"Yes, There's Arsenic In Your Rice. But Is That Bad?"

"Is there arsenic in your rice? Probably. That's the news behind a study that found surprisingly high levels of arsenic in rice-based organic toddler formula and energy bars."



"One toddler formula with organic brown rice syrup as the primary ingredient had arsenic concentrations six times the federal limit of 10 parts per billion for arsenic in drinking water.

Cereal bars that contained rice products like brown rice syrup or rice flour had arsenic levels ranging from 23 to 128 parts per billion, according to researchers at Dartmouth College, who tested the products.

There are no federal limits for the amount of arsenic that's acceptable in food. So it's impossible to know if eating arsenic at these levels is a problem."

Nancy Shute reports for NPR's The Salt blog February 16, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"Organic Foods May Be an Unsuspected Source of Dietary Arsenic" (Dartmouth release via AAAS Eurekalert)

"Rice-Sweetened Baby Formula May Contain Arsenic: U.S Study" (Reuters)


"Oh, Baby: There May Be Arsenic in Your Formula" (TIME/Healthland)

"Arsenic Found in Infant Formula, Cereal Bars, 'Energy Shots'" (Philadelphia Inquirer)

"New Study Finds Arsenic in Infant Formula, Cereal Bars" (Consumer Reports)

Source: NPR, 02/17/2012