This article describes arsenic, the levels of arsenic in foods and beverages, and the risks of ingesting arsenic

Saulo, Aurora A.

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Aurora A. Saulo

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Arsenic in Foods

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Food Safety and TechnologyNovember 2012FST-52Published by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) and issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in co-operation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under the Director/Dean, Cooperative Extension Service/CTAHR, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822. Copyright 2011, University of Hawai‘i. For reproduction and use permission, contact the CTAHR Office of Communication Services, ocs@ctahr.hawaii.edu, 808-956-7036. The university is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution providing programs and services to the people of Hawai‘i without regard to race, sex, gender identity and expression, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran. Find CTAHR publications at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/freepubs.Arsenic in FoodsAurora A. SauloDepartment of Tropical Plant and Soil SciencesIn late 2011, Dr. Oz featured his investigative work on arsenic in apple juice on his television show. Since the popular media is one of the most common sources of information on food, health, and wellness, there has been heightened awareness of the presence of arsenic, as well as other “chemicals,” found in foods. In addition to juices, a large focus of consumer concern has been rice and some rice-based products commonly used in infant foods. This publication attempts to allay such concerns.What Is Arsenic?Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in the environ-ment. It is ubiquitously present in the air, water, and soil and in foods. Environmental arsenic comes from natural and human-made sources, such as mineral ore mining or from various agricultural uses. Forms of Arsenic Arsenic in foods is present in two forms—inorganic and organic. It is important to consider the form when discussing arsenic in foods. Unless otherwise specified, the amount of arsenic reported (in parts per billion, or ppb) is the total arsenic, in both the inorganic and or-ganic forms. In general both forms are nonthreatening substances that occur in such low levels that the FDA sees no reason to change our diet when they are detected. Types of organic arsenic such as monomethylar-sonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), ar-senobetaine (present in seafood), arsenenolipids, and arsenosugars are naturally present in foods at concen-trations that are essentially harmless. This naturally oc-curring arsenic is not toxic. Inorganic arsenic, by con-trast, is also harmless at very low concentrations but is hazardous when present at elevated levels and at long-term exposures (IFIC, June 6, 2012).Food Containing Arsenic All plants, whether they are conventionally or organi-cally grown, contain arsenic taken up from the soil. Foods that are derived from plants, including juices and rice, thus also contain low levels of arsenic. There is also detectable arsenic in our drinking water. Thus, arsenic is essentially found in all food groups. Drinking Water. The EPA monitors arsenic in our drinking water. The EPA maximum nontoxic level and the World Health Organization guideline for total arse-nic in drinking water are both 10 ppb. This limit was modified from 50 ppb in 2001. The level was deter-mined considering people’s high daily water intake and the many different forms in which water is used, such as for making beverages, soups, and other foods. Juice, Rice, and Rice Products. FDA has been moni-toring arsenic in our foods for more than 20 years and in juices for about six years (FDA, September 19, 2012). Since total arsenic in juices ranges from not detectable to very low levels, FDA has not deemed it necessary to set a limit for arsenic in juices. In November 2012, Consumer Union published the results of their analyses of various rice samples using a maximum total arsenic limit of 5 ppb (which they equated to 5 ppb of inorganic arsenic). They chose to follow the standard set by New Jersey for their drinking water, which is 5 ppb. Most of their results indicated that the food tested contained less than 10 ppb inor-ganic arsenic, and thus the levels remain below the US UH–CTAHR Arsenic in Foods FST-52 — Nov. 2012 2maximum limit for drinking water.In response to these increased concerns and to reas-sure consumers that their health is an important prior-ity, the FDA has increased their monitoring of arsenic in rice and rice products. The agency broadened their collection of data, which will allow them to conduct a full risk assessment. They will then analyze their results to determine how to minimize risks, if any, especially emphasizing  children’s foods and diet (September 24, 2012). Overall, the amount of arsenic in US rice is simi-lar to but smaller than the amounts in rice from China, Japan, Australia, the UK, and the EU. Many popula-tions consume up to five times more rice, with its ele-vated levels of arsenic, than Americans and have lower disease rates. Gilbert-Diamond et al. (2011) reported that the arsenic in the median amount of rice consumed by 229 pregnant women in their study was much less than the 10 ppb per day maximum arsenic set for drink-ing water. High levels of inorganic arsenic have been reported in organic brown rice syrup, which is used in some parts of the world as a replacement for high fructose corn syrup, but it is less commonly used in US food products (Jackson et al. 2012). US-grown rice contains elevated total arsenic levels due to a dispro-portionate amount of DMA, a harmless organic form of arsenic, rather than to an elevated exposure to inor-ganic arsenic. The US population as a whole has an exposure from foods of less than 0.95 ppb inorganic arsenic/day at the 75th percentile and less than 5.2 ppb of inorganic arsenic/day at the 95th percentile. One- to two-year-olds in the US have an exposure of less than 0.34 ppb inorganic arsenic/day at the 75th percentile (Ternary et al., July 2012).Understanding Risks in the Proper PerspectiveArsenic is present in most, if not all, of our foods be-cause the element is ubiquitous in our environment. Eliminating a food group will not eliminate arsenic. But just because arsenic is detected in our food does not necessarily mean it is bioavailable or absorbed by the body. Comparing total arsenic in water, which is used in many forms throughout the day, to foods that may be consumed in only 1 to 2 servings a day is not appropriate and does not make sense. To date, there are no documented incidents of hu-man health problems attributed to arsenic in US rice. (Codex Commission on Contaminants in Foods, March 26–30, 2012). FDA does not recommend changes in the consumption of juice, rice, and rice products. Rather, the FDA recommends eating a balanced diet, including a wide variety of grains (FDA, September 24, 2012).ReferencesCodex Commission on Contaminants in Foods. March 26–30, 2012. Report to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Maastricht, The Netherlands. http://www.codexalimentarius.nl/sites/default/files/page_attachtment/REP12_CFe.pdf (Accessed Oc-tober 27, 2012).FDA. September 24, 2012. Questions & Answers: FDA’s Analysis of Arsenic in Rice and Rice Products. http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/Metals/ucm319948.htm (Accessed 10/2/12).Gilbert-Diamond D., Cottingham K.L., Gruber J.F., et al. December 2011. Rice consumption con-tributes to arsenic exposure in US women. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 108:20656–206560 http://www.pnas.org/content/108/51/20656.full.pdf+html (Accessed October 27, 2012).IFIC. June 6, 2012. Arsenic & Our Food: Scientists Share the Facts. A scientific expert WebCast. http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Arsenic_and_Our_Food_The_Facts (Accessed October 12, 2012).Jackson, B.P., Taylor, V.F., Karagas, M.R., Punshon, T., and Cottingham, K.L. May, 2012. Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup. Environ. Health Perspect. 120 (5): 623–626. Epub Feb-ruary 13, 2012.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22336149 (Accessed October 27, 2012).Trenary H.R., Creed P.A., Young A.R., Mantha M., Schwegel C.A., Xue J., Kohan M.J., Herbin-Davis K., Thomas D.J., Caruso J.A., Creed J.T.  July 2012. An in vitro assessment of bioaccessibility of arsenicals in rice and the use of this estimate within a probabilistic exposure model. J. Expo. Sci. Environ. Epidemiol.  22(4):369–75. Epub 2012 May 2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22549721 (Accessed October 27, 2012).

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