Your rice has arsenic in it. Here’s how you can reduce risk

Rice is a staple in cuisines around the world, but experts are warning people not to eat too much of it after testing revealed concerning levels of the heavy metal inorganic arsenic in the grain.

Rice is a staple in cuisines around the world, but experts are warning people not to eat too much of it after testing revealed concerning levels of the heavy metal inorganic arsenic in the grain. A recent investigation by U.S.-based Consumer Reports found detectable levels of arsenic in all 52 rice products they tested, and said 42 per cent of them had levels high enough that eating just one serving a day over a long period of time would increase an adult’s risk of health problems. The study says arsenic enters our food supply through soil, and because of its biology and the fact rice is grown in flooded fields, it absorbs more arsenic than other crops.

“The problem with inorganic arsenic is that it can enter the cells in our body, and then what it does is it damages the enzymes in our cells that are used to make energy in our body, and it can also interfere with the enzymes that are used to repair DNA,” Lawrence Goodridge, director of the Canadian Institute for Food Safety, told CTV Your Morning Vancouver. “This can lead to long-term health effects in people. Things like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer, and in children, developmental effects.”

Goodridge said Health Canada has set allowable levels of arsenic in rice, but there is “no acceptable level” for people to consume. “Those levels are regulatory levels, they’re not safety levels. So any amount of inorganic arsenic consumed is problematic,” he said.

Goodridge added that one serving of rice will not hurt you—the concern lies with repeated exposure. “It’s fine to consume rice several times per week,” he said. “But if one is consuming it every day and multiple times per day, that’s where the risk comes.”

Goodridge recommends swapping out rice for other grains on occasion to reduce exposure. Health Canada also recommends cooking rice as if you would pasta, with excess water. The Consumer Reports article says some studies have shown cooking rice like pasta and draining the excess water can reduce arsenic levels by 40 to 60 per cent.

The investigation also found certain types of rice tend to contain more arsenic than others. Brown rice had higher levels than white rice, and basmati and sushi rice specifically had the lowest levels.