Page 50 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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ARSENIC AND RICE

rsenic. The poisoner’s weapon of choice. Around the
world, the most common cause of arsenic poisoning is
Aactually contaminated drinking water. The issue is par-
ticularly notorious in Bangladesh, for example. But here in the
United States, it’s rice that should be on your radar.
Remember the periodic table of elements from high school
chemistry class? Arsenic is a natural element found in the
mineral content of the earth’s crust. It seeps into the air, water,
and soil.
Arsenic is a serious toxin, according to almost every gov-
ernment agency that has a say on the matter. Some other crops
absorb arsenic, but rice is an especially hazardous vehicle for it
because of the way rice is grown, which is by flooding rice pad-
dies. The roots of the rice crop absorb arsenic that gets released
from the soil and store it in the grain. Rice contains anywhere
from ten to twenty times as much arsenic as other cereal
grains, according to a report from the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC).
Rice is a staple around the world for many reasons, and
most of us don’t need to worry too much about the arsenic
issue. Infants and young children are of greatest concern,
though, because of the relative concentration they can con-
sume in instant rice cereal, which can be dangerously high
proportional to their body weight. The main health concerns
of too much exposure are increased risk of heart disease; skin,
bladder, and lung cancers; and compromised brain devel-
opment and immune systems in children (from exposure
as infants or in the womb). According to tests conducted by

Stuff that Comes from the Ground 39