganic-arsenic question.

This disposition may change taxonomy, analyte coverage, test basis, surveillance priority, disclosure, or claim language. It does not allow a market occurrence percentile or a dramatic single study to become an initial certification value.

The finding is published in two additional authority layers: the HMI evidence record and the HMTc certification interpretation. Distribution should prioritize laboratories, toxicologists, regulators, attorneys while preserving those distinct roles in headlines, briefings, interviews, and social posts.

Audience

laboratories · toxicologists · regulators · attorneys

SUGGESTED CITATION

Pendergrass, K. (2026). “The organoarsenical inertness assumption.” ICS Evidence Governance Notes. ICS-EGN-2026-021. Institute of Contaminant Standards.

Evidence governance register →