Arsenic In Rice

Some things I'm learning:

• Almost all rice and rice products have been found to contain arsenic - brown and white, organic and conventional, short- and long-grain, US grown or imported, adult and baby cereals, rice beverages, rice cakes and crackers. - Consumer Reports
  
  
• Rice is thought to have higher levels of arsenic than other foods because it is grown in water.
  
  
• Arsenic-containing poultry litter (feathers, feces, feed) is used as an approved fertilizer in organic farming of rice. - Lundberg Rice. Arsenic is in poultry litter because poultry are fed arsenic-containing drugs, e.g. Roxarsone, for parasite control and weight gain. - Mother Jones
  
  
• Inorganic arsenic is more of a problem than organic arsenic.
  
  
• "Inorganic arsenic is classified by the U.S. EPA as a known human carcinogen, based on extensive population studies of lung cancers following inhalation exposure, and skin cancers following ingestion of contaminated drinking water in adults; arsenic exposure also may be associated with a higher incidence of bladder, liver, kidney, and prostate cancer." - EPA: Inorganic Arsenic
  
  
• There is no federal limit for how much arsenic is allowed in food. - Consumer Reports
  
  
• "The EPA assumes there is actually no “safe” level of exposure to inorganic arsenic." - Consumer Reports
  
  
• There is a federal limit of 10 parts per billion (10 ppb) for inorganic arsenic in drinking water. New Jersey has a stricter standard of 5 ppb. - Consumer Reports
  
  
• One liter of water (about 4 cups) would expose you, in New Jersey, to 5 micrograms (5 mcg) of inorganic arsenic. Use that 5 mcg as a gauge for the two bullets below. - Consumer Reports

How much arsenic is being found in rice?

• The FDA released results of 200 samples. Some average levels (in mcg inorganic):
  • Rice (other than Basmati rice): 6.7 per 1 cup (cooked)
  • Rice cakes: 5.4 per 2 cakes
  • Rice beverages: 3.8 per 240 ml (some samples not tested for inorganic arsenic)
  • Rice cereals: 3.5 per 1 cup
  • Basmati rice: 3.5 per 1 cup cooked
  
  
• Consumer Reports released results of 223 samples, found levels up to 9.6 mcg per serving (9.6 mcg was for a serving, 1/4 cup dry, of long grain brown rice). - Consumer Reports, includes a table with brand names

What to do:

• Rinse raw rice thoroughly before cooking. Cook like pasta, using a ratio of at least 6 cups water to 1 cup rice. Drain excess water afterward. Research has shown that rinsing and draining removes about 30% of inorganic arsenic. (Here's my picture post on how to cook rice like pasta. I'll be throwing out the rice water from now on!)
  
  
• Brown rice can have higher levels of inorganic arsenic than white rice because it contains the bran and germ. - Lundberg Rice
  
  
• The kidneys eliminate arsenic and its metabolites. Drink generously. - EPA: Inorganic Arsenic
  
  
• Diversify your diet. "There are contaminants in everything. Nothing is completely safe." - Professor Jaymie Meliker, Stony Brook University.

________Photo of rice growing in flooded paddy from Wikipedia.