RESUMO
Differentiated cells telomere length is an indicator of senescence or lifespan; however, in peripheral blood leukocytes the relative shortening of the telomere has been considered as a biological marker of aging, and lengthening telomere as an associated risk to cancer. Individual's age, type of tissue, lifestyle, and environmental factors make telomere length variable. The presence of environmental carcinogens such as arsenic (As) influence as causal agents of these alterations, the main modes of action for As described are oxidative stress, reduction in DNA repair capacity, overexpression of genes, alteration of telomerase activity, and damage to telomeres. The telomeres of leukocytes resulting a finite capacity of replication due to the low or no activity of the telomerase enzyme, therefore, elongation telomere in this kind of cells is a potential biological marker associated with the development of chronic diseases and carcinogenesis.