Dangerous arsenic found in rice and what it means for Latinos

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Jessenia Martinez

I don’t know about you but, when I first heard about the recently released Consumer Report that warms of the “dangers of rice” in relation to levels of inorganic arsenic, I felt a little heartbroken.  Rice is to me like pizza or chocolate are to many others.  It is my quintessential comfort food.  I have a feeling I am not the only Latina who can imagine living on rice and a variety of sides and being completely happy.
Therefore, I set out to investigate a little further. According to the cited research, rice and rice products do contain alarmingly high levels of inorganic arsenic.  Arsenic, when consumed in excess, can be deadly. Because it is odorless and tasteless it can be hard to detect and it can be found in deep groundwater.   In our neck of the woods, it’s also coming from the soil.

According to the report there is a strong relationship between the soil’s geographic location and the crop’s level of inorganic arsenic.   The report found that crops originating in the United States have significantly higher levels of inorganic arsenic than the crops imported from Thailand and India. This soil contamination may be due to the previous or current use of arsenic as an agricultural pesticide.  Secondly, the report found that organic rice from the U.S. has higher levels of arsenic than  non-organic rice imported from foreign countries.  Good news for  organic food loyalists trying to cut down on food spending.

Bottom Line: Should Latinos Stop Eating Rice?
While the report should not be taken lightly, it does encourage the traditional Latino method of cooking rice.  That means thorough washing before boiling white rice.  It seems that while brown rice (more common in Asian cultures and thought to be healthier than white rice) does retain more nutrients than white rice, but it also retains more arsenic.

Secondly,  feeding babies and children arsenic-filled rice products can lead to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases later in life and therefore it’s important for parents to keep abreast of ongoing research.   Finally, remember that when consumed over a period of time arsenic can cause cancer.  Given the recent report on Latinos and cancer, it is easy to conclude that there could be a relationship between our consumption of rice and our growing cancer rates.