Arsenic and Rice: Translating Research to Address Health Care Providers’ Needs.

Children can be exposed to arsenic in multiple ways. An important source of chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic worldwide is contaminated drinking water. However, because municipal water systems in the US are regulated to meet federal standards, the primary exposure to arsenic for most people in the US is food.³ One food known to be particularly high in arsenic is rice, a staple for much of the world’s population. Rice grown throughout the world contains arsenic, particularly US-grown rice. Though the amount and forms of arsenic found in different rice cultivars vary, the average levels of inorganic arsenic detected in rice are high enough to raise questions about potential health impacts, including for children.

Authors

Mark Miller, MD, MPH Region 9 WSPEHSU Director Emeritus, UCSF