The cause of arsenic-contaminated rice

Rice and arsenic-contaminated rice products are confusing the American public in recent days not as a result of the impregnation of toxic chemicals in factories.

Instead, the real cause comes from both natural and man-made elements, accidentally accumulating toxins in rice grains as they grow.

Scientists have long known that rice is the main source of arsenic-infected diet. Results from a recent study in Consumer Reports show that inorganic arsenic - still known as carcinogen - is found in more than 60 popular rice products. Based on that, the team is planning to urge the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to re-establish a safe content limit in rice.

However, what many people wonder is that if not for human intention, how did arsenic, a favorite poison of medieval political assassins - be in rice?

The chemical name arsenic, arsenic, is a steel-gray mineral that appears completely natural in the earth's crust, exists in soil and water through weathering (the process of stone being decomposed by the dynamics of the weather). Besides, this element is also commonly used in industry, used to produce pesticides, wood preservatives, .

Arsenic in white rice is much less than brown rice.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, inorganic arsenic (a simple form of arsenic not linked to carbon) can exist in soil for more than 45 years. Therefore, although dangerous arsenic-containing pesticides banned for use, such as pesticides containing leaded arsenate (lead arsenate), are banned in the 1980s, it is long-lived. in the soil for decades, making plants continue to absorb.

According to Consumer Reports, this helps explain why rice grown in states in the southern central US region has higher arsenic concentrations than other regions. Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas all have a long history of cotton growing, a major industry that uses lead arsenate pesticides. In addition, because the food source of chickens often contains arsenic, chicken manure is also an unexpected cause contributing to arsenic content in agricultural land that is difficult to decline.

By now many people will question why only new rice contains arsenic while other cereals grown in the US are not or very few? The answer lies in the cultivation method, many types of rice only grow in wetland conditions, promoting the absorption of water-soluble arsenic into the roots.

The rice grains of mature rice will accumulate most of the arsenic in the outer layer and can be separated during milling into white rice. This is why brown rice, though more nutritious than white rice, is also more arsenic.

And while waiting for the final conclusion on arsenic-contaminated rice, both FDA and Consumer Reports experts advise consumers to limit the amount of rice in their diets every day, especially for children.