In a nutshell, it’s suspected that some 75% of U.S.-grown rice contains elevated levels of arsenic. The likely culprit: past agricultural practices that relied on lead arsenate pesticides and left a legacy of arsenic in our soils.
Rice has long been a staple in many traditional diets, and rice-derived products are now a staple in American grocery stores. Rice is in cereals, snack foods, baby food, and a growing number of products geared toward gluten-intolerant consumers.
Researchers from Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School have been investigating arsenic contamination in organic brown rice syrup, which is a major component in organic processed foods.
Because brown rice retains its outer hull, it carries a heavier arsenic burden than polished white rice. When Dartmouth researchers assessed arsenic loads in baby formulas, cereal bars, and energy drinks sweetened with organic brown rice syrup, many contained arsenic in excess of the Environmental Protection Agency’s federal limits for safe drinking water.
Currently, there are no U.S. regulations limiting arsenic in food. With urging from Congress, the Food and Drug Administration is assessing over a thousand rice and rice-based foods to gain a better understanding of the scale of arsenic contamination, and possible health risks.
In the meantime, Dr. Brian Jackson, one of the lead authors on the Dartmouth study, recommends, “In the absence of regulations for levels of arsenic in food, I would certainly advise parents who are concerned about their children’s exposure to arsenic not to feed them formula where brown-rice syrup is the main ingredient.”
Web Links
Arsenic in baby formula
http://healthland.time.com/2012/02/16/oh-baby-why-there-may-be-arsenic-in-your-infant-formula/
Photo, taken on July 16, 2011, courtesy of Lars Ploughmann via Flickr.