Is arsenic in rice something to worry about? What to know

Research shows rice may be contaminated with arsenic — a toxic element linked to serious health risks, including brain developmental delays, cancer and heart disease.

Whether you’re enjoying sushi, feeding your baby rice cereal or indulging in a rice pudding, it’s easy to see why rice is one of the most popular staples around the world.

But emerging research shows this beloved grain may be contaminated with arsenic — a toxic element linked to serious health risks, including brain developmental delays, cancer and heart disease.

That’s because rice has a unique ability to absorb arsenic, building up levels that can be 10 times higher than what’s found in other grains like wheat. The way rice is grown plays a big role: when it’s cultivated in flooded fields, the waterlogged soil makes arsenic more soluble and easier for the plant to take up, studies show.

But arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral found in soil and water, which means it can end up in a wide range of foods, including apples, Brussels sprouts and even drinking water in some areas.

So if it’s in a lot of foods, can it be all that bad for you?

“In rice and water, arsenic is in an inorganic form. Inorganic arsenic is a toxic chemical,” explained Molly Kile, an environmental epidemiologist at Oregon State University.

“But overall, the harm it can cause to human health depends on how much – and how long – a person has been exposed to it. So it is the amount and duration of exposure that inorganic arsenic a person experiences that determines how the magnitude of the risk it poses to health.”

Long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic, she said, has been linked to a higher risk of several serious health issues, including cancers such as skin, bladder and lung cancer, as well as Type 2 diabetes and preterm birth.