High Arsenic Levels Found in Rice Grown in Parts of United States

Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com

A previous study focussed on examining the arsenic content of U.S. rice purchased in the U.K. It found higher arsenic levels than rice grown in India, Bangladesh or Europe.

In this recent study, rice from the two primary rice-growing regions in the U.S., California and the South Central States, were analyzed. The samples used came from rice purchased at the supermarkets.

Inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen and is also believed to play a role in causing other diseases. The scientists found rice grown in the South Central States had higher levels of inorganic arsenic than in rice grown in California.

In the South Central region, rice is typically grown in old cotton fields which were treated with pesticides containing arsenic. As a consequence, strains of rice which can withstand arsenic are typically cultivated in these fields.

Since certain cultural groups and segments of the population consume a lot of rice, they risk ingesting excessive amounts of arsenic. It would certainly exceed the exposure limits set by the state of California. Groups at such risk are Asia-Americans
to whom rice is a daily staple, low-income people who eat rice because it is inexpensive and young Hispanic children.

If you consume a lot of rice, make sure you check where it was grown.