FDA URGED TO SET STANDARDS FOR ARSENIC IN RICE

[xchrom]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FDA_ARSENIC_IN_RICE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-09-19-06-13-09

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumer groups are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to set federal guidance on allowable levels of arsenic in rice, prompting the agency to study the issue and consider possible new standards.

So far, FDA officials say they have found no evidence that suggests rice is unsafe to eat. The agency is in the middle of conducting a study of 1,200 samples of grocery store rice products - short and long-grain rice, cereals, drinks and even rice cakes - to measure arsenic levels.

Arsenic is thought to be found in rice in higher levels than most other foods because it is grown in water on the ground, optimal conditions for the contaminant to be absorbed in the rice. There are no federal standards for how much arsenic is allowed in food.

Arsenic is naturally present in water, air, food and soil in two forms, organic and inorganic. According to the FDA, organic arsenic passes through the body quickly and is essentially harmless. Inorganic arsenic -- the type found in some pesticides and insecticides - can be toxic and may pose a cancer risk if consumed at high levels or over a long period.

[watrwefitinfor]

1. So, is what they're finding organic, or

inorganic? Has it always been in the rice, or is this something new? Is it in ALL rice, or just from a few areas?

The link doesn't work for me.

Wat

[xchrom]

2. well, arsenic occurs naturally -- so it could be both.

it's the arsenic in runoff from pesticides, etc that poses the biggest problem for consumption, i think.