Brown rice is often considered a healthy choice. It\u2019s a whole grain. Plus, it’s a good source of fiber and important nutrients, such as magnesium, selenium, and manganese.<\/p>\n
And rice is also sometimes recommended to eat when you\u2019re sick. (I used to love soup with rice when I wasn\u2019t feeling well.)<\/p>\n
But there’s a dark side to rice you may not know<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Most of the rice today, <\/b>whether white, brown, wild, organic, or conventional,<\/b>\u00a0is tainted with arsenic \u2014 one of the world\u2019s most toxic poisons. <\/b><\/p>\n
How did this basic, wholesome food become polluted? Should you change your cooking and eating habits to account for arsenic in rice? Or do you have to give up rice for good?<\/p>\n
What Is Arsenic?<\/h2>\n
Arsenic<\/a> is naturally present in the environment. This mineral occurs in the Earth\u2019s crust and is found in soil, water, plants, and animals.<\/p>\n So maybe you\u2019re wondering: How can arsenic be bad if it\u2019s natural?<\/p>\n For one thing, humans have complicated this issue by adding more arsenic to the soil through pesticides and fertilizers.<\/p>\n And arsenic exists in two forms: organic and inorganic. In this usage, organic does not refer to a type of farming. It\u2019s a chemistry term.<\/p>\n Arsenic combined with carbon is organic and mainly found in plant and animal tissues. On the other hand, arsenic with no carbon (and combined with other elements) is inorganic and mainly found in rocks, soil, or water.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the main thing you need to know: While the toxicity of arsenic varies widely \u2014 and both are considered public health concerns \u2014\u00a0inorganic arsenic<\/a> is generally considered more toxic than organic arsenic<\/b>.<\/p>\n Inorganic arsenic has been recognized as a human poison since ancient times. It\u2019s the type most often used in pesticides and fertilizers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also found in a variety of foods \u2014 and some drinking water<\/a>. But one of the most common food sources of inorganic arsenic is\u2026 you guessed it: rice. <\/b><\/p>\n More on why so much arsenic is in rice and what this means for you a little later.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t tell if arsenic is in your food or drinks because both organic and inorganic arsenic have no smell or taste.<\/p>\n Most of the organic and inorganic arsenic you ingest will leave your body in a few days. (According to a statement made<\/a> by the CDC and information published<\/a> by the World Health Organization.)<\/p>\n But some of the inorganic arsenic \u2014 the kind of most concern \u2014 will remain in your body for months or even longer.<\/p>\n And frequent exposure to inorganic arsenic, even in low doses, can cause health concerns.<\/p>\n Small doses of arsenic from food or water can <\/strong>cause<\/strong>:<\/a><\/p>\n And larger doses of arsenic create<\/a> more serious problems.<\/p>\n Inorganic arsenic can even be deadly<\/a>. In ancient Greece, arsenic was often used<\/a> as a poison for criminals. A dose the size of a pea was found to be fatal.<\/p>\n Long-term exposure to arsenic has been linked<\/a> to numerous health issues, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n Arsenic is linked to many types of cancer<\/a>, including<\/strong> skin, lung, bladder, liver, and kidney cancers.<\/b>\u00a0Evidence suggests lung cancer is the most common cause of arsenic-related mortality.<\/p>\n The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified arsenic<\/a> as a category 1 carcinogen, meaning it\u2019s known to cause cancer in humans<\/i>. The US EPA has also determined that inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic to humans<\/a>.<\/p>\n Inorganic arsenic is generally considered more harmful, but the IARC considers two types of organic arsenic to be \u201cpossibly carcinogenic to humans\u201d as well.<\/p>\n For pregnant people, babies, and children, the situation may be even worse.<\/p>\n Anyone who is pregnant and is exposed to arsenic may put their unborn babies at risk of having compromised<\/a> immune systems<\/b> while in the womb and in early life.<\/p>\n The US Food and Drug Administration found<\/a> that high levels of inorganic arsenic during pregnancy are linked to numerous adverse outcomes. For example, exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and infancy can impair a child\u2019s performance on developmental tests<\/b>.<\/p>\n Rice is an easy, enjoyable food that can bulk up a meal for pennies. But should you stop eating it to avoid the health risks of arsenic?<\/p>\n Consumer Reports tested 223 samples of rice products<\/a> and found significant levels of arsenic in almost all of them<\/b>, including white, brown, parboiled, jasmine, basmati, and other types of rice.<\/p>\n Arsenic was found in rice whether it was organic or conventional \u2014 and from all regions of the world.<\/p>\n Brown rice is generally healthier than white rice. (White rice is stripped of its outer layers, fiber, and beneficial nutrients).<\/p>\n But according to Consumer Reports, brown rice had 80% more arsenic than white rice<\/b>. Arsenic, along with many valuable nutrients, tends to collect in rice\u2019s brown outer hull.<\/p>\n Black rice\u00a0(also known as forbidden rice) is an ancient grain<\/a> that has been found<\/a> to have as many antioxidants as blueberries, but has higher total arsenic content<\/a>, although only half of that may be the carcinogenic, inorganic type.<\/p>\n Wild rice (technically not a rice but still a grain) may contain less arsenic than white or brown rice, but it depends on the water where it grows.<\/p>\n Organically farmed rice may contain fewer pesticides, but could still contain arsenic<\/strong> since all rice soaks up minerals from the soil.<\/p>\n So organic rice will have fewer toxins and heavy metals overall. But it won\u2019t likely have lower levels of arsenic unless the soil it grew in was never exposed to arsenic \u2014 not even 50 years ago.<\/p>\n Basmati rice from California, India, or Pakistan is the healthiest rice,<\/b> according to Consumer Reports data<\/a>. These types of rice have about one-third of the inorganic arsenic compared to brown rice from other regions.<\/p>\n Rice grown in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, and most other US states had the highest inorganic arsenic levels. So it\u2019s best to minimize or avoid rice grown in these areas.<\/p>\n You can also check company websites and contact rice companies to see if they conduct independent testing for arsenic levels in their rice.<\/p>\n One brand, in particular, Lundberg Farms, is transparent about the problems of arsenic in rice. Their CEO wrote a letter<\/a> about the issue and how the company is addressing it.<\/p>\n When arsenic is in the soil, all plants will absorb some of it. But rice is different.<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s grown under flooded conditions (where irrigation water is often contaminated with arsenic), rice absorbs more arsenic than other food crops<\/b>.<\/p>\n Arsenic-based pesticides were heavily used on crops for decades. And inorganic arsenic can persist in the soil indefinitely.<\/p>\n Even if farmland has been growing organic food for decades, if it was ever<\/i> exposed to arsenic-contaminated pesticides, these toxins may still persist in the soil today.<\/p>\n Inorganic arsenic compounds and most arsenic-based pesticides have now been banned<\/a> in agriculture in the US But some may still reach Americans by way of other countries.<\/p>\n This illustrates what a long shadow industrial farming practices can cast over the entire food system \u2014 and the way some chemicals can cycle through our food and water, for literally generations. You see, in some areas, even rice grown organically is impacted because of what you might call the legacy of the soil. For decades, farmers used lead-arsenate insecticides to control pests. As the name implies, these were extra dangerous because of their lead content and they were banned in the 1980s, but much of the arsenic that was left behind still remains in the soil. As\u00a0Consumer Reports\u00a0mentioned above, the worst offenders were cotton farms in the South, which relied heavily on these heavy-metal-containing chemicals. (Cotton farming, generally, is known to be some of the most \u201cchemically dependent\u201d farming on Earth.) #consumerreports2013 #arsenicinrice #arsenic #toxicrice #igdaily #pesticides #cotton #arkansas #texas #loiusana #texas<\/a><\/p>\n A post shared by @ organicfacts<\/a> on How Harmful Is Arsenic?<\/h2>\n
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Arsenic Is Also A Known Human Carcinogen<\/h2>\n
Arsenic Is A Concern for Pregnant People and Children<\/h2>\n
Arsenic in Rice: Should You Be Concerned?<\/h2>\n
![\"Is](\"https:\/\/cdn.foodrevolution.org\/cdn-cgi\/image\/quality=75,format=auto\/foodrevolution.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/blog-featured_arsenic_rice_symbol-20180302.jpg\")
Is There Arsenic in Brown Rice, Black Rice, and Wild Rice?<\/h2>\n
Does Organic Rice Have Arsenic?<\/h2>\n
Which Rice Has the Least Arsenic?<\/h2>\n
How Does Arsenic Get in Rice?<\/h2>\n
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