Sustainability Quiz 15: Rice Toxins

Sustainability Quiz 15. Rice is a staple food for billions of people, but increasingly it is accumulating bad friends

After years of pesticide use, large areas of land that now grow rice have such high levels of arsenic in the soil, that while it might not be killing you, it could certainly be at least risking your health. Especially if you are in the group of people whose diet includes high levels of rice.

How did arsenic get into rice?

A report in 2012, investigating the levels of arsenic in rice grown in the USA and Asia was one of the first to highlight what has actually been an increasing problem throughout history. It is rarely found on its own as it typically binds with other elements - an interesting, but academic point as the net effect is the same. Toxic and cummulative.

According to Healthline, the most common places you find arsenic in high levels:

• Contaminated drinking water, mostly in South America and Asia
• Fish, shrimp, shellfish and other seafood
• Rice tends to absorb and accumulates more arsenic than other food crops. In fact, rice is the single biggest food source of inorganic arsenic, which is the more toxic form. (This includes rice grains and rice products such as rice bran, milk, crackers, syrup, cereals and bars. Note that Brown Rice Syrup is particularly high and it is found in a lot of processed baby food.)

What’s the problem with arsenic in rice?

The problem with arsenic in rice is that regular exposure to small amounts of arsenic can increase the risk of bladder, lung, and skin cancer, as well as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Recent studies also suggest that arsenic exposure in utero may have effects on the baby's immune system. 

RICE TYPICALLY HAS TEN TIMES MORE INORGANIC ARSENIC THAN OTHER FOODS AND THAT IS A WORRY FOR PEOPLE WHO EAT A LOT OF IT. ESPECIALLY OUR CHILDREN.  CHILDREN AND BABIES TYPICALLY EAT ABOUT 3 TIMES AS MUCH RICE AS GROWN UPS.

What can you do?

There are a number of things you can do, primarily focused on the rice you buy and how you cook.

• Australia grows about 2 percent of the world's rice. Unfortunately, a 2014 report on arsenic in rice by National Library of Medicine tell us that concentrations of arsenic in Australian grown organic brown, medium grain brown and organic white rice were between 2 and 8 times higher than imported Asian rice.
• Steer clear of brown rice as it can contain more than twice the levels of arsenic in white rice (in the husk).
• A better choice seems to be aromatic white rice, such as basmati or jasmine from the Himalayan region, including North India, North Pakistan and Nepal. 
• The arsenic content of rice can be reduced by washing and soaking rice before cooking.
• Cook rice with clean water that is low in arsenic. This can reduce levels by up to half. (Bear in mind that if you cook the rice in water that is high in arsenic, it will raise the arsenic content significantly.)
• Use plenty of water when cooking.
• Make sure to diversify your diet by eating many different foods.

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