Posted September 9, 2013
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released
a study on arsenic levels in rice and rice products, concluding that consumers
should not be concerned about immediate or short-term adverse health effects,
but should vary their diets, according to Mary Clare Jalonick of the Associated
Press in an article available here. FDA will now focus its efforts on the
long-term effects of rice consumption.
The study, available here,
looked at levels of inorganic arsenic in 1,300 samples of rice and rice
products, “the largest study to date looking at the carcinogen’s presence in
that grain.” The study shows varying
levels with the highest levels of arsenic in brown rice and the lowest in
instant rice. Infant cereal and infant
rice formula are “also at the low end of the spectrum.”
Arsenic exists in two forms, organic and inorganic, and
is naturally present in water, air, food, and soil. Organic arsenic “passes through the body
quickly and is essentially harmless.” Inorganic arsenic, found in some pesticides
and insecticides, “can be toxic and may pose a cancer risk if consumed at high
levels or over a long period.”
FDA will conduct a risk assessment with the National
Institute of Heath and the EPA to measure how much organic and inorganic
arsenic is being consumed through rice and “whether those levels are
dangerous.”
Michael R. Taylor, FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods,
called the sampling results “an important step in our process, and the most
complete set of data on arsenic in rice in the world” according to a Wall
Street Journal article, available here. Taylor said that FDA will study the “chronic
risks of rice consumption” and “called the effort a high priority for the
agency.”
The U.S.A. Rice Federation said it was “pleased” by the
results of the study and said “the industry is conducting research into how it
can lower levels of arsenic in its products.”
Urvashi Ragan, Consumer Reports’ director of consumer
safety and sustainability, said her group had been talking with the FDA for two
to three years about arsenic levels in rice.
Dr. Rangan said her group was “pleased with where they’ve gotten,” but a
“solution” is needed, which means “setting a standard” for how much arsenic can
be present in rice.
