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This research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, conducted a study on 229 pregnant women in New Hampshire, the United States. The researchers measured arsenic levels both in these participants’ tap water as well as in their urine and recorded what they had eaten in the past few days. A surprising result of this research was that those women who consumed rice had about one-and-half times higher arsenic levels in their urine compared to other participants who did not eat rice.
Arsenic is a substance that occurred in the environment by nature, and it also can be caused by human activities like the use of arsenic-containing pesticides. Both natural and inorganic arsenic may contaminate groundwater used for drinking and irrigation. Because rice usually extracts the substances from the environment into its plant, it has a tendency to be contaminated by arsenic during its growth. According to Andrew Meharg, chair of biogeochemistry at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, rice is the largest dietary source of inorganic arsenic for American and European people.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had proved that chronic exposure to low levels of inorganic arsenic increased the risks of developing several fatal illnesses, such as lung, bladder, as well as skin cancers, heart diseases, and Type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, some studies reported that arsenic exposure could have negative impact on brain development in children. Although more studies are needed to determine whether if the arsenic found in rice is harmful to our health, arsenic exposure in pregnant women should be particularly concerned because of the potential health risk to the unborn infants.
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