The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently proposed levels
of inorganic arsenic in rice that «occurs naturally» and thus are exempt from the Proposition 65 warning requirement.
Then there's the issue that arsenic poisoning can happen very slowly so you may not even see the results of regularly consuming larger
amounts of inorganic arsenic in the population until much later.
Our
testing of inorganic arsenic in rice has focused on our brown rice, and over the five years we have analyzed (2011 - 2015), the average level in our brown rice is about 93 ppb.
For people in the United States and Europe, rice is the largest dietary
source of inorganic arsenic, said Andrew Meharg, chair of biogeochemistry at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
In 2014 Consumer Reports found that rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas had the highest
concentrations of inorganic arsenic while California rice has almost 40 percent less arsenic.
In 2012, Consumer Reports released a groundbreaking report which showed that many common rice products contain levels
of inorganic arsenic which exceed the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency in drinking water.
But even still, the agency is considering setting safe levels
of inorganic arsenic found in juice, both of which Empire State Consumer Project and Food and Water Watch have been lobbying hard for, a story Rachel reported on last July.
That wholesome reputation came under fire last September when separate studies by Consumer Reports and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration showed that much of the rice in this country harbors a significant
load of inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen associated with a wide variety of cancers.
Bottom: Rice is particularly prone to accumulating arsenic because it confuses two
forms of inorganic arsenic — arsenite and arsenate — with silicon and phosphorous compounds that are essential for the plant's structural integrity and health.
There are so many variables that are related to cancer that it is incredibly difficult to tease out how much cancer
consumption of inorganic arsenic might be responsible for.
For
results of inorganic arsenic testing on various brands of gluten - free foods that you can browse by category, visit Gluten - Free Watchdog A paid subscription is required to access the reports.
Yamauchi H, Takahashi K, Mashiko M, Yamamura Y. Biological monitoring of arsenic exposure of gallium arsenide - and inorganic arsenic - exposed workers by
determination of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites in urine and hair.
In its investigation, Consumer Reports tested three commercial infant rice cereals and found an average of 1.44
micrograms of inorganic arsenic in a single serving, which means that a baby who has two servings a day could exceed the EPA's limits for arsenic exposure.
«Rice - based infant cereals are often the first solid food that babies eat,» the Consumer Reports article said, and cited a 2008 study from U.K. researchers that found 20 - ounce packets of dried infant rice cereal contained 60 to 160
ppb of inorganic arsenic.
Gluten - Free Watchdog reports a brand called Mighty Rice grown on the island of Mauritius shows very low levels
of inorganic arsenic in their tests.)
New research shows that significant levels
of inorganic arsenic are taken into the rice grains when grown in sites where arsenic was applied to the soils, deposited from industrial air pollution or gas combustion.
Organic agriculture embraces natural systems of production, and we support continued research to utilize natural systems to minimize levels
of inorganic arsenic in the food supply.
We understand that levels
of inorganic arsenic in rice is of concern in some parts of the world.
On Nov. 21, the regulatory agency sent a letter to two consumer advocacy groups saying that it is seriously considering setting guidelines for what levels
of inorganic arsenic should be allowed in apple juice.
You experience certain problems by giving such foods to your child that may contain high levels
of inorganic arsenic.
I know that's a pretty jarring headline for those who haven't been following this issue, so let me explain: In 2012, Consumer Reports released a groundbreaking report which showed that many common rice products contain levels
of inorganic arsenic... [Continue reading]
Experts are more concerned when a food contains higher levels
of inorganic arsenic — a potent carcinogen that can lead to health problems later in life, including certain types of cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been testing foods for arsenic since 1991 and recently proposed that rice cereal for infants contain no more than 100 parts per billion
of inorganic arsenic.
Regular consumption of water that contains large amounts
of inorganic arsenic, a colorless and odorless element leached from rocks and sediments, leads to a range of harmful health effects.
The level
of inorganic arsenic in rice depends on the type of rice and where it was grown.
The FDA's research found that more than half of infant rice cereals sampled from U.S. retail stores in 2014 failed to meet the agency's proposed action level of 100 parts per billion
of inorganic arsenic.
EPA studies from 2009 and 2010 put rice behind fruits and fruit juices in regards to levels
of inorganic arsenic, 17 percent and 18 percent respectively and the top place taken by vegetables that had 24 percent.