Science and Wonder

Arsenic in your rice?

In independent laboratory tests requested by the magazine Consumer Reports it was found that around 200 rice products for sale in the US contained an inorganic form of arsenic: carcinogen.

The test results were released and in response the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did their own tests which unsuprisingly found the same levels of carcinogen. In conjunction with this the FDA is testing another 1000 samples of rice in order to size up a more complete report which they expect to have released by the end of the year.

Whether or not the levels of arsenic found should be considered worrisome has yet to be established. The levels are higher than would be considered safe for drinking water, but the differing methods of intake and other such factors make it hard to make a meaningful comparison.

As a small chemistry side; arsenic in its organic form isn’t the worst thing in the world as our bodies do a reasonable job of metabolising it, however, in its inorganic forms it is a disaster waiting to happen. (x)