Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup
Arsenic, Organic Foods, and Brown Rice Syrup
Food is a major pathway of exposure to As for most individuals (EFSA 2009). Rice and rice products can contribute to an individual's Asi exposure (Meharg et al. 2008a, 2008b; Williams et al. 2005). There is a growing body of information about As concentration and speciation in rice in the peer-reviewed literature and thus in the public domain, but much less information is available on rice-based food products. Rice products are used in a variety of foods, including gluten-free products and, as we show here, in products where OBRS is used as an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. The formulas containing OBRS—which could be the sole sustenance for an individual over a critical period of develop-ment—can result in consumption of milk with As concentrations much higher than the drinking water standard, yet there are no U.S. regulations to deal with this particular scenario. Similarly, endurance athletes who consume 4 servings of OBRS-containing energy shot blocks (manufacturer-recommended maximum for 2 hr of physical activity) may be exposed to as much as 10 µg Asi and 20 µg Astotal in a single day. Moreover, the major As species in the overwhelming majority of food products we have tested is the more toxic Asi, a finding that, although noted in other studies (Sun et al. 2009), is particularly troubling given the non-threshold relation-ships between cancer risk and exposure to Asi (National Research Council 2001).
There are currently no U.S. regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS-containing products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi into an individual's diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.
Conclusions
Food is a major pathway of exposure to As for most individuals (EFSA 2009). Rice and rice products can contribute to an individual's Asi exposure (Meharg et al. 2008a, 2008b; Williams et al. 2005). There is a growing body of information about As concentration and speciation in rice in the peer-reviewed literature and thus in the public domain, but much less information is available on rice-based food products. Rice products are used in a variety of foods, including gluten-free products and, as we show here, in products where OBRS is used as an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup. The formulas containing OBRS—which could be the sole sustenance for an individual over a critical period of develop-ment—can result in consumption of milk with As concentrations much higher than the drinking water standard, yet there are no U.S. regulations to deal with this particular scenario. Similarly, endurance athletes who consume 4 servings of OBRS-containing energy shot blocks (manufacturer-recommended maximum for 2 hr of physical activity) may be exposed to as much as 10 µg Asi and 20 µg Astotal in a single day. Moreover, the major As species in the overwhelming majority of food products we have tested is the more toxic Asi, a finding that, although noted in other studies (Sun et al. 2009), is particularly troubling given the non-threshold relation-ships between cancer risk and exposure to Asi (National Research Council 2001).
There are currently no U.S. regulations applicable to As in food, but our findings suggest that the OBRS-containing products we evaluated may introduce significant concentrations of Asi into an individual's diet. Thus, we conclude that there is an urgent need for regulatory limits on As in food.
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