Journal Article 2 Mentions
Arsenic in Rice and Rice-Based Products with Regard to Consumer Health
Monika Rajkowska‐Myśliwiec•2024
Artur CiemniakGabriela Karp
Top 19% · 81st Percentile
10 citations · Environmental Chemistry
Open Access

TLDR

Rice and rice foods sold in Poland generally contained arsenic below legal limits, and usual adult intake appeared low. Babies and young children could face harmful exposure when eating more contaminated products or larger portions.

Summary

1 Study Aim

The study aimed to measure total arsenic (tAs), meaning all arsenic forms, in rice and popular rice products sold in Poland. The authors also estimated inorganic arsenic (iAs), the more harmful form, using three possible shares of tAs: 67.7%, 72.7%, and 90%. They assessed exposure among adults, infants, and young children. The study further estimated weekly product amounts intended to avoid increased cancer risk. The research examined how much arsenic Polish consumers might receive from rice products, especially vulnerable young children.

2 Study Design

Researchers bought 120 products from six manufacturers in Szczecin, Poland, during 2023. The sample included white rice, brown rice, rice cakes, and rice noodles. They measured tAs using hydride-generation inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-OES), an instrument method for detecting arsenic. Quality checks used blank samples and certified rice flour. Risk calculations considered adults, infants aged six to twelve months, and three-year-old children. Four scenarios combined average or maximum contamination with usual Polish consumption or threefold higher intake. The analysis used estimated daily intake, exposure margins, and lifetime cancer risk. The researchers compared typical and worst-case exposure across four product groups and three age groups.

3 Findings

Measured tAs ranged from 69.5 to 227.8 micrograms per kilogram. Brown rice had the highest average level, followed by rice noodles, rice cakes, and white rice. All calculated iAs levels were below European legal limits. Average Polish consumption suggested no clear threat for adults. However, infants and young children could face concern under maximum contamination and threefold higher consumption. The study estimated weekly limits of 32.2 grams for infants, 68.7 grams for children under three, and 243 grams for adults. The authors recommend varied grains and products with low arsenic results from testing and inspections. They also call for further studies using complete diets and national consumption patterns. Usual adult intake looked low, but larger portions and highly contaminated products could endanger young children.

Abstract

Most articles on the exposure to arsenic (As) associated with rice and rice products come from Asia where these products are consumed in the largest quantities; relatively few of the articles have focused on European consumers. Since rice products can represent a significant contribution to overall arsenic exposure, the aim of the study was to determine the total arsenic content (tAs) in rice and the most commonly-consumed rice products available on the Polish market. The tAs determination was performed by hydride generation coupled to inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (HG-ICP-OES). Because an inorganic form of As (iAs) is mutagenic and carcinogenic and about 100-fold more toxic than the organic form, an additional aim of the study was to assess the risk of its ingestion, assuming that it constitutes 67.7%, 72.7%, or 90% of tAs. In all products tested, the calculated iAs content was below the maximum permissible levels, and no threat was found for any of the analyzed Polish consumers, based on the mean rice consumption in Poland and the mean calculated iAs content. However, a potential health risk was noted among infants and young children, assuming maximum iAs levels and threefold higher consumption (16.2 g d−1). To avoid a risk of developing cancer, infants up to one year of age should consume no more than 32.2 g of the studied products per week, children under three years of age up to 68.7 g, and adults 243 g. Consumers should strive to include a variety of cereals in their daily diet and choose products shown to have low arsenic contamination levels based on testing and inspection rankings.

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