Consumer Alert : Arsenic Found in Rice

A new study released Wednesday, says there could be a dangerous chemical in rice and rice products that could be linked to cancer.

First it was mercury in tuna; then it was arsenic in apple juice; now a new study is saying that same toxin is found in rice and rice products.

Cindy Bisulca of Plains says, "I mean you know one minute this is good, next minute its not and it's oh don't take aspirin but then aspirins good for your heart!  You'd go crazy just trying to think about all this!"

Michael Kantar, a registered dietitian at Geisinger Wyoming Valley says although it may sound scary but arsenic is around us every minute of every day, "Arsenic is naturally found in a lot of the foods we do eat because it is a natural component of life.  Plants use it to grow animals have it stored in their bodies and it's in the air we breathe."

And that's exactly how arsenic gets into rice in the first place.  The toxin is naturally occurring in soil and rice is grown in wet fields where it's easily absorbed.  Levels have increased over the years thanks to fertilizers but Kantar says the levels are safe unless you're on a rice only diet, "If your diet is rich in rice for example as was used in the study and that the primary food you focus on 24 hours a day your eating rice then you might have a risk of having higher levels of this arsenic in your blood."

Consumer Reports suggests limiting yourself to one serving of rice a day especially for babies.  But consumers believe it's just another scare tactic and in a few months it will fade away with the rest of them.  Rice products were still coming off the shelves at Schiel's Family Markets in Wilkes-Barre.

Kantar says it's all about portions just like everything else, "It's a staple food.  Have it, just watch how much you eat of anything!

Consumer Reports says rinsing and boiling rice in a 6 to 1 water ratio removes about 30 percent of its arsenic.

The FDA says it's not ready to set regulations yet, more research is needed.