Health

Study claims Arsenic in Rice Milk

by Suranee | May 27, 2009 at 03:08 am

2228 views | 49 Recommendations | 7 comments

A study done on rice milk reveals that in an examination of 60 samples of rice drinks, levels of inorganic arsenic were present in all of them.

The findings of a recent study by the UK's Food Standards Agency reveal that in an examination of 60 samples of rice drinks, levels of inorganic arsenic were present in all of them.

Parents in the UK have been warned not to give their children rice milk because it exposes them to arsenic.

Parents in the UK have been warned not to give their children rice milk because it exposes them to arsenic.

The FSA says although it is deemed safe for adults, children and toddlers are at greater risk because they drink more milk relative to their size.

Arsenic is known as a poison but is also associated with the development of certain cancers.

Arsenic levels found in the study, due to past pesticide use on the fields in which the rice crop is grown, were below the current legal limit - though the FSA is about to review it - and deemed safe for adults. But children and toddlers are at greater risk because they drink more milk relative to their size.

The FSA stressed: “'There is no immediate risk to children who have been consuming rice drinks, however as a precaution, toddlers and young children between one and 4.5 years old should not have rice drinks as a replacement for cows’ milk, breast milk, or infant formula”.

Arsenic is known as a poison but is also associated with the development of certain cancers.

A doctor attached to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) says that parents should not give these drinks to infants and young children up to 4.5 years. She also added that older children and adults can continue to consume rice milk as their exposure is lower relative to their body weight.

“As a precaution, to reduce exposure to inorganic arsenic, parents should not give these drinks to infants and young children up to 4.5 years. Older children and adults can continue to consume rice milk as their exposure is lower relative to their body weight,” said Dr Mary Flynn, chief specialist in public health nutrition, FSAI.

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Suranee

at 06:42 on May 27th, 2009

Food grown without chemicals and pesticides added to it is definitely healthy to eat and that includes milk and dairy products. That's good that you eat organic food. There are no stores selling organic food where I live. But I wonder if such food was sold, whether it would be expensive.

Uwe Paschen

at 06:48 on May 27th, 2009

The prices offered in Japan to organic farmers are rising every year due to the high demand and more companies nowadays try to convince Farmers to go Organic and offer then lucrative long term contracts because the public and consumer is now willing to change their own habits.

Suranee

at 07:12 on May 27th, 2009

That's great Paschen. I wish it was the same here. There are some farmers though (very few) who do grow foods like vegetables organically but they do it in a very small scale. But if there were companies here like in Japan to assist farmers and convince them to grow organic foods, such farmers too would be able to earn a better living and consumers would eat more healthy.

Jarrett Martineau

at 07:18 on May 27th, 2009

Wow. What brands?

Suranee

at 18:45 on May 27th, 2009

I haven't been able to find the names of the brands yet but if I do I will update the story with it.

Alida Antonia Cornelius

at 07:52 on May 27th, 2009

I wish the article stated how arsenic gets into the rice milk. I wonder if it's in the rice milk in the states?

Suranee

at 19:29 on May 27th, 2009

If I find any info on it I'll post it. I couldn't find anything on arsenic being in rice milk sold in the US but from an article I read which was published in 2007, one of the countries that has the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in rice was the US.

"Rice from the United States, France, Italy and Bangladesh had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic. About 30 per cent of American long grain rice samples tested contain levels above the Chinese standard.

The highest levels of arsenic in the world had just been found in French rice, he said. Rice from India and Egypt had the lowest levels, with basmati rice some of the safest."