Danger to pregnant arsenic in rice

Health hazard in pregnancy: arsenic in rice

06/12/2011

Health hazard from rice. Scientists at the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover (USA) found that half a cup of rice a day already meets the WHO limit for arsenic in drinking water. This is a big danger especially for babies in the womb.

Already one cup of rice a day increases the arsenic value significantly
The researchers examined the urine of 229 women, half of whom ate little or no rice and the other half ate normal quantities of rice from the supermarket. From the quantity of arsenic excreted with the urine it was then possible to draw conclusions about the burden on the subjects.

The result was commented on by the scientists as follows: „Based on the measured arsenic value, half a cup of rice per day was enough to give similar levels of arsenic, such as drinking one liter of water with ten micrograms of arsenic - the WHO limit.“ While China has already set a limit for arsenic in foods, there is no such value in Europe and the United States. Diane Gilbert-Diamond from the Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover and her colleagues report: „While drinking water has long been recognized as a potential source of arsenic contamination, there is growing evidence that foods may also contain substantial amounts of arsenic.“

Why does rice contain arsenic?
Arsenic occurs in low, very different concentrations in virtually every soil on earth. When the rice plant absorbs the arsenic from the soil, it stores it among other things in the rice grain. If man takes rice with him, arsenic also enters the human body. Since the arsenic load of the soils and rice plants is very different, it is difficult to determine a specific burden on the end user.

Increased health risk for fetuses
Since the researchers showed clearly elevated levels of arsenic in the urine of the subjects who regularly consume rice, especially pregnant women are potentially at great risk. The health consequences of arsenic exposure for women are still unclear, the researchers report. However, exposure to fetuses poses a major health risk. Diane Gilbert-Diamond and her colleagues comment on this as follows: „Embryonic development is a particularly sensitive phase to arsenic poisoning.“ The researchers also report that children who were already exposed to elevated levels of arsenic in the womb are smaller at birth and have a weakened immune system. The risk of lung cancer was also increased.

arsenic poisoning
If it even comes to an arsenic poisoning, this can be deadly. It causes spasms, internal bleeding, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. As a result, kidney and circulatory failure can occur. (Ag)

Picture: Rainer Sturm