# Arsenic in Rice?



## Smalltowngirl (Mar 28, 2010)

I just turned on the TV and some official was talking about the high levels of arsenic in rice and now Dr. Oz is discussing it now. There is extensive testing being done now and they(Govt & Dr. Oz) are recommending limiting intake & to limit amount of rice fed to children under 5. What about rice cereal for babies, I have a friend who's doctor recommended starting her baby on rice cereal. 
I'll try to find a transcript but darn, how long has this been a problem & is the 50# of rice I have stored safe? The effects of ingesting arsenic are not pleasant from what Dr. Oz said.

Anybody here anything else or have more information about this new study?

Here's some links I found when I Googled 'arsenic in rice'. I didn't read more than the 1st paragraph of each link so I'm not saying they are accurate or valid.

Arsenic in rice prompts warnings from consumer groups, IL AG | abc7chicago.com

Consumer Reports study finds arsenic in rice | kvue.com Austin

Questions & Answers: FDAÃ¢â¬â¢s Analysis of Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

i believe they also found high levels in alot of juices also, like grape. if i recall correctly, it is due to the pesticides/fertilizers used many moons ago, and is still present in the fields and being taken up in the plants.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Is this rice imported from China?


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## bama (Aug 21, 2011)

The Consumers Union study found higher levels of arsenic in brown rice than white rice, a result of how the two different types are processed. It also found higher levels in rice produced in Southern U.S. states than in rice from California or Asia. 

the above is quoted from the first link


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## Smalltowngirl (Mar 28, 2010)

Darren said:


> Is this rice imported from China?


From what I gathered, no it's our own domestic rice. :Bawling:


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## brosil (Dec 15, 2003)

All rice has some arsenic in it. It's a trace element. Garlic has a lot more and it doesn't seem to bother the Italians.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Arsenic is present in MANY foods -- it occurs naturally in pits and seeds, to varying degrees. 

I'd say that this is another "media storm" -- shock and awe on something "horrific" which sells advertising space.

No, it's not good if you're giving your kid eight or ten glasses of juice a day -- but why on earth would you be doing that? Arsenic is a trace element, and our bodies know how to deal with it, in normal amounts -- but like anything else in our gluttonous society, when we take in more than we should of something, there are consequences.

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you -- it's always been there, this isn't something new, and yes, your fifty pound bag of rice is just fine.


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## KrisD (May 26, 2011)

The arsenic in juice is from apple juice made in China. They are using unregulated and banned pesticides on the apples. When the apples a crushed for juice it is concentrated. The levels found were quite a bit higher then what the U.S determins is safe for drinking water. I only give my son apple juice from the U.S door that reason. China has a history of not regulating what goes in their food, unfortunately the rice is happening here in the U.S. I wouldn't eat excessive amounts of rice but I would still eat normal amounts.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I have to wonder if this story is to put panic in all the people who are stocking up on food....


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## TripleD (Feb 12, 2011)

Next we'll hear about those dried beans nobody has in buckets are gonna kill us.....


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it.


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

Brown rice has more than white because the majority is found in the husk. Even white rice has 1.5 times more than the standard for drinking water. Rinse well before cooking and cook in a ratio of 6 to one. There will probably be recommendations as with tuna - eat no more than twice a week etc. Nothing unexpected since rice is grown in water and thus absorbs more of the arsenic from the soil.


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

well look at the bright side it will cause rice to drop in price


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## backwoods (Sep 12, 2004)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I have to wonder if this story is to put panic in all the people who are stocking up on food....


This is EXACTLY what I said to dh, only to prevent/discourage, people from stocking up.
I know, I sound like a "conspiracy theorist" now, but I honestly never hear the govt announce anything now, that I don't start trying to figure out what the ulterior motive is.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Originally Posted by *Mom_of_Four*
> _I have to wonder if this story is to put* panic* in all the people who are stocking up on food...._


The research went on for a while, the FDA report just came out.
What they LEAVE OUT of most news reports is the levels found are LOWER than the amount ALLOWED in drinking water.

No one has said there are HARMFUL levels of Arsenic


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I've been eating rice for about 6 months out of a 50# Riceland bag....it hasn't killed me yet! I'm not going to worry about it..... I think it's another one of those boogie man idea's. First butter is bad for you, use margarine instead. Now margarine is bad...criminy. Just eat everything in moderation.....


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Bearfootfarm said:


> The research went on for a while, the FDA report just came out.
> What they LEAVE OUT of most news reports is the levels found are LOWER than the amount ALLOWED in drinking water.
> 
> No one has said there are HARMFUL levels of Arsenic


But the story is written to make people think "OMG, arsenic! Honey, we have 300 pounds of poisonous food in our pantry!!"


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

Being married to an asian woman, I've eaten rice literally almost every day for the last twenty years, and haven't shown any ill effects. Well, the wife might suggest mental disorders!

Seriously, this is more media hype than anything else. Just relax and don't worry about it. Don't let histeria rule your life. Actually, I'm hoping that I might be able make some good deals on 50# bags if this story drives the price of rice down.

To put things into perspective, they are measuring the arsenic in part per billion, which are very, very small amounts. BTW, they did mention in the news story that the manufacturers of infant rice cereals were already screening for arsenic contamination, so you can expect that the lowest levels would be present in infant products.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Mom_of_Four said:


> But the story is written to make people think "OMG, arsenic! Honey, we have 300 pounds of poisonous food in our pantry!!"


Exactly
It's all hype and hysteria over not much at all


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## cmcon=7 (Mar 7, 2010)

Business | Fear In The Fields -- How Hazardous Wastes Become Fertilizer -- Spreading Heavy Metals On Farmland Is Perfectly Legal, But Little Research Has Been Done To Find Out Whether It's Safe | Seattle Times Newspaper
been going on for a long time, waste in fertilizer has ruined fields.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

That's from *1997*.
We must all be dead by now, and all the fields must be barren


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Article I heard said to avoid the arsenic, just add extra water, and drain the excess after cooking....


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Well at least with the news of arsenic in rice , I havn`t heard so much about Kates tata`s being photographed. Hehe > Thanks Marc


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## Sourdough (Dec 28, 2011)

Strong doses of Arsenic was used to cure Syphilis before penicillin. And it worked, it was called salvarsin.


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

If you're really concerned just rinse your rice very, very thoroughly in a sieve under cold running water before you go to cook it. Rinse it for longer than you would usually do - 5 minutes of rinsing should suffice and it will start to get a bit of a swollen and transluscent appearance to it, then cook it as you normally would do. Or, as Em mentioned, you can rinse well then cook it at a ratio of 1 cup of rice to 6 cups of water. I prefer to just give it a very thorough and long rinsing (or a long soak and then rinse in cold water as is my habit - I do the same thing with beans too) then cook it at the usual ratio of water to rice.

.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I always wash my rice thoroughly before cooking under running water. I use a rice bowl colander with scrubbie sides on it to agitate it. Like I said before, I'm not worried about it.

Rice Washing Colander

This gadget works GREAT! the holes in it are small enough that the rice can't fall through them. I've purchased several for family members.


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

Thre reason rice from the South has more arsenic in it is supposed to be that many rice fields here were cotton fields earlier, and the pesticides used on cotton used arsenic, of which much has been trapped in the soils. We are talking inorganic arsenic as the danger here, not organic which is found only in traces in soils.


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