Multiple peer-reviewed studies and official reports establish that various rice products contain notable or elevated levels of inorganic arsenic due to plant absorption from soil and water.
The aim of this study was to synthesize the global evidence of heavy metal (HM) concentrations in baby foods and infant formulas. The toxic HMs lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) have been detected in baby foods and infant formulas, raising health concerns. Advanced searches were performed. Baby foods were classified into 7 groups according to their primary ingredient. Infant formulas were classified as: Stage 1 (<6 months), stage 2 (6-12 months), stage 3 (>12-36 months), and specialty. Median concentrations and interquartile ranges were calculated for each classification. The percentage of items by category exceeding the International Maximum Levels (MLs) was obtained. Seventy-five studies were included in the scoping review, which in total examined 580 baby foods and 251 infant formulas. Pb, Cd, and As were detected in over 60% of baby foods. The highest Pb median was found in rice mixes and fish mixes (0.008 mg/kg each), with >20% of their items exceeding the Pb ML. The highest Cd median was found in cereals (0.013 mg/kg) and mixes of various foods (0.008 mg/kg), with >17% of their items exceeding the Cd ML. For As, the highest median was found in mixed fish (0.165 mg/kg) and rice mixes (0.048 mg/kg), with 89% and 30% of items exceeding the As ML, respectively. For infant formulas, Pb, Cd, and As were detected in >60% of items. The highest Pb median concentrations were found in stages 1 and 2 (0.015 mg/kg each), with >60% of their items exceeding the Pb MLs. For As, without-stage (0.052 mg/kg) had the highest median, with >71% of items exceeding the As ML. Fifteen studies reported the health risks related to intake of various foods: significant risks were identified for infants ≥6 months for rice products, and ≤12 months stage 1 and 2 formulas. This review highlights widespread HM presence in baby foods and infant formulas. Exceedances of the ML were particularly notable in rice products for infants >6 months and infant formulas for babies ≤12 months of age.
Arsenic (As) is a carcinogenic element threatening the health of millions of people around the world. The sources for human exposure include drinking water, crops, processed food items, vegetables, mushrooms, animal products etc. The people at most risk are those living in hotspots of As contamination viz., Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. However, it has been found that rice growing in other uncontaminated regions like Australia can also contain high As levels. Further, rice import/export among various countries make the problem of global concern. The emergence of several reports of As in rice based food products including baby food from different parts of the world demonstrates that even the infants and toddlers are not spared. The variation in the levels of inorganic and organic As species in different food items influence the associated As toxicity. This review tries to present the available data on As levels in various dietary sources.
Over the last several years, there has been an increasing concern regarding safety of food products which are reported to contain arsenic (As). Researchers has indicated that high levels of As in drinking water have been correlated with negative health outcomes. However, the dietary exposures from food items containing As levels well below the established water quality standards, have not been well investigated and have become a subject of increasing evaluation and priority. Rice is one widely consumed product, which contains As. The possible health ramifications of consuming a diet rich in rice, specifically regarding low‐level As exposure through rice ingestion, is not completely understood nor characterized. Considering the implication that low levels of As may be directly linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects including cancer, hypertension, and high blood sugar, this study will focus on evaluating the potential linkages between low‐level arsenic exposure (ingestion) due to consumption of rice and high blood pressure in a specified population. A sound starting point in this investigation is the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the NHANES, over 5,000 individuals per year were sampled via a complex probability analysis between years 2003–2012. The objective of the current study is to explore the association between overall rice consumption by adults within the United States (18 years and older) with total urinary arsenic levels and h
Arsenic occurs in food in both inorganic (iAs) and organic (oAs) forms. Inorganic arsenic is highly toxic and classified as carcinogenic to humans, whereas oAs species, such as arsenobetaine (AB), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), generally exhibit lower toxicity. Rice and rice-based products represent major contributors to dietary iAs exposure. Within this context, the present study provides an updated assessment of the occurrence of iAs and oAs in rice-based beverages available on the Italian market. A method for the simultaneous determination of iAs, AB, DMA, and MMA was developed and validated, and it exhibits adequate sensitivity to ensure robust occurrence data, eliminating left-censoring for iAs. A comprehensive analysis of twenty-five representative rice-based beverages was conducted, revealing that the contamination profiles exhibited a high degree of homogeneity, with iAs as the predominant species. All samples complied with the European maximum level for iAs in non-alcoholic rice-based beverages. When combined with recent Italian consumption data, these results enabled age-specific dietary exposure assessment. Although rice drinks contribute marginally to overall population exposure, estimated intakes for regular consumers in early childhood are associated with a small margin of exposure, raising potential concern for vulnerable subgroups. The increasing diversification of dietary habits and the rising consumption of plant-based beverages point to the necessity of continuous monitoring of iAs. Ongoing efforts in monitoring studies, updated food consumption surveys, and effective risk communication are essential to refine exposure assessment and thereby enhance public health protection.
Hazards associated with rice consumption include arsenic from the soil, and Bacillus cereus which can grow in poorly-stored cooked rice, and cause food poisoning
Rice is commonly consumed as food around the world. It occurs in long-, medium-, and short-grained types. It is the staple food of over half the world's population.
Hazards associated with rice consumption include arsenic from the soil, and Bacillus cereus which can grow in poorly-stored cooked rice, and cause food poisoning.
As arsenic occurs in soil, water, and air, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors the levels of arsenic in foods, particularly in rice products used commonly for infant food. While growing, rice plants tend to absorb arsenic more readily than other food crops, requiring expanded testing by the FDA for possible arsenic-related risks associated with rice consumption in the United States. In April 2016, the FDA proposed a limit of 100 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal and other foods to minimize exposure of infants to arsenic. For water contamination by arsenic, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has set a lower standard of 10 ppb.
Arsenic is a IARC Group 1 carcinogen. The amount of arsenic in rice varies widely with the greatest concentration in brown rice and rice grown on land formerly used to grow cotton, such as in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas. White rice grown in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas, which account collectively for 76 percent of American-produced rice, had higher levels of arsenic than other regions of the world studied, possibly because of past use of arsenic-based pesticides to control cotton weevils. Jasmine rice from Thailand and Basmati rice from Pakistan and India contain the least arsenic among rice varieties in one study.
make it difficult to fully capture rice exposure
Lack of consideration of water arsenic and other non-rice containing foods
Potential for effect modification by other dietary factors or other factors
Absence of adjustment for total calories, other dietary factors or other constituents of rice as potential confounders
Open in a new tab Arsenic Concentrations Vary in Rice
Rice cultivars have 3 to 37 fold variation in their ability to accumulate arsenic [ 57 ] and the proportion of inorganic arsenic in the grain also differs according to variety [ 58 – 60 ]. As a consequence, arsenic concentrations within commercial rice samples vary widely – influenced by the cultivar and region of growth. Rice grown in the US [ 60 ] and in Europe had higher total arsenic concentrations than those varieties from India, Egypt, Bangladesh and Asia [ 1 , 59 , 61 ]. US grown rice contained higher amounts of total arsenic and a lower proportion of inorganic arsenic (and higher organic arsenic in the form of DMA) than rice from either India and Bangladesh [ 1 , 62 ]. Brown rice contains more arsenic than white rice because of the accumulation of inorganic arsenic in the bran layers [ 63 ]. However, arsenic concentrations within the brown rice grain varies, with one study in India finding arsenic accumulation in the grain increases with decreasing grain size [ 64 ]. Moreover, processing (e.g., polishing and parboiling) and cooking practices (e.g. the ratio of cooking water to rice, and rinsing in large volumes of water) change the concentration and bioavailability of arsenic in rice [ 65 , 66 ]. As discussed below, the levels of arsenic in cooking water also influence arsenic levels in cooked rice. While, an association between rice intake and arsenic exposure using biomarkers such as urinary arsenic has been demonstrated in two experimental studies where participants followed a controlled rice diet [ 7 ], the actual bioavailability of arsenic in rice may vary. In vitro gastrointestinal dig
Arsenic occurs in various concentrations everywhere in the soil. It has been known for quite some time that cereals such as rice can contain more arsenic in the form of inorganic arsenic compounds (also known as inorganic arsenic) from the environment than other cereal types. […] international panels classify inorganic arsenic as carcinogenic for humans. The carcinogenic mechanism of inorganic arsenic has not been fully clarified yet. Thus it has not been possible up to now to derive a safe intake quantity which may not involve an increased risk of cancer. The existence of inorganic arsenic in foods is therefore undesired in all quantities, although it cannot be completely avoided. Examinations undertaken by the regional authorities responsible for monitoring have confirmed that rice and rice products such as rice cakes and creamed rice for infants can have relatively high levels of inorganic arsenic, which is of particular relevance from a toxicological point of view. These findings match up with those of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the authorities in other EU member states. On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has assessed the health risk posed for various consumer groups through the intake of inorganic arsenic compounds with rice and rice products. After making an assessment based on the Margin of Exposure concept, the BfR arrives at the conclusion that health impairments concerning the
Rice and rice-based products, such as rice cakes or rice flakes for creamed rice, can contain relatively high levels of inorganic arsenic. Inorganic arsenic is classified as carcinogenic for humans by international panels and no intake quantity can be defined as safe for human health with regard to its carcinogenic effect (cf. BfR opinion 018/2015). In the European Union, the introduction of maximum levels for inorganic arsenic in rice and rice products is being discussed on the basis of the health assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)[…]. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has assessed the proposed maximum levels for rice and rice products from a health point of view and comes to the conclusion that the maximum level of 0.2 milligrams of inorganic arsenic per kilogram recommended for white rice is only suitable to avoid particularly high levels in rice. The proposal to introduce lower maximum levels for products used in the manufacture and preparation of baby food such as rice flakes for the production of creamed rice is endorsed by the BfR. The Institute does point out, however, that even under the assumption of concentrations of inorganic arsenic at the level of the recommended maximum limit of 0.1 milligrams per kilogram, the exposure of infants and toddlers to inorganic arsenic in rice flakes/creamed rice can still be high due to the fact that children consume comparatively large quantities of food in relation to their body weight. The BfR
tests in 2012 revealed high levels of arsenic in numerous commercial rice products across nearly every variety … organic forms of arsenic are largely considered harmless. The inorganic forms of arsenic widely used in … States continue to contain dangerously high levels of arsenic. Arsenic in the food chain and biosphere
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This check searched the claim as stated. It did not run a separate search for evidence against it.